Lectures in History

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