VMHC Lectures

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One Nation Under Debt Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On September 4, 2008, Robert E. Wright delivered this lecture on his book, Virginia: Catalyst of Commerce for Four Centuries.The United States was born in debt. Was this obligation a vital tool for forging national unity, or a monstrous burden? In One Nation Under Debt: Hamilton, Jefferson, and the History of What We Owe, Robert E. Wright follows our nation's debt from the founding to the credit crisis of today. A compelling and witty storyteller, Wright shows how the past can illuminate current financial woes. Dr. Wright teaches history at New York University's Stern School of Business. This lecture was a program of the VHS's Reynolds Business History Center. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

Lincoln: President-Elect Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On December 4, 2008, Mr. Holzer delivered a talk on his newest Lincoln book, Lincoln: President-Elect. In the winter of 1860–61, the crisis that erupted with the election of Abraham Lincoln threatened to split the nation. In his newest Lincoln book, Lincoln: President-Elect, Harold Holzer examines the perilous interregnum before the president-elect's inauguration and recounts Lincoln's public and private struggle to preserve the Union. Mr. Holzer is co-chairman of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and senior vice president for external affairs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

Up from History: The Life of Booker T. Washington Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On February 5, 2009, Dr. Norrell delivered a talk on his book, Up from History: The Life of Booker T. Washington. In his compelling new biography, the first full-length life of Booker T. Washington in a generation, Robert J. Norrell recreates the broad context in which the African American leader worked to overcome past exploitation and present discrimination. Although Washington has often been disparaged since the 1960s, Up from History details the positive power of his vision to invoke hope and optimism. On February 5, 2009, Dr. Norrell reinstated this extraordinary historical figure to the pantheon of black leaders. Robert J. Norrell teaches history at the University of Tennessee. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

The Shipwreck That Saved Jamestown: The Sea Venture Castaways and the Fate of America Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On April 16, 2009, Lorri Glover delivered a Banner Lecture entitled The Shipwreck That Saved Jamestown: The Sea Venture Castaways and the Fate of America. The wreck of the Sea Venture on Bermuda in 1609 and the role its survivors played in the eventual rescue of the failing colony at Jamestown are dramatic tales from the founding years of the nation. In a new book, authors Lorri Glover and Daniel Blake Smith retell this account of shipwreck, courage, mutiny, and deliverance. The authors make a forceful case that the Sea Venture bears no small part in the ultimate survival of English colonization in America. Dr. Glover teaches American history at the University of Tennessee. This lecture was cosponsored with the Society of Colonial Wars in Virginia. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

For Better or For Worse: The Journey of a POW and His Wife Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On June 11, 2009, Phyllis and Paul Galanti delivered a lecture entitled "For Better or For Worse: The Journey of a POW and His Wife." In June 1966 Lt. Cmdr. Paul Galanti was shot down over Vietnam and endured nearly seven years of captivity. His wife Phyllis played a leading role in the efforts of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia to publicize the plight of their loved ones and to secure their release. The Galantis presented an illustrated lecture recounting this dramatic story. Their talk was held in conjunction with the exhibition Bring Paul Home: Phyllis Galanti and Vietnam War POWs, which is based on the collection given by Phyllis and Paul Galanti to the VHS. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

Twilight at Monticello: The Final Years of Thomas Jefferson Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On May 29, 2008, Mr. Crawford delivered a talk on his new book, Twilight at Monticello: The Final Years of Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson returned to Monticello in 1809 at the end of his second presidential term and died there seventeen years later. In his new book, Alan Pell Crawford reveals the private Jefferson at home, coping with debt and illness, mediating family quarrels, and navigating public disputes, still a towering figure in the early republic. Mr. Crawford's previous book on a Virginia subject was Unwise Passions: A True Story of a Remarkable Woman—and the First Great Scandal of Eighteenth-Century America. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

Hatteras Island: Keeper of the Outer Banks Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On July 23, 2009, Ray McAllister delivered a lecture entitled "Hatteras Island: Keeper of the Outer Banks." The Outer Banks have enticed Virginians with the lure of sun, sky, and sea for generations. Despite this idyllic appeal, these once-isolated barrier islands have also witnessed a turbulent past. Pirates, hurricanes, shipwrecks, and U-boats all make their appearance in the varied story of the Outer Banks. Ray McAllister, an award-winning former Richmond Times Dispatch columnist, has become the established chronicler of coastal North Carolina with his latest volume on Hatteras, which follows earlier books on Wrightsville Beach and Topsail Island. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

The Battle of Hué City, South Vietnam, 1968 Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On August 20, 2009, General Christmas delivered a lecture entitled 'The Battle of Hué City, South Vietnam, 1968.' The year 1968 marked a crucial turning point in the Vietnam War. During Tet, the lunar New Year holiday, the North Vietnamese and their Viet Cong allies staged attacks across South Vietnam, none more dramatic than the assault on Hué, the old imperial capital. The offensive ended in crippling military defeat for the attackers, and yet the strength of their assault led to a political setback for the United States, as critics at home gained traction and public support for the war eroded. Lt. Gen. G. R. (Ron) Christmas, USMC (Ret.), participated in the battle for Hué as a company commander and will present a first-hand account of the conflict. General Christmas is president and CEO of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. This lecture was part of the VHS commemoration of the Vietnam War era.(Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

Meuse-Argonne, 1918: The Battle That Ended World War I Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On September 17, 2009, Edward G. Lengel delivered a lecture on his book 'To Conquer Hell Meuse-Argonne, 1918: The Battle That Ended World War I.' After four years of stalemate on the Western Front, a final Allied push broke the German army in autumn 1918. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive represented the war's largest commitment of American troops to battle and helped pave the way to German capitulation in November. In To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918, Edward G. Lengel tells the epic tale of American soldiers in the final campaign of World War I. Dr. Lengel is associate professor of history at UVA and an editor of the Papers of George Washington. (Introduction by Nelson D. Lankford)

Prestwould: Gracious Living on the American Frontier, 1790–1830 Apr 30, 2010

Show notes

On October 1, 2009, Julian Hudson delivered a lecture entitled "Prestwould: Gracious Living on the American Frontier, 1790–1830." Prestwould Plantation, built at the end of the eighteenth century in a post-revolutionary Georgian style, is located on the bluffs above the Roanoke River near Clarksville, Virginia. Dr. Julian Hudson, the executive director of the Prestwould Foundation, has overseen the restoration of this historic property by leading preservation specialists. His lecture illustrated the material culture represented by Prestwould, beginning with Sir Peyton and Lady Jean Skipwith and extending down four subsequent generations. (Introduction by Paul A. Levengood)

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