Lectures in History

By C-SPAN

History

What's Lectures in History about?

Go back to school with the country's top professors lecturing on a variety of topics in American history. New episodes posted every Saturday evening. From C-SPAN, the network that brings you "After Words" and "C-SPAN's The Weekly" podcasts.

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The Cold War & the Atomic A...

01.29.2023

University of Maryland professor Piotr Kosicki teaches a class on the Cold War and the concept of the atomic apocalypse. The University of Maryland is located in College Park, Maryland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lectures in History episodes:

01.29.2023 The Cold War & the Atomic Apocalypse University of Maryland professor Piotr Kosicki teaches a class on the Cold War and the concept of the atomic apocalypse. The University of Maryland is located in College Park, Maryland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
01.21.2023 History of Abortion Legislation La Sierra University professor Alicia Gutierrez-Romine taught a class about laws and policies regarding abortion. Starting in the 19th century, she tracked changes in medical practice and public opinion through court cases and newspaper coverage. She also described abortion restrictions, ...
01.15.2023 American Colonies after The Seven Years War 1756-63 University of Notre Dame professor Katlyn Carter taught a class about British imperial reforms and American colonial grievances in the wake of the Seven Years War (1756-63). This class was from a course titled, "American Empires: Defining Colonial America." Learn ...
01.08.2023 President Reagan's First Inaugural Address University of Kansas rhetoric and political communication professor Robert Rowland taught a class on President Ronald Reagan's first inaugural address in 1981. The University of Kansas is in Lawrence, Kansas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
01.01.2023 Designing African American Monuments Former Charleston, South Carolina Mayor Joseph Riley, and professor Kerry Taylor co-teach a course at The Citadel military college looking at why a new African American history museum is being built in the city. They’re joined by Walter Hood. This ...
12.25.2022 1980s Fitness Industry & Culture Professor Natalia Mehlman Petrzela of the New School taught a class about the 1980s fitness industry and culture in the United States. She talked about new business models for group classes like Jazzercise, as well as about career opportunities for ...
12.18.2022 Christian Nightlife in the 1970s California State University Fullerton professor Eric Gonzaba taught a class about evangelical nightlife and Christian nightclubs in 1970s California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
12.11.2022 World War I Correspondence Mount Marty University professor Richard Lofthus taught a class about World War I by examining the correspondence of American Army Private John Warns, a farmer from a German-American family near Wentworth, South Dakota. Mount Marty University is located in Yankton, ...
12.04.2022 Slavery in the Northern Colonies University of South Carolina Professor Nicole Maskiell teaches a class on the early development of slavery in the northern American colonies. The University of South Carolina is located in Columbia, South Carolina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11.27.2022 Thanksgiving: Seven Things You Didn't Know About Dulles Airport It's Thanksgiving. Chances are you're travelling. It's possible you're flying. And you might even be at an airport-- stuck. If that's the case, listen to C-SPAN's podcast "The Weekly." We present Seven Fun Facts about Dulles Airport. All connected to ...
11.20.2022 Rise of Industry in the Gilded Age College of the Ozarks professor David Dalton, who teaches a class on 19th Century American history, discussed the rise of American industry in the Gilded Age. College of the Ozarks is located in Point Lookout, Missouri. Learn more about your ...
11.13.2022 Reconstruction & America's Story University of Pennsylvania Law Professor Kermit Roosevelt, who teaches Constitutional law, asserted that modern America traces its political sentiments to Lincoln and the Reconstruction era, rather than the Founding Fathers and the Revolution. Kermit Roosevelt is the great great grandson ...
11.06.2022 When Polls Go Bad American University Professor Joseph Campbell taught a class on public opinion and election forecasting. He spoke about some of the most significant polling misses in American politics. American University is located in Washington, D.C. Learn more about your ad choices. ...
10.30.2022 Comics in Cold War America Gregory Daddis of San Diego State University teaches a class on comics during the Cold War. San Diego State University in California is home to the Center for Comics Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
10.23.2022 Women's Political Power in Early America York College professor Jacqueline Beatty discussed women's rights and changing political power during the American Revolution and the early years of the Republic. York College is located in York, Pennsylvania. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
10.16.2022 American Churches During WWI Hillsdale College Professor Richard Gamble teaches a class on American churches and religion during World War I. He discussed how American pastors, ministers and rabbis spoke about the Great War before and after the U.S. entered the conflict. This lecture ...
10.09.2022 America and World War I Kevin Matthews of George Mason University teaches a class on Europe from 1914-1948. He discusses America’s entry into World War I and the role U.S. troops played in ending the war. George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia. Learn ...
10.02.2022 Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. Catholic University professor Michael Kimmage taught a class on the history behind the war in Ukraine. He talked about the competing U.S., Russian and Ukrainian interests, from the Cold War through the 21st century, that led to the ongoing conflict. ...
09.25.2022 Electoral College University of Utah Political Science Professor James Curry taught a class about the creation of the Electoral College and explained how it works as a part of the presidential election process. Professor Curry taught the class prior to the 2020 ...
09.18.2022 Rural America after the Civil War James Madison University Professor Andrew Witmer taught a class about the evolution of rural areas after the Civil War. Using his own hometown of Monson, Maine, as a case study, he examined rural industry such as slate mining and the ...
09.11.2022 Experience of Being Arrested in U.S. History Kent State University Professor Elaine Frantz taught a class about the experience of being arrested from the 1850s to the present day. She examined what groups were most likely to be arrested and how the process changed over time with ...
09.05.2022 C-SPAN in the Classroom Trailer: Season 2 Hey all you teachers and all you parents, and all you professors and all you students: Season #2 of the C-SPAN in the Classroom podcast drops this fall! Whether you're mowing the yard, on a peaceful weekend drive, or just ...
09.04.2022 Presidential Recordings: Ep. 7 Intelligence Matters - Calls w/ the FBI & CIA Directors Listen to phone calls between President Richard Nixon, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover & CIA Director Richard Helms. President Nixon and Director Hoover discuss the murder of two police officers in New York City, the Pentagon Papers, and more. CIA ...
08.28.2022 World War II Amphibious Vehicles Weber State University Professor Branden Little taught a class about military vehicle innovations and the role of American factories during World War II. He focused on types of amphibious vehicles used in the Pacific and described the process of testing, ...
08.21.2022 U.S. Expansion and Hawaii Johnson County Community College Professor Tai Edwards taught a class about the expansion of the United States during the Spanish-American War and the acquisition of Hawaii. She examined the goals of the U.S. in gaining new territory and the debates ...
08.14.2022 Watergate and the White House Tapes John Dean taught a class about Watergate and the discovery of the Nixon White House taping system. In June 1973, during testimony before the Senate Watergate Committee, Mr. Dean implicated President Nixon and administration officials, including himself, in the Watergate ...
08.07.2022 Battling Nature in Korea and Vietnam Professor Lisa Brady talks about how chemical agents were used during the Korean and Vietnam wars to destroy the landscape and infrastructure. She argues that during this time the U.S. military began to see foreign landscapes as an enemy rather ...
07.31.2022 Alexander Hamilton and the Early Republic Professor Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman talks about Alexander Hamilton’s role in the creation of the federal government. She describes how, after the American Revolution, states operated as separate countries, which often caused problems. Alexander Hamilton, one of the authors of the ...
07.24.2022 National Intelligence Under President Kennedy Catholic University professor and former CIA historian Nicholas Dujmovic teaches a class about national intelligence during President Kennedy’s administration. He talks about the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and other covert operations during the Cold War. Learn more ...
07.17.2022 Economists Keynes, Hayek, and Friedman University of California Santa Barbara economics professor Lanny Ebenstein teaches a class comparing the work of John Maynard Keynes, Friedrich Hayek, and Milton Friedman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
07.10.2022 Slave Labor in 19th Century Virginia Stony Brook University president Maurie McInnis teaches a class about slave trade in Richmond, Virginia, and enslaved labor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
07.03.2022 American Military in the Revolutionary War Baylor University professor Julie Anne Sweet teaches a class on the American military during the Revolutionary War, including a look at the equipment and capabilities of both the Continental Army and militia troops. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...
07.01.2022 Presidential Recordings Trailer: Season 2 President Richard Nixon At least 6 U.S. Presidents recorded conversations while in office. Hear those conversations on this C-SPAN podcast. Season 2 focuses on President Richard Nixon's secretly-recorded private telephone conversations. Through eight episodes, hear Richard Nixon talk with key aides about Watergate ...
06.26.2022 Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy & Civil Rights University of South Carolina professor Patricia Sullivan taught a class about the 1960s Civil Rights movement and the involvement of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy. She described the racial unrest that took place in urban areas such as ...
06.19.2022 Watergate 50 Years Later American University professor Joseph Campbell taught a class about the 1972 Watergate scandal and, what he calls, “the myth of heroic journalism.” He argued that the unraveling of the Watergate scandal was done by Congress and multiple federal agencies and ...
06.12.2022 The Weekly Podcast: Roe v. Wade: Justice Harry Blackmun's Legacy Lectures in History is taking a break this week -- try the latest episode of the Weekly, which provides its own history lesson - on Supreme Court Associate Justice Harry Blackmun and the opinion he wrote...for Roe v. Wade. It ...
06.05.2022 The 1950s University of Oklahoma professor Jennifer Holland teaches a class about family life and gender norms in the 1950s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
05.29.2022 Civil War Legacy in the South University of Alabama professor Lesley Gordon taught a class about the Reconstruction Era South and the "Lost Cause" myth. She discussed how "states' rights" were commonly cited as a cause for the Civil War as well as the legacy of ...
05.22.2022 State Constitutions Ohio State University professor Margaret Newell teaches a class about state sovereignty during the early republic and examines three examples of state constitutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
05.15.2022 Native Americans & the Federal Government Black Hills State University professor Thomas Weyant teaches a class about Native American treaties and interactions with the federal government during the 19th century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
05.08.2022 Mexican-American War Aquinas College professor John Pinheiro, teaches a class about the Mexican-American War during the late 1840s. Professor Pinheiro is the author of "Manifest Ambition: James K. Polk and Civil-Military Relations during the Mexican War." Aquinas College is located in Grand ...
05.01.2022 Disability in Early America Notre Dame University professor Laurel Daen teaches a class about how disability was defined after the American Revolution and how federal laws impacted disabled people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
04.24.2022 Economics of the Industrial Revolution George Mason University professor John Nye teaches a class about the economic history of the Industrial Revolution in the United States and Great Britain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
04.17.2022 New Deal Community of Norvelt Saint Vincent College professor Timothy Kelly teaches a class about the New Deal Community of Norvelt in Pennsylvania. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
04.10.2022 Theodore Roosevelt Taylor University professor Benjamin Wetzel teaches a class on Theodore Roosevelt's life and political career. He looks at Roosevelt's rise in New York politics, his presidency, and his international explorations post-presidency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
04.03.2022 End of the Cold War and Youth Culture Evergreen State College professor Bradley Proctor teaches a class about how the end of the Cold War impacted American youth culture in the 1990s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
03.27.2022 The Civil War in Virginia Texas Christian University professor Steven Woodworth teaches a class about Civil War life on the home front and battles fought in Virginia in the critical year of 1864. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
03.20.2022 Culture During the Great Depression Professor Carl Abrams talked about American culture during the Great Depression era. He described changes to family life, the role of religion, and the rise of Hollywood films. He also spoke about the creation and legacy of New Deal programs ...
03.13.2022 First Ladies in Their Own Words - Lady Bird Johnson First Ladies from Lady Bird Johnson to Melania Trump talked about the role of the First Lady, their time in the White House, and the issues important to them. This week, check out C-SPAN's latest podcast, First Ladies: In Their ...
03.06.2022 Cold War Educational Film Professor Karen Rader talked about mid-20th century educational films used to teach students about nuclear warfare and science. During the Cold War, policymakers feared the U.S. population was falling behind the Soviet Union in science education. The class included a ...

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