The Honorable Roger Gregory, Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, discusses the importance of integration.
This recording is of a past program by the John Marshall Center for Constitutional History & Civics, as part of a series featuring constitutional experts and enthusiasts speaking about the nuances and legacy of John Marshall, civics topics, and history education.
Professor Beth Hopkins, Wake Forest University Law School (Retired) and JMC Board Member, explores the women pioneers of Brown & Beyond. Hopkins is joined by Chief Judge Roger Gregory, US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and former JMC Board Member, for audience Q&A. The Marshall Scholar Series connects the public to constitutional experts, scholars and historians.
Pop Civ is a series developed by the John Marshall Center for Constitutional History & Civics at the VMHC. By connecting current events and popular culture with historical events, these articles and discussion questions provide classrooms and the general public with valuable context to consider our civic legacy. View all Pop Civ articles.
On June 6, 2023, Virginia-born historian Michael Trotti as he shared stories from his research on the movement from public legal executions in the South. Before 1850, all legal executions in the South were performed before crowds that could number in the thousands; the last legal public execution was in 1936. Intended to shame and intimidate, public executions after the Civil War had quite a different effect on southern Black communities.
On May 25, 2023, Preston Smith gave a fascinating lecture about his father’s service as the last U.S. pilot accepted into the ranks of the RAF during World War II. In a voice both timeless and distinctly greatest generational, Richmonder Parke F. Smith wrote about being the last U.S. pilot accepted into the ranks of the RAF through their training exchange program at War Eagle Field, Los Angeles. After completing their course, he sailed to England on board the HMS Queen Elizabeth, swore allegiance to the king, and was offered a coveted spot training as a fighter pilot.
On May 11, 2023, Rachel Beanland gave a lecture on the historical research behind her novel about the Richmond Theater Fire, The House is On Fire. Rachel Beanland’s latest novel, The House Is On Fire, is based on the true story of the 1811 Richmond Theater fire and is already being called “a stunning achievement” by Jeannette Walls and “a propulsive, pulse-pounding read” by Kathleen Grissom. The novel begins the night of the fire and follows four characters—white and Black, free and enslaved—who experience the incendiary event from very different perspectives.
On May 5, 2023, Craig S. Chapman spoke about the first overseas deployment of American troops, in which 4,000 colonists (including 400 from Virginia) served in the British Army on a disastrous expedition to the Caribbean. In 1740 Great Britain mounted the largest overseas expedition in its history to that time. The goal was to seize control of Spain’s West Indies possessions during the so-called War of Jenkins’ Ear. Because of the large number of sailors and soldiers required, Britain resorted to enlisting recruits from its North American colonies to serve in the king’s army.
