Presidential historian and former Dole Institute director Richard Norton Smith returns for a deep dive into presidential rankings and what they can teach us. Smith will guide the audience through an examination of the executive office from the exalted to the ignoble, with his participation in the annual C-SPAN Presidential Historians Survey serving as a […]
Emphasizing multiple perspectives from disparate groups, Mark Hull will focus on the lives of everyday Germans during World War II. What they ate, what they saw in their local public spaces, what they read and their understanding and response to the war’s events changed dramatically as the war took an ever-greater personal toll. This talk […]
The president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Bob Kendrick arrives to discuss the museum, a Kansas City institution. The NLBM is dedicated to preserving the rich history of African-American baseball in the U.S. Kendrick will share insight into the museum, the storied history of Negro League baseball and his close friendship with Kansas City […]
Explore the many ways in which the Great War changed the world, from prisoner of war camps in Switzerland, to resistance movements in Belgium, memorial stadiums in the U.S. and a quarantine law in Kansas. A panel of KU faculty, staff and students will share research they conducted for doctoral dissertations and senior honors theses, […]
Harvard Kennedy School professor Leah Rigueur lays out a new understanding of the interaction between African-Americans and the Republican Party, exploring the seemingly incongruous intersection of civil rights and American conservatism. Her book, “The Loneliness of the Black Republican,” delves into four decades of history from the New Deal to Reagan’s ascent in 1980. This […]
In November 1974, following the historic Watergate scandal, Americans voiced their displeasure with the GOP by electing a wave of 76 Democratic freshmen to the U.S. House of Representatives. Commonly referred to as “Watergate Babies,” some characterized them as idealistic and naïve, while others point to their work championing unprecedented reforms in Washington. Author John […]
The U.S. has a proud tradition of serving as a haven for Europe’s cast offs — yet immediately before and throughout World War II, America shut its doors to refugees fleeing the oppression of the Nazis. No group suffered more from this than Europe’s Jews. David Cotter analyzes the ideological battle between isolationists and internationalists […]
“I was not in a position to choose whether I want to be an artist or actor or astronaut or mathematician or linguist or lawyer. That’s not an option when you’re not free because you fight for life and death. And that’s how I and that’s how everybody in my generation became politically active. We […]
Most of the world focused its attention on events in Europe during the First World War, but many changes were brought to the Far East as well. Both China and Korea suffered from Japan’s favorable treatment in the Treaty of Versailles, adding to the ongoing political upheavals in both countries. The U.S., meanwhile, maintained a […]
In battle, every soldier’s reaction is unique. The related range of brain chemistry reactions, acquired coping skills and shaping behavioral norms are so diverse that the concept of a “universal soldier” response to combat loses all meaning. Dr. Ed Coss leads an examination of this interactive process, clarifying what soldiers experience in battle and why […]
In the waning years of the American Revolutionary War, Deborah Sampson felt a higher calling as she heard news of the rebellion while in Massachusetts. Her response? The former indentured servant and schoolteacher disguised herself in men’s clothing and enlisted in the Continental Army under the name “Robert Shurtlieff.” Historical interpreter Judith Kalaora visits the […]
Often called the “Forgotten War,” the Korean War was, in fact, the ignored war. It was ignored not because Americans did not care, but because they cared too much about the threat posed by Communism and the Soviet Union. Dr. Janet Valentine examines the Korean War home front in context of America’s fear of Soviet […]
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