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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The era of Reconstruction is among the most consequential—but also misunderstood—periods of all American history. This seminar introduces participants to the purpose and implications of Reconstruction. It devotes particular attention […]
