Events

Harlem became the hub of African American culture in the 1920’s and 30’s and the extraordinary writing that developed during this time continues to influence American literature and culture. This seminar will explore the literature of the Harlem Renaissance in relation to its history as well as its social and cultural context. We will also […]

The rise of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union is a story that has often been told. This seminar will focus on  Truman’s and Eisenhower’s policies on the Korean War, Soviet Union postwar anticommunism, containment, and nuclear buildup. This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the […]

The controversy to use atomic weapons in World War II did not begin after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed; rather there were heated debates within the Truman administration and the related scientific community before the weapons were deployed in August 1945. Get inside the terms of that debate using original sources from the major camps […]

This seminar offers an overview of the principles of the American Founding and the documents that embody them, especially the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. These principles will be illuminated through a close study of the events of the American Revolution and the debates on the ratification of the Constitution. This program will be […]

This seminar will discuss readings that address such issues as political developments in North America and the British empire and the arguments for and against independence, culminating in the Declaration of Independence; the Revolutionary War as a military, social and cultural event in the development of the American nation and state; and the United States […]

There have been thousands of books and articles written about the Declaration of Independence, and its ringing words make an appearance in every American History textbook. Given all of this commentary and interpretation, is it still possible to understand the Declaration as its authors understood it? In this seminar, we will discuss the primary sources […]

This seminar will focus on the roots of Jim Crow in the late 19th century. What was the catalyst for Jim Crow legislation? How did the laws and customs of Jim Crow get firmly established? How was it defended by its supporters? How was it attacked by civil rights advocates and how did African Americans […]

In the aftermath of WWI African Americans embraced the philosophy of resistance to white supremacy. When racial strife erupted in the streets of cities across the nation, black veterans and their supporters organized armed resistance and defended their homes, businesses, and lives. They fought back against efforts to impose second class citizenship on them after […]

This seminar will consider Jackson’s ascendancy to President, its historical context as well as many of his controversial policies such as the Bank War, Nullification Crisis and the Indian Removal Act. This program will be conducted as a Socratic discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the […]