About the Series

Teaching American History’s Saturday webinar series provides educators with a chance to participate in a text-based roundtable discussion of American history and politics.  For the 2022-2023 season, we’ve chosen to highlight controversial topics from America’s past.

These programs are 75 minutes long. Using three to five relevant documents as a guide, a moderator and two panelists, all from our graduate faculty pool, will debate a specific issue. Participants can guide the conversation by asking questions or commenting on the assigned documents. Like all of TAH’s webinars, this professional development is free!

Readings and scholar bios will be available for each episode several weeks before the live show date.

Fall 2022

You can register for these free programs below. Whether you attend the live show or not, you will receive a link to the archives, both on YouTube and our podcast, of the show, meaning you’ll have free access to the content for use later.

After registering you will be sent login credentials immediately, and again one week and one day before the program airs live. Click on the program title to register.

• “Is the Constitution an anti-slavery or a pro-slavery document?
  • 17 September, 2022
  • Scholars: Jason Stevens (Ashland University), Jason Jividen (Saint Vincent College), and Adam Seagrave (Arizona State University)
  • Youtube Recording
  • Podcast Recording
• “Did the 14th Amendment fulfill the promise of the Declaration or was it a new Founding?”
  • 1 October, 2022
  • Scholars: Jason Stevens (Ashland University), Scott Yenor (Boise State University), and Andrew Lang (Mississippi State University)
  • Youtube Recording
  • Podcast Recording
• To what extent does the U.S. Constitution permit state officials to question the legitimacy of federal laws and take actions that defy these laws?
  • 5 November, 2022
  • Scholars: Jason Stevens (Ashland University), John Dinan (Wake Forest University), and Joe Postell (Hillsdale College)
• “Is the Constitution a “living” document?”
  • 3 December, 2022
  • Scholars: Jason Stevens (Ashland University), Joshua Dunn (University of Colorado-Colorado Springs), and Jeffrey Sikkenga (Ashland University)

Spring 2023

• “Did the ‘Roaring Twenties’ cause the Great Depression?”
  • 7 January, 2023
• “Did the New Deal and the Great Society fulfill the goals of the Progressive Era?”
  • 4 February, 2023
• “Do American ideals require American intervention abroad?”
  • 4 March, 2023
• “Have the courts become too powerful?”
  • 8 April, 2023
• “What are the limits of presidential power?”
  • 13 May, 2023

All episodes will air live at 10.30am ET on their given date.