Lectures in History

Duquesne University president Ken Gormley taught a class looking at constitutional issues that arose during the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He gave particular focus to the Watergate investigation and questions of control over Nixon’s secretly recorded White House tapes, as well as issues surrounding Ford’s pardon of Nixon following the 37th president’s resignation in August 1974. Duquesne University moved its classes online due to the coronavirus pandemic, and video of the class is courtesy of the school. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hillsdale College Professor Richard Gamble taught 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 was part of a course titled “The U.S. from the Great War to the Cold War.” Hillsdale College is located in Hillsdale, Michigan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

University of California, Davis, history Professor Kathryn Olmsted taught a class on how the ‘Red Scare’ evolved into a wide-ranging conspiracy theory in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professor Benjamin Bankhurst talked about Appalachia in the American imagination. He described how the regional stereotype has changed over time, from the view of “backwards hillbillies” during the Industrial Revolution to a people respected for their folk culture in the early 20th century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Purdue University Professor Kathryn Brownell taught a class about political advertising in the 1950s, highlighting Dwight Eisenhower’s presidential campaigns. She compared radio and early televised ads and examines what components made them successful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guilford Technical Community College Professor Jeff Kinard taught a class about Civil War weaponry and shared artifacts such as muskets, carbines, and revolvers. He described technological advances, such as breech loading and rifled barrels, that allowed soldiers to fire faster and with more accuracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Texas Woman’s University history professor Cecily Zander discussed the federal government’s efforts to explore and control the American west from the early 1800's through the Civil War. Texas Woman’s University is located in Denton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

University of California, Davis, law professor Mary Ziegler discussed the history of abortion and contraception laws in the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor Molly Worthen taught a class about the history and the intellectual underpinnings of Protestant fundamentalism in 20th century America. She began with the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, which pitted the teaching of evolution versus creationism in public schools and gained national attention. Later she delved into the origins and growth of Pentecostalism, which strives for a personal connection with the Divine and includes such aspects as faith healing and speaking in tongues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professor Adrian Lewis talked about about Omaha Beach and the 1944 D-Day landings in Normandy, France, during World War II. He described the German and Allied military strategies as well as the command structure on each side. He also enumerated the challenges American troops faced when trying to land on Omaha Beach and argued that the outcome was not inevitable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices