All upcoming American History programs

Drawing on vivid photographs and her knowledge of Rock Creek Park through the seasons, author and naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley introduces the story and natural history of a national park landscape as old as Yosemite. Learn about the Indigenous peoples who hunted, fished, and quarried on the land; the presidents, including Theodore Roosevelt, who enjoyed recreation here; and the flora and fauna that find a wild refuge in their urban surroundings.

Contemporary Indigenous artists produce both 21st-century variations on age-old creative traditions as well as highly experimental paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, installations, and performance pieces. Art historian Nancy G. Heller surveys the most significant work by contemporary Native artists from the U.S. and Canada, placing it in a broader socio-political context and celebrating the accomplishments of North American Indian artists. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Founded on June 14, 1775, the United States Army stands as the oldest branch of the U.S. military. Historian Christopher Hamner leads a compelling day exploring the Washington, D.C., area’s collection of memorials and museums dedicated to the nation’s first military branch, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History; the National Museum of the United States Army in Fort Belvoir, Virginia; the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial; and the World War II Memorial.

The American Revolution is often considered a parochial drama: 13 colonies squaring off against the British Crown in a spirited bid for independence. Historian and author Richard Bell reevaluates the Revolution as a seismic global event that redrew maps, toppled hierarchies, catalyzed migration, and accelerated new movements for liberty—and for empire.

While many people have some idea who the 19th-century author and feminist Margaret Fuller is, very few have read her work or know her life story. The author of the first major work of feminism in the United States was also an editor of the nation’s first avant-garde magazine and the first foreign correspondent for a major American newspaper. Scholar Randall Fuller recounts the remarkable life and work of a brilliant and often-misunderstood woman.

During the past 100 years the United States transformed from having a relatively wholesome food system—in the early 1900s, wealthy Europeans visited simply to enjoy the splendid cuisine—to having a food culture laden with fats, sugar, and ultra-processed unhealthy foods today. As a result, our healthcare system currently spends some $1 trillion annually to combat diet-related diseases, which account for the majority of American deaths. How did we get here? Historian Allen Pietrobon answers that question as he leads a visual journey through American culinary history.

Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life is a beloved Christmas classic. Yet when the film was released in 1946, it was a box office flop, won no Academy Awards, and was largely forgotten—until it was rediscovered through endless airings on local TV stations beginning in the 1970s. Media historian Brian Rose examines the movie’s fascinating story.

Step back in time as Lynn O’Connell leads an exploration of how Christmases of yesteryear were celebrated in Alexandria, Virginia. As you walk through Old Town Alexandria, learn how John Carlyle, George Washington, and other city leaders of the 18th century marked the seasons and which new customs were brought to Alexandria in the 1880s and 1890s. Get the delicious details on the holiday feasts served at historic Gadsby’s Tavern in the 19th century, including George Washington’s favorite dish—and his rather boozy eggnog.

Philadelphia Art Museum curator David Barquist highlights the Arts and Crafts movement by focusing on Philadelphia artists who sought to correct what they saw as the poor quality of factory production by embracing the British Arts and Crafts movement's principles of handwork, simplicity in design, and what they called “truth to materials.” Despite their shared interest in Arts and Crafts principles, the artists created individual responses that were shaped in part by the size and organization of their workshops. (World Art History Certificate elective, ½ credit)

Led by regional historian Hayden Mathews, step into a world of elegance and holiday splendor in a journey through the historic Brandywine Valley, where the legacy of the du Pont family comes to life in grand estates filled with seasonal displays. Spanning Pennsylvania and Delaware, the region is home to some of the most opulent mansions and gardens in the country, each with a connection to the du Pont family, who shaped the cultural and economic landscape of the region and created a heritage of architecture, art, and horticulture.