Lectures in History

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 Director Helms and President Nixon speak about Vietnamization, the Soviet Union, and his eventual move to being the U.S. Ambassador to Iran. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, production and battle application. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 at the time about having an overseas empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 cover-up. Mr. Dean later pleaded guilty of obstruction of justice for his role in Watergate and served four months in prison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 than an obstacle. She also describes the reasons for various defoliation missions as well as the long-term damage to both the environment and the locals. This class is from a course called “Environmental History of Modern War.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Federalist Papers, argued during the Constitutional Convention for a strong central government to mediate between the states. This class was part of a course called “World History.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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 megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 strategy, potential Supreme Court Nominees, and hear his reaction to the leaked publication of the Pentagon Papers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Watts and Detroit and the subsequent creation of the Kerner Commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 that Richard Nixon’s presidency was not brought down solely by the Washington Post’s reporting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 seems that Roe v. Wade is always in the news, always a part of the political debate. It's been that way for nearly 50 years since the Supreme Court decided the landmark abortion case. Justice Harry Blackmun wrote the opinion legalizing abortion. In this episode of C-SPAN's "The Weekly" we look back at Justice Blackmun -- what he said about his legacy being forever associated with that famous opinion.... and the big prediction he flat out got wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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 Confederate statues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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 Rapids, Michigan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and Social Security. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Own Words. To find future episodes, find it wherever you listen to podcasts. And follow so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 look at animated programs created by noted Hollywood director Frank Capra in the 1950s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

University of Minnesota Professor Saje Mathieu taught a class about “neutrality” and what that concept meant in World War I America. She explained how neutrality did not mean inactivity, as the U.S. sold materials to both the Allied and Central Powers, helping both sides continue the fight. She also talked about how the U.S. viewed itself as the defender of democracy and sought to police certain nations and ethnic groups, yet faced criticism for how it treated its own dissenters and minorities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emory University professor Carol Anderson taught a class about efforts in the early 1960s to register African American voters in Mississippi. She described some of the leaders of the movement, their tactics, and the opposition they faced from segregationists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

American University professor Joseph Campbell teaches a class about the 1972 Watergate scandal and, what he calls, “the myth of heroic journalism.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 former South Carolina representative Bakari Sellers who talks about African American history in the state and his own political career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Suffolk University professor Kathryn Lasdow taught a class on politics and culture in the United States from 1800 through the 1830s. She described how the country changed during the period between the presidency of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State professor Rachel Shelden teaches a class on how the Civil War tested the limits of the U.S. Constitution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Messiah College professor John Fea teaches a class on the 18th-century enlightenment movement, which included natural rights, reason, and self-improvement principles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

St. Joseph’s University professor Katherine Sibley teaches a class about African American women who were writers and artists during the early Civil Rights era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 people who otherwise might only have had the option of being physical education teachers. This class was taught online due to the coronavirus pandemic and the New School provided the video. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Iowa State University Professor Pamela Riney-Kehrberg taught a class on food during the Great Depression. She described the ways families tried to stretch their money and food supply, often by gardening, buying cheap ingredients, and eating the same thing over and over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Southern Utah University professor Laura June Davis teaches a class about Civil War naval warfare. She highlights instances of guerrilla attacks on U.S waterways and describes pro-Confederate sympathizers who sabotaged Union vessels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Charleston, South Carolina Mayor Joseph Riley and professor Kerry Taylor co-taught a course at The Citadel military college looking at why a new African American history museum is being built in the city. They were joined by Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) who talks about his role as the Steering Committee Chairman for the museum. Rep. Clyburn also described his time as a social studies teacher in the 1960s and the importance of teaching African American history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pepperdine University professor Loretta Hunnicutt taught a class about baseball during the Great Depression. She looked at the role of baseball in American culture and the origins of sports journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Abram Van Engen of Washington University in St. Louis taught a class about how the Pilgrims became part of the United States' founding story in 19th-century history textbooks. He described why early historians and educators emphasized the Pilgrims' Plymouth Colony over earlier settlements, such as Jamestown in Virginia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

American University professor Pamela Nadell taught a class about the rise in anti-Semitism in America between World War I and II. She described the 1915 lynching of Jewish man Leo Frank in Georgia, how international anti-Semitic texts made their way to America, and the role Henry Ford played in spreading anti-Jewish sentiments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the ten episodes of Season 1 hear secretly recorded conversations President Lyndon Johnson made on topics including the Warren Commission, the Vietnam War, the March on Selma, and more. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts starting 11/22 and follow it today so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christendom College professor Christopher Shannon teaches a class about Irish Catholics and 19th century New York City politics, including the Tammany Hall organization. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claremont McKenna professor John Pitney teaches a class about presidential speeches and public opinion, focusing on the 1970s through the 1990s. He examines how presidential communication shifted from network television to cable and the internet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Baylor University Professor Julie Anne Sweet taught 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. She also compared the advantages and disadvantages of the American and British forces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. who talks about his work with PBS on the documentary "Reconstruction: America After the Civil War." This is part of a series of collegiate lectures from The Citadel which are airing on American History TV.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wentworth Institute of Technology professor Allison Lange teaches a class about the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices