Charles McCurdy of the University of Virginia discusses the ways in which states originally legally established or abolished slavery. He discusses particularly the gradual abolition of slavery (based on age and date of birth of African Americans) in states including Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.

Eric Foner of Columbia University examines the effect of the Dred Scott v. Sandford U.S. Supreme Court decision on the state of antebellum U.S. politics, focusing particularly on the divisive effects it had within the Democratic party.

To view this clip, select "The Dred Scott Decision and National Politics" under "African-American Experience Video."

Eric Foner of Columbia University outlines the results of the Dred Scott v. Sandford U.S. Supreme Court case, which institutionalized the exclusion of African Americans from citizenship, and Republican denunciation of the Court's decision (including Abraham Lincoln's opposition to the ruling).

To view this clip, select "The Dred Scott Decision of 1857" under "African-American Experience Video."

For much of the 20th century, African Americans in the South were barred from the voting booth, sent to the back of the bus, and walled off from many of the rights they deserved as American citizens. Until well into the 1960s, segregation was legal. The system was called Jim Crow. In this radio documentary, Americans—black and white—remember life in the Jim Crow times. The documentary is divided into three downloadable sections.

To listen to this documentary, select "Part One," "Part Two," or "Part Three" under "Listen."

Professor Ralph A. Rossum examines the ways in which recent and current U.S. Supreme Court Justices interpret or seek to interpret their duties and the founding documents of the U.S. He looks at what precedents and interpretations of the Founders' intent are incorporated in contemporary justices' thought.

This lecture continues in Contemporary Supreme Court Approaches to Constitutional Interpretation, Part Two.

Professor Hadley Arkes returns to the original debate over whether the Bill of Rights should be added to the Constitution. He looks at the arguments that were put forward, the basis of these arguments, and the repercussions the inclusion of and the contents of the Bill of Rights have had on U.S. history. He uses the 1986 U.S. Supreme Court case Goldman v. Weinberger as a frame for discussing these issues. This lecture continues from the lecture "A Reconsideration of the Original Case Against the Bill of Rights, Part One."

Professor Hadley Arkes returns to the original debate over whether the Bill of Rights should be added to the Constitution. He looks at the arguments that were put forward, the basis of these arguments, and the repercussions the inclusion and the contents of the Bill of Rights have had on U.S. history.

Professors Lucas E. Morel and Diana Schaub look at the history of demands for reparation for slavery and of instances and accusations of racial profiling in the U.S. They begin with a short discussion of affirmative action cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, continuing from the lecture "Affirmative Action."

To listen to this lecture, scroll to the Friday, August sixth, 10:50 am-12:15 pm session; and select the corresponding RealAudio image or link.

An older version of this lecture can be found here.

Professor Mark Tushnet discusses the life and accomplishments of Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993), first African-American Supreme Court Justice and lawyer in the landmark desegregation case Brown v. Board of Education.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to the Thursday, August 5th, 7:30 pm-9:30 pm session; and select either the RealAudio image or link in the gray bar to the left of the main body of text.

Professors Ronald J. Pestritto and Lance Robinson explore the history of political progressivism and the U.S. Supreme Court. They examine what progressives have defined as the ideal role of the judicial system, as well as Court decisions that have been in line with this role. They look at writings including those of Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session 10, and select the RealAudio link to the left of the main body of text.