VMHC Lectures

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Notes from the Ground: Science, Soil, and Society in the American Countryside by Ben R. Cohen Apr 05, 2012

Show notes

On March 16, 2012, Ben R. Cohen delivered a lecture entitled "Notes from the Ground: Science, Soil, and Society in the American Countryside." This lecture was session two of "From the Earth: The Environment in Virginia's Past and Future," a free day-long conference on the historical relationship between Virginia's environment and its people. The conference is made possible by a generous grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment. (Introduction by Andrew Talkov)

Byrd's Line: A Natural History by Stephen C. Ausband Apr 05, 2012

Show notes

On March 16, 2012, Stephen C. Ausband delivered a lecture entitled "Byrd's Line: A Natural History." This lecture was session one of "From the Earth: The Environment in Virginia's Past and Future," a free day-long conference on the historical relationship between Virginia's environment and its people. The conference is made possible by a generous grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment. (Introduction by Paul Levengood)

Before It Was Virginia: Setting the Stage by Helen C. Rountree Mar 28, 2012

Show notes

On March 16, 2012, Helen C. Rountree delivered a lecture entitled "Before It Was Virginia: Setting the Stage." When English settlers arrived here 400 years ago, they encountered the first Virginians, the most famous of whom are the subjects of Helen C. Rountree's book, Pocahontas, Powhatan, and Opechancanough: Three Indian Lives Changed by Jamestown. Today's presentation is the keynote address of "From the Earth: The Environment in Virginia's Past and Future," a free day-long conference on the historical relationship between Virginia's environment and its people. The conference is made possible by a generous grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment. Dr. Rountree is professor emerita of anthropology at Old Dominion University. She now concentrates full time on writing and speaking about early Virginia Indians, as well as consulting with the Virginia Council on Indians and on tribal recognition. (Introduction by Gerald P. McCarthy)

American Emperor: Aaron Burr's Challenge to Jefferson's America by David O. Stewart Mar 28, 2012

Show notes

On March 15, 2012, David O. Stewart delivered a lecture entitled "American Emperor: Aaron Burr's Challenge to Jefferson's America." A canny and charismatic politician who rose to become third vice president of the new United States, Aaron Burr seemed to throw it all away in 1805 and 1806 in an extraordinary attempt to lead a secession of the American West. American Emperor by acclaimed author David O. Stewart traces Burr from the threshold of the presidency in the contested election of 1800, through his duel with Alexander Hamilton, and then across the American West as he schemed with foreign ambassadors, the traitorous general-in-chief of the army, and future presidents, including Andrew Jackson. His immense ambition was matched by his undisguised contempt for Thomas Jefferson, a president he thought ineffective and unwise. The indecisive Jefferson finally had Burr arrested and charged with treason. Burr led his own legal defense in an historic treason trial in Richmond before Chief Justice John Marshall, winning an acquittal and freedom. Mr. Stewart is an attorney who practices law in Washington, D.C.(Introduction by Paul Levengood)

When the Sun Stood Still: Reflections on the Reverend John Jasper in His Bicentennial Year by Samuel K. Roberts Mar 02, 2012

Show notes

On February 23, 2012, Samuel K. Roberts delivered a lecture entitled "When the Sun Stood Still: Reflections on the Reverend John Jasper in His Bicentennial Year." Among the larger than life personages in Richmond during the latter years of the nineteenth century is to be counted the pastor of Jackson Ward’s Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, the Rev. John Jasper. He was born a slave in the second decade of the century, and his mark on Richmond's popular consciousness lasts even to the present. In large measure, this is because of a sermon he first preached in 1878, "The Sun Do Move and the Earth Am Square." Hailed by some and vilified by others, Jasper's sermon seemed to defy modern notions of astronomy. Yet, he was asked to preach it more than 250 times, including before the General Assembly, before his death in 1901. Reflections on this enigmatic character will explore the context in which his audiences heard him, as well as that of our own. Samuel K. Roberts is the Anne Borden and E. Hervey Evans Professor of Theology and Ethics at Union Presbyterian Seminary. This lecture is cosponsored with Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church.(Introduction by Paul Levengood)

Abolitionist Art and the American Slave Trade by Maurie D. McInnis Jan 30, 2012

Show notes

On January 26, 2012, Maurie D. McInnis delivered a lecture entitled "Abolitionist Art and the American Slave Trade."In 1853 Eyre Crowe, a young British artist, visited a slave auction in Richmond and captured the scene in sketches that he later developed into a series of illustrations and paintings, including the culminating work, "Slaves Waiting for Sale, Richmond, Virginia." In her new book, "Slaves Waiting for Sale: Abolitionist Art and the American Slave Trade," Maurie D. McInnis uses Crowe's paintings to explore the trade in Richmond, Charleston, and New Orleans. Through that exploration, which her illustrated lecture will present, she describes the evolving iconography of abolitionist art and the role of visual culture in the transatlantic world of abolitionism. Professor McInnis teaches in the department of art at the University of Virginia. (Introduction by Cheryl Magazine)

Thanksgiving in American History Dec 14, 2011

Show notes

On November 21, 2011, internationally renowned historians and hosts Edward Ayers, Brian Balogh, and Peter Onuf presented "Thanksgiving in American History." Exploring competing myths surrounding Thanksgiving’s origins, the American History Guys peeled back layers of tradition that have created the celebration that we know today. From Pilgrims, to turkey, to football games, to parade floats, the Guys offered surprising perspectives on the shaping of one our nation’s most beloved holidays. A special guest—who made a case for Virginia’s claim on Thanksgiving’s roots— also joined the Guys.(Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

Virginia's Confederate Monuments by Timothy S. Sedore Dec 13, 2011

Show notes

On December 8, 2011, Timothy S. Sedore delivered a lecture entitled "Virginia's Confederate Monuments." Hundreds of memorials in stone commemorate the Civil War in Virginia at courthouses, cemeteries, town squares, and battlefields. With "An Illustrated Guide to Virginia's Confederate Monuments", Timothy S. Sedore presents the first comprehensive handbook of this legacy of America's greatest national trauma in the Old Dominion. Timothy S. Sedore is a professor of English at The City University of New York, Bronx Community College. (Introduction by Paul Levengood).

1861: The Civil War Awakening by Adam Goodheart Dec 02, 2011

Show notes

On November 30, 2011, Adam Goodheart delivered a lecture entitled "1861: Civil War Awakening." With his new book, "1861: The Civil War Awakening," Adam Goodheart revisits the most turbulent and consequential year in American history. In the hands of a master storyteller, we relive a time that witnessed the breakup of the nation and the first bloodletting in what became a four-year catalog of internecine violence and destruction. As the first year of the Civil War Sesquicentennial comes to an end, this lecture will pull together for us all of the drama and tumult of 1861 and present vividly the characters who populated that decisive era. Adam Goodheart teaches history and is director of the C. V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College in Maryland. (Introduction by Paul Levengood)

The First Thanksgiving by Graham Woodlief and Barbara Ramos Oct 18, 2011

Show notes

On October 13, 2011, Graham Woodlief and Barbara Ramos delivered their lecture entitled "The First Thanksgiving." Because of what they learned in elementary school, most Americans probably associate Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims in Massachusetts in 1621. Less well know outside Virginia is the fact that more than a year earlier, a hardy band of Englishmen landed at Berkeley Hundred on the James River and held the real first Thanksgiving. Captain John Woodlief and thirty-seven men sailed from Bristol, England, on the ship "Margaret" and reached Berkeley Hundred nearly three months later in December 1619. They marked their deliverance from the stormy north Atlantic with a simple service of thanks to God. Graham Woodlief and Barbara Ramos will tell the story of this first Thanksgiving in English-speaking America and of the origins of the Virginia Thanksgiving Festival, which led to President Kennedy's mention of Virginia in his Thanksgiving proclamation of 1963. This lecture is cosponsored with the Virginia Thanksgiving Festival. (Introduction by Thomas A. Silvestri, President and Publisher, Richmond Times-Dispatch).

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