VMHC Lectures

Latest Episodes:

Hidden Things Brought to Light: Finding Lumpkin's Jail and Locating the Burial Ground for Negroes (Welcome and Introductions) May 04, 2010

Show notes

On Saturday, February 28, 2009, the community was invited to attend a conference about Richmond's African American history, "Hidden Things Brought to Light: Finding Lumpkin's Jail and Locating the Burial Ground for Negroes." Sponsored by the Virginia Historical Society, the City of Richmond Slave Trail Commission, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the half-day conference presented recent scholarship on two downtown Richmond historical sites, the Burial Ground for Negroes and Lumpkin's Slave Jail, both of which have special importance for the history of African Americans in Virginia.

The Struggle with Drugs and Thugs in U.S.-Mexican Relations: Mexico: Narco-Violence and a Failed State? Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On December 3, 2009, George W. Grayson delivered a lecture on his book 'Mexico: Narco-Violence and a Failed State?' The armed conflict between Mexico's rival drug cartels and the central government is headline news in the United States. George W. Grayson put Mexican-American relations into historical context and examined Mexican efforts to tackle both the demand and supply sides of the problems spawned by the wildly profitable supply route for illegal drugs making their way into the United States. Professor Grayson teaches at the College of William and Mary. (Introduction by Nelson D. Lankford)

Lee and the Historians in the Age of the Anti-Hero Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On May 22, 2008, Mr. Krick delivered a talk on Gen. Robert E. Lee entitled "Lee and the Historians in the Age of the Anti-Hero." According to some recent historians, Gen. Robert E. Lee was not a hero to southerners during the Civil War but only afterward. Robert K. Krick argues to the contrary that he was idolized as a great leader in the midst of the conflict, not just later when the defeated South groped to interpret what had happened. For thirty years, Mr. Krick was chief historian of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. He is the author of many books including, most recently, Civil War Weather in Virginia. (Introduction by Charles F. Bryan, Jr.)

Lee and Grant Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On November 1, 2007, William M. S. Rasmussen delivered a lecture in conjunction with exhibition Lee and Grant. The two great opposing military commanders of the Civil War, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant, towered over their contemporaries. In a major exhibition and book created in the 200th anniversary year of Lee's birth, the VHS explored the parallel lives of these two American heroes. In an illustrated lecture, co-curator and co-author William M. S. Rasmussen examined Lee and Grant and their influence on our history. Dr. Rasmussen is Lora M. Robins Curator at the VHS and curator of the exhibition. (Introduction by James C. Kelly)

Telling Our Stories: School Desegregation in Western Virginia Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On February 22, 2007, Dr. DeLaney delivered this Banner Lecture at the VHS. In 1954 the Supreme Court held in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation by race in public schools was unconstitutional. In subsequent years, the course of integration followed a slow and varied path. The unfolding of that experience in the schools of western Virginia, particularly as related through oral history interviews, is the special focus of research by Theodore C. DeLaney. Dr. DeLaney is associate professor of history and director of the African American Studies Program at Washington and Lee University. (Introduction by Nelson D. Lankford)

The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788–1800 Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On April 16, 2008, Mr. Winik delivered a talk on his new book, The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788–1800. As the 1790s began, a fragile American republic took its first uncertain steps, the Russian empire expanded, and France plunged into revolution. Jay Winik's new book, The Great Upheaval, illuminates how events in these three nations combined to change the course of civilization. Mr. Winik is the author of the best-selling April 1865. (Introduction by Charles F. Bryan, Jr.)

The Business of Virginia Has Always Been Business Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On September 13, 2007, Dr. Levengood delivered this lecture on his book, Virginia: Catalyst of Commerce for Four Centuries. He is president-elect and CEO-elect of the Virginia Historical Society. This lecture was a program of the VHS's Reynolds Business History Center. (Introduction by Nelson D. Lankford)

Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through his Private Letters Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On May 24, 2007, Ms. Pryor delivered this lecture on her book, Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through his Private Letters. Since his death, researchers have lamented that Robert E. Lee never wrote a memoir. But, as author Elizabeth Brown Pryor revealed during her Banner Lecture at the VHS, this collection contains numerous letters and notes in the hand of Robert E. Lee reflecting on his long career. Pryor, who was granted access to selected portions of the collection found at Burke and Herbert Bank before processing at the Society began, spoke about her recently published book, Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through his Private Letters. In her book, Pryor explores the thoughts and actions of Robert E. Lee largely through his own words—some of which were derived from the newly released papers at the VHS—focusing on Lee's religious beliefs, his views on slavery, his father, his days at West Point, and his decision to join the South during the Civil War. (Introduction by Nelson D. Lankford)

Skeletons on the Zahara Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On January 24, 2008, Dean King delivered this Banner Lecture. In 1815 the American sailing ship Commerce ran aground on the northwestern shore of Africa. In his prize-winning book, Skeletons on the Zahara, Dean King recounts the misfortunes of the shipwrecked crew. They were captured by nomadic Arab slave traders and marched across the desert, subjected to heat, starvation, and cruelty. At last the survivors made it back to the coast where they were ransomed and freed. King, a Richmond writer, brings this once-famous adventure story, well known to nineteenth-century readers, back to life. (Introduction by Charles F. Bryan, Jr.)

Who Looks at Lee Must Think of Washington Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On February 28, 2008, Dr. Tilton delivered a talk in conjunction with the VHS exhibition, Lee and Grant. In his 1866 poem, "Lee in the Capitol," Herman Melville portrays a dignified Robert E. Lee advocating reconciliation before the Congressional committee on Reconstruction. One of the poet's most powerful references is his association of Lee with George Washington. On February 28, 2008, Robert Tilton's lecture examined Melville's interpretation of Lee and his role in American history. Professor Tilton is co-curator of the exhibition Lee and Grant and teaches English and American Studies at the University of Connecticut. (Introduction by William M. S. Rasmussen)

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected