Japanese internment is often considered the darkest aspect of America’s involvement in World War II. The study of what happened to the Japanese people living in the United States allows […]
The Federalists dominated American politics and government from 1789 to 1801. This critical period saw these three statesmen breathe life into the Constitution and set the new republic on the path to becoming an economic and military power. Perhaps most importantly, these statesmen created a sense of American identity that forged the citizens of thirteen […]
Jefferson identified his three greatest accomplishments as the Declaration of Independence, The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and Founding the University of Virginia. In the seminar we will discuss his […]
This seminar will explore the progressive politics of some notable late nineteenth and early twentieth century American women. We will consider the distinct perspective that these women brought to the problems wrought by the nation’s rapid industrialization and urban expansion. Readings and discussion will focus on: women’s growing quest for higher education and careers to […]
The Founders famously created a "Constitution against parties" and yet political parties emerged and organized during George Washington's administration. At the center of this partisan contest was Alexander Hamilton and […]
This seminar will examine Lincoln’s speeches and letters, as well as those of select contemporaries, on emancipation, civil war, and reconstruction. We will focus on Lincoln’s consistencies and inconsistencies on race, his changing war goals, and his vision for a postwar reconstructed nation rededicated to the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Historic Site: […]
In the wake of the Confederacy’s defeat, some white leaders of the South sought to modernize the region by promoting 1) sectional reconciliation, 2) a resolution to the region’s race problem, and 3) the creation of a new economic order based on industry, commerce, and a diversified agricultural system. In short, these leaders advocated for […]
This seminar explores the presidential transition initiated by the assassination of President Kennedy and how President Johnson responded in his first year in office in terms of policy and executive leadership. The seminar will cover Johnson's first week in office and the flurry of actions he took to transition the government from his predecessor to […]
World War II brought about the formation of what Winston Churchill called the "Grand Alliance" of the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain. But while this alliance proved remarkably effective in bringing about the defeat of the Axis Powers, it was less obvious whether the partnership could last beyond the end of the […]
Wallace Stegner, “the dean of Western writers,” called Hoover Dam “one of the world’s wonders,” marveling how everything about it “is marked by the immense, smooth, efficient beauty that seems peculiarly American.” The colossal structure Stegner admired in the Nevada desert inaugurated an era of prolific construction in the United States, when dams arose as […]
