Professor Alex Saragoza discusses the Mexican-American War following the annexation of Texas, focusing on historical interpretations and coverage of the war. He looks at issues that are both covered to excess and rarely covered.
Professor Caroline Cox looks at the U.S. Constitution, its perception today, and the cultural and social context within which it was written. She argues that the Constitution represents a language and vocabulary within which society of the day was immersed.
Michael Ray narrates a basic introduction to the Battle of the Alamo and popular memory of the battle. The presentation looks briefly at how films and fiction have reimagined the story of the Alamo and distorted historical facts.
Professor Steven E. Woodworth examines the "Lost Cause" view of the Civil War—as the South as justified in going to war. Woodworth also looks at the religious life and beliefs of Civil-War-era soldiers and civilians and how religion contributed to the war and the perspectives of those waging it. He refers to the film Gods and Generals and scholarly criticism of it.
To listen to this lecture, scroll to the guest lecture after session four, and select the RealAudio link to the left of the text.
The Museum advances the public understanding and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. It does so by collecting, preserving, and providing access to moving-image related artifacts; screening significant films and other moving-image works; presenting exhibitions of artifacts, artworks, and interactive experiences; and offering educational and interpretive programs to students, teachers, and the general public.
The museum offers exhibits, tours, film screenings, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events.
In the early 1930s, Will Rogers was the most popular and highest paid actor in Hollywood. From his start in vaudeville theater with a trick roping act, he rose to worldwide fame as a columnist, philosopher, radio personality, and movie star. During the 1920s, he bought land in Santa Monica, where he developed a ranch. Eventually, the Rogers's owned 186 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in what is now known as Pacific Palisades. The ranch became the place where Will Rogers could relax with his family and friends, pursuing his favorite pastimes of riding and roping. At his untimely death in a plane crash in 1935, Will Rogers's ranch consisted of a 31-room ranch house, a stable, corrals, riding ring, roping arena, polo field, golf course, and hiking trails. When his widow, Betty, died in 1944, the ranch became a state park.
The park offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, and educational and recreational events.
Located in Jamestown, in the heart of California's Gold Country about 100 miles southeast of Sacramento, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park is home to the Historic Jamestown Shops and Roundhouse—an intact and still-functioning steam locomotive repair and maintenance facility, portions of which date back to 1897. This one-of-a-kind attraction combines industrial heritage and railroad history with the lore of Hollywood’s film industry. The Railtown 1897 Interpretive Center and the authentic roundhouse are among the Park's unique year-round offerings.
A second, individual website for the park can be found here.
The park offers train rides, exhibits, tours, and educational and recreational events.
THSA is the only organization in the U.S. which exclusively records and preserves the rich architectural, cultural and social history of America's theatres. Through its collections and publications, THSA makes available information on more than 15,000 theatres, primarily in the United States, and encourages further research in these areas. The Society also operates the American Theatre Architecture Archives and the American Movie Palace Museum. The Archives contain an extensive collection of photographs, slides, negatives, books, blueprints, clippings, videos, printed programs, and other material on historic theatres, primarily in the U.S. The Museum features exhibits of photographs, artworks, antiques, artifacts, and other memorabilia relating primarily to the "golden age of the movie palace."
The society offers annual tours; the archives offer research access; and the museum offers exhibits and tours.
Today, the 146th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s death, a new historical feature film, The Conspirator, opens.
It is interesting timing for another reason as well. The Conspirator is the first major motion picture to open during the Civil War sesquicentennial and yet it begins with one of the war’s closing chapters: the assassination of President Lincoln. It quickly, however, takes you beyond the events of the assassination and into a less well-known aspect of post-Civil War history.
Directed by Robert Redford, the film focuses on the relationship between the only woman accused in the assassination conspiracy, Mary Surratt, (played by Robin Wright) and her defense attorney, Frederick Aiken (played by James McAvoy). Aiken, a Union war hero, at first does not want to have anything to do with the defense of Surratt. In turn, Surratt does not want to do anything to possibly implicate her son who flees the country after the assassination and is considered a suspect.
Aiken eventually decides that Surratt deserves a fair trial and it is through Aiken that we as an audience wrestle with the central question of the film: Was Mary Surratt complicit in the Lincoln assassination? Like a good teacher, the movie leaves you to decide this for yourself.
In conjunction with the film, the producers of The Conspirator developed an Educators’ Page with links to a downloadable Educational Resource Guide (41 pages) and movie poster. Free registration is required.
The guide offers three lessons: Women and the Civil War, Impact of Presidential Assassinations, and Right to a Fair Trial, all geared toward students ages 13 and older.
If you are looking for additional ways to use interest in The Conspirator in your classroom, Teachinghistory.org can point you in some good directions.
Let’s start with the big question: What do students learn when watching historical feature films? In this study from the University of British Columbia, researchers found that students often empathize more strongly with the past after seeing a historical film, but they also have difficulty analyzing the film’s historical accuracy. So it is important to provide students with the background knowledge they need in order to analyze a film’s historical accuracy.
Here are a few resources found on Teachinghistory.org related to the Lincoln assassination:
For other resources beyond Teachinghistory.org, the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law offers the Trial of the Lincoln Assassination Conspirators that includes images, newspaper articles, and excerpts from the trial transcripts. Your students can compare the primary source material related to the trial to the movie’s version of events.
The Library of Congress’ Teaching with Lincoln has a section of materials related to the assassination, which includes resources for teachers, resources for students, and primary sources.
Films offer a great way to introduce young people to the stories of history and with the right teaching tools they can help engage students in historical inquiry. Try incorporating a few ideas in your next lesson and let us know what works!
Most of the early films of the silent era were seen as less than respectable, says Josh Brown of the American Social History Project.
This feature is no longer available.