All upcoming American History programs

In the late 19th century, American artists studied in Paris, embracing Impressionism’s bright palette and broken brushwork. Returning home to exhibit and teach, they formed “The Ten,” exhibiting for 20 years. By 1918, shifting art movements and global events rendered Impressionism outdated. In a four-part series, art historian Bonita Billman explores these artists’ defining style, subjects, and masterpieces that contributed to American art history. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

The Ephrata Cloister in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a living testament to William Penn’s “Holy Experiment,” his ambitious vision of a society built on religious freedom, tolerance, and communal living. Founded in 1732 and dissolved in 1934, the cloister’s legacy is remarkable: over 1,000 hymns, intricate Germanic calligraphy, and striking buildings that still stand. Brad Smith, curator at the Ephrata Cloister, leads a journey into its rich history. He explores the radical theology of this unique religious community and discusses how its members’ preservation of faith, culture, and architecture continues to resonate today.

The Declaration of Independence is a peculiar document: a literary masterpiece that was written jointly by a committee of five people. In a full-day seminar, historian Richard Bell, a specialist in the American Revolutionary era, explores its origins, creators, purpose, and global influence. He examines how contemporaries perceived it, what transformations it triggered, and why it continues to hold significance.

Beethoven never made it to the United States, but hundreds of important musicians and composers did. From early touring megastars like Adelina Patti and Paderewski to successful later refugee émigrés such as Rachmaninoff and Kurt Weill, America has long welcomed great artists. In a four-session series filled with musical excerpts, speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores the siren call of America to musicians.

In October 1964, a campaign train dubbed the Lady Bird Special left Washington, D.C., bound for New Orleans. Lady Bird Johnson’s mission: to aid her husband, Lyndon B. Johnson, in territory roiling with animosity after his recent signing of the Civil Rights Act. Her train made 47 stops in eight states over four days. Historian Shannon McKenna Schmidt chronicles that journey into the Southern politics of the day.

Author Megan Kate Nelson traces Yellowstone’s transformation from unexplored wilderness to national icon. In 1871, geologist-explorer Ferdinand Hayden led a Smithsonian-backed expedition to confirm reports of Yellowstone’s natural wonders. His team’s findings helped persuade Congress to protect the land, leading to the 1872 Yellowstone Act. Nelson draws from her book Saving Yellowstone to explore the competing interests of figures like Sitting Bull and railroad magnate Jay Cooke, revealing the complex forces behind America’s first national park.

Discover the deep-rooted and multifaceted history of Jewish life in the nation’s capital during a tour of key landmarks and institutions led by Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours. Highlights of the day include visits to the Capital Jewish Museum; a guided walking tour of the 7th Street corridor, once a bustling center of Jewish-owned businesses; the historic Sixth & I Synagogue, one of the city’s oldest Jewish houses of worship; Arena Stage; and the Museum of American Jewish Military. And enjoy a stop for lunch at a classic Jewish deli.

Montgomery C. Meigs was one of the most influential yet underrated figures of 19th-century America, observes Carolyn Muraskin, founder of DC Design Tours. Renowned for energy, precision, and prickly determination, his legacy is stamped across the nation’s capital. As Quartermaster General of the Union Army, he supplied and equipped more than two million troops. He proposed transforming the Lee family estate at Arlington into a burial ground. Meigs oversaw the Capitol’s cast-iron dome, Washington’s aqueduct, and the Pension Office, later choosing his epitaph: “Soldier, Engineer, Architect, Scientist, Patriot.”

The American War of Independence freed the 13 British colonies in North America from Crown rule and set the stage for the United States’ bold experiment in self-government. Drawing on primary sources, historian Christopher Hamner traces the war from its roots in the crises of the 1770s to the first shots fired at Lexington and Concord, through the surrender of British troops under Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, and the Treaty of Paris that followed in a springtime series. This session focuses on pre-American Revolution events from the Boston Massacre in 1770 to the battle at Bunker Hill in June 1775.