American History

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The Creative Life in 19th-Century America Jun 01, 2016

Show notes

Alice Fahs, professor of history at UC Irvine, discusses what we can learn from the attempts by prominent 19th-century American writers such as Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau to form communities that would nurture and sustain their art. This is part of the Distinguished Fellow Lecture Series at The Huntington.

Let the People Rule May 25, 2016

Show notes

Geoffrey Cowan, president of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, discusses his book "Let the People Rule: Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of the Presidential Primary". Using a trove of newly discovered documents, Cowan offers a glimpse at the raucous and often mean-spirited political machinations of the 1912 campaign, which changed American politics forever by creating the system of primaries by which presidential nominees are selected today.

The St. Francis Dam Collapse of 1928 May 20, 2016

Show notes

Considered the worst civil engineering failure in the history of California and the state’s second-worst disaster in terms of lives lost, the collapse of the St. Francis Dam ended the storied career of William Mulholland, the man who earlier had masterminded construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. To contextualize Mulholland’s responsibility for the dam’s failure, historians Norris Hundley, Jr. and Donald C. Jackson relied extensively on items in The Huntington’s collections for their book titled "Heavy Ground: William Mulholland and the St. Francis Dam Disaster." In addition, roughly a third of the book’s illustrations are drawn from The Huntington’s collection.

What Good Is History? Mar 29, 2016

Show notes

Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Elizabeth Fenn and Alan Taylor engage in a scholarly conversation on the contemporary relevance of historical writings on the American past. Why do we need historical perspective on our times? What do history, and the humanities more generally, have to teach us about point of view, context, and the rights and wrongs of our past and our present? These scholars and the audience will explore the answers to these questions. This program, which helps mark the centennial of the Pulitzer Prize, is co-sponsored by The Huntington, the Huntington–USC Institute on California and the West, and California Humanities.

Saul Bellow and American Prose Feb 17, 2016

Show notes

Saul Bellow has been called the greatest writer of American prose of the 20th century. Zachary Leader, professor of English literature at the University of Roehampton, explores this claim and tests it. This talk was part of the Ridge Lecture series at the Huntington.

The Men Who Lost America Feb 11, 2016

Show notes

Andrew O’Shaughnessy, vice president of Monticello and professor of history at the University of Virginia, dispels the incompetence myth surrounding the loss of the American colonies and uncovers the real reasons that rebellious colonials were able to achieve their surprising victory. This talk was part of the Nevins Lecture series at The Huntington.

How Business Became Standardized in 19th- and 20th-Century America Jan 27, 2016

Show notes

Stephen Mihm, associate professor of history at the University of Georgia, chronicles the unlikely coalition of often eccentric entrepreneurs who brought standard sizes, products, and procedures to American business. This talk was part of the Haaga Lecture Series.

Mormon History Lecture - Fatal Convergence: The Mountain Meadows Massacre in American History Jan 20, 2016

Show notes

Religion and violence converged in southern Utah in 1857 when a Mormon militia attacked a wagon train bound for California. Sarah Barringer Gordon, professor of law and history at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses how recognition of the importance of religion to the Mountain Meadows Massacre yields vitally connected histories.

Looking at Lincoln Dec 07, 2015

Show notes

Shirley Samuels, professor of English and American studies at Cornell University and the Los Angeles Times Distinguished Fellow, examines the relationship between pictures of Abraham Lincoln and the language that he used in famous speeches.

The Dock Society Presents: An Evening at “The Knick” Dec 03, 2015

Show notes

Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, co-creators of “The Knick,” have a discussion and Q&A about their Cinemax series. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the show follows Dr. John Thackery (played by Clive Owen) at The Knickerbocker Hospital – aka The Knick – a microcosm of medical progress, racial tension, sexism, addiction, and class conflict in 1900s New York City. The panel focuses on what it takes to bring medical history to life, and the resonance of the past for a 21st-century present. Dock Society members Dr. Richard Ellis and Dr. Claire Panosian Dunavan moderate.

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