A good find over at MetafilÂter. Here you’ll find 22 inauÂguÂraÂtion speechÂes, startÂing with McKinÂley’s 1901 address. There’s some great footage in this series of videos.
Along simÂiÂlar lines, The New York Times has postÂed an interÂacÂtive feaÂture that covÂers every inauÂgurÂal address. You can read the full text of each speech, and see which words and ideas were most wideÂly used withÂin each text. It’s a quick way to see what issues matÂtered most durÂing a givÂen hisÂtorÂiÂcal moment. Start with George WashÂingÂton’s address here.
LastÂly, let me leave you with this. FDR’s 1933 address, which helped AmerÂiÂca move with a litÂtle more conÂfiÂdence through anothÂer difÂfiÂcult time. It’s the speech that gives us “There’s nothÂing to fear but fear itself,” a kind of preÂlude to “Yes we can.” Here’s to new beginÂnings.
The full “I Have a Dream” speech. The place: The LinÂcoln MemoÂrÂiÂal. The Date: August 28, 1963. The Why: To bring about many small changes in AmerÂiÂcan sociÂety, which evenÂtuÂalÂly and colÂlecÂtiveÂly bring us to TuesÂday. Take it away MarÂtin:
For lifeÂlong learnÂers, coursÂes on Ancient Greece and Rome always remain in steady demand. While these coursÂes are poorÂly repÂreÂsentÂed in underÂgradÂuÂate proÂgrams (at least in the States), they seem be to makÂing a comeÂback in conÂtinÂuÂing eduÂcaÂtion proÂgrams designed for oldÂer stuÂdents. EvenÂtuÂalÂly, it seems, many come to the conÂcluÂsion that you can’t skip over the founÂdaÂtions and still make sense of it all. And so they go back to basics.
The TeachÂing ComÂpaÂny, a comÂmerÂcial provider of coursÂes for lifeÂlong learnÂers, has recÂogÂnized this demand and built a surÂprisÂingÂly rich colÂlecÂtion of lecÂtures dedÂiÂcatÂed to the Ancients. (See full catÂaÂlogue here.) These coursÂes are polÂished and well put togethÂer. But they cost monÂey. If that’s a conÂcern, then you should know about some of the free alterÂnaÂtives. Thanks to the “open course” moveÂment, you can now find a series of free coursÂes online, includÂing some from top-ranked uniÂverÂsiÂties. Let me give you a quick overview of your options:
Last fall, Yale UniÂverÂsiÂty introÂduced a new round of open coursÂes that includÂed DonÂald Kagan’s IntroÂducÂtion to Ancient Greek HisÂtoÂry (YouTube — iTunes Audio — iTunes Video- DownÂload Course). A leadÂing figÂure in the field, Kagan takes stuÂdents from the Greek Dark Ages, through the rise of SparÂta and Athens, The PeloÂponÂnesian War, and beyond. You’ll covÂer more than a milÂlenÂniÂum in 24 lecÂtures. As I’ve notÂed elseÂwhere, Yale’s coursÂes are high touch. And what’s parÂticÂuÂlarÂly nice is that the course can be downÂloaded in one of five forÂmats (text, audio, flash video, low bandÂwidth quickÂtime video, and high bandÂwidth quickÂtime video). SimÂply choose the forÂmat that works for you, and you’re good to go.
When you’ve comÂpletÂed the arc of Greek hisÂtoÂry, you can move next to the UC BerkeÂley course, The Roman Empire. The course taught by Isabelle PafÂford moves from Julius CaeÂsar to ConÂstanÂtine (roughÂly 40 BC to 300 AD) in 42 lecÂtures. And the audio comes straight from the classÂroom, which means that you’ll get solÂid inforÂmaÂtion but you’ll also have to endure some extraÂneÂous talk about homeÂwork assignÂments and exams. (It’s free, so don’t comÂplain.) You can downÂload this course in one of three ways: iTunes, streamed audio, or via rss feed. LastÂly, I should note that PafÂford has taught anothÂer relatÂed course at BerkeÂley — The Ancient MediterÂranean World (iTunes — Feed- MP3s).
Once you have the big surÂvey coursÂes under your belt, you can switch to some more focused coursÂes comÂing out of StanÂford. Let’s start with Patrick Hunt’s course HanÂniÂbal (iTunes). As I’ve notÂed in a preÂviÂous post, this podÂcastÂed course takes you inside the life and advenÂtures of HanÂniÂbal, the great CarthaginÂian milÂiÂtary tacÂtiÂcian who maneuÂvered his way across the Alps and stunned Roman armies in 218 BC. The course also gives you glimpses into cutÂting-edge trends in modÂern archaeÂolÂoÂgy. Because HanÂniÂbal still remains a figÂure of intense hisÂtorÂiÂcal interÂest, it’s not surÂprisÂing that this course has ranked as one of the more popÂuÂlar coursÂes on iTuneÂsU.
AnothÂer short course worth your time isVirgil’s Aeneid: AnatoÂmy of a ClasÂsic. PreÂsentÂed by SusanÂna Braund (a StanÂford clasÂsics proÂfesÂsor at the time), the course teasÂes apart the epic poem that was an instant when it was writÂten 29–19 BC), and still endures today. DividÂed into 5 installÂments, each runÂning about two hours, this podÂcast offers a good introÂducÂtion to one of the cenÂtral texts in the Latin traÂdiÂtion.
FinalÂly, let me throw in a quick bonus course. The HisÂtorÂiÂcal Jesus, anothÂer StanÂford course taught by Thomas SheeÂhan, looks inside the historical/Roman world of Jesus of Nazareth. This is a hisÂtoÂry course, not a reliÂgion course, and it uses the best litÂerÂary and hisÂtorÂiÂcal eviÂdence to answer the quesÂtions: “Who was the hisÂtorÂiÂcal Jesus of Nazareth? What did he actuÂalÂly say and do…? What did the man Jesus actuÂalÂly think of himÂself and of his misÂsion…? In short, what are the difÂferÂences — and conÂtiÂnuÂities — between the Jesus who lived and died in hisÂtoÂry and the Christ who lives on in believÂers’ faith?
UPDATE: Thanks to a readÂer, I was remindÂed of anothÂer relatÂed course: 12 ByzanÂtine Rulers: The HisÂtoÂry of the ByzanÂtine Empire (iTunes — Feed — Site). These podÂcasts covÂer the legaÂcy of the Roman Empire that emerged in the East (after it had colÂlapsed in the West). You can read more about this course in one of my earÂly blog posts.
All of these coursÂes can be found in the HisÂtoÂry SecÂtion of our largÂer colÂlecÂtion of Free CoursÂes. There you will find 200 high qualÂiÂty online coursÂes that you can lisÂten to anyÂtime, anyÂwhere.
Here we present a ChristÂmas proÂpaÂganÂda film that came out of EngÂland durÂing the SecÂond World War. Britain is under GerÂman siege. But it’s endurÂing the Blitz and keepÂing a stiff upper lip, and ChristÂmas will go on … if only underÂground. Britain’s chilÂdren won’t be cheatÂed out of this. This clip, which reminds us that, ecoÂnomÂic probÂlems aside, we have much to be thankÂful for, comes from the British Film InstiÂtute NationÂal Archive on YouTube, which we’re now adding to our colÂlecÂtion: IntelÂliÂgent Life at YouTube: 80 EduÂcaÂtionÂal Video ColÂlecÂtions.
World War I was a relentÂlessÂly grindÂing and bruÂtal war. Europe had nevÂer expeÂriÂenced anyÂthing like it. But there was one notable moment of respite, a brief moment when humanÂiÂty showed back through. ChristÂmas Eve, 1914. The movÂing stoÂry of what hapÂpened that night gets recountÂed in John McCutcheon’s touchÂing song, ChristÂmas in the TrenchÂes. The video below includes the backÂstoÂry and the song itself. You can also watch a live perÂforÂmance here, and get the lyrics here. HapÂpy holÂiÂdays to all. And thanks Sheryl for the tip.
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Eric RauchÂway, an AmerÂiÂcan hisÂtoÂriÂan at UC-Davis (and an old grad school colÂleague of mine), pubÂlished a timeÂly book earÂliÂer this year, The Great DepresÂsion and the New Deal: A Very Short IntroÂducÂtion. And it sets him up perÂfectÂly to talk about an hisÂtorÂiÂcal moment that’s now back on our minds.
RauchÂway appeared last week on EconÂTalk (iTunes — Feed — MP3), a podÂcast that’s getÂting some play lateÂly, and spent a good hour surÂveyÂing the ecoÂnomÂic criÂsis that all othÂers will be meaÂsured against. The conÂverÂsaÂtion starts with the afterÂmath of World War I, where John MayÂnard Keynes saw the ecoÂnomÂic probÂlems beginÂning. (Read online his 1919 book, The EcoÂnomÂic ConÂseÂquences of the Peace.) Then, it moves through the 1920s, the stock marÂket crash, Hoover’s attempts to restore staÂbilÂiÂty (which weren’t as bungling as his hisÂtorÂiÂcal repÂuÂtaÂtion now sugÂgests) and finalÂly FDR’s New Deal and the effects of World War II. If you have an hour, you’ll learn a good deal.
Not long after Studs Terkel, the hisÂtoÂriÂan of the everyÂman, died in OctoÂber, This AmerÂiÂcan Life feaÂtured a series of interÂviews that Terkel once conÂductÂed with AmerÂiÂcans who lived through the DepresÂsion. (LisÂten to the mp3 here.) The tapes would evenÂtuÂalÂly proÂvide the mateÂrÂiÂal for his book, Hard Times: An Oral HisÂtoÂry of the Great DepresÂsion. And, as you’ll see, these recordÂings make this transÂforÂmaÂtionÂal moment real in a way that few othÂer hisÂtorÂiÂcal sources can. You’ll hear the voicÂes of real peoÂple, recountÂing their daiÂly expeÂriÂences and rememÂberÂing the race and class diviÂsions that ran deep in AmerÂiÂca. You’ll also hear about the humilÂiÂaÂtions and acts of kindÂness that were part of everyÂday life. (NOTE: The interÂviews start about 6 minÂutes into the recordÂing.)
If you could sync up a phoÂto with every name and event menÂtioned in BilÂly Joel’s “We DidÂn’t Start the Fire,” you’d have a monÂtage that offers a pretÂty good glimpse into the secÂond half of the twenÂtiÂeth cenÂtuÂry. That’s what a UniÂverÂsiÂty of ChicaÂgo grad stuÂdent figÂured out when he put this viral video togethÂer. We’ve added it to our YouTube playlist. Thanks Bob for the tip!
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