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The Notorious History of the Virginia State Penitentiary
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On November 6, 2019, Dale M. Brumfield delivered a Banner Lecture, “The Notorious History of the Virginia State Penitentiary.”
In 1796, the Virginia...
The Portent: John Brown's Raid in American Memory By William M. S. Rasmussen
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On October 15, 2009, William M. S. Rasmussen delivered a lecture in conjunction with the exhibition, The Portent: John Brown’s Raid in American...
The Presidents vs the Press (Wilkinson Lecture 2020)
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Since America’s first president began the very first presidential feud with the press, American chief executives have been engaged in an endless...
The Private Jefferson: "Most Blessed of the Patriarchs"
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On January 5 at noon, Peter Onuf delivered a Banner Lecture entitled “The Private Jefferson: 'Most Blessed of the Patriarchs.'”
"Most Blessed of the...
The Rarefied Life of George Washington Parke Custis
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George Washington Parke Custis was raised at Mount Vernon by George and Martha Washington. Young “Wash” appears in Edward Savage's 1789 painting of...
The Record of Murders and Outrages: Racial Violence and the Fight over Truth during Reconstruction
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On February 10, 2022, historian William Blair delivered a lecture about the early Reconstruction era effort by Freedmen’s Bureau officers to document...
The Roads from War to Reconstruction and Beyond
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On June 22, Edward L. Ayers spoke with Paul Levengood in a Banner Lecture entitled “The Roads from War to Reconstruction and Beyond.”
Reconstruction...
The Significance and Symbolism of the Judicial Robe
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Why do American judges wear black robes? And what does it mean in our modern court system? Hear what Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Clarence...
The Story of Virginia: The Arrival of the First Africans
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In this lecture, historian and author Ric Murphy tells the fascinating story of the arrival of the first Africans in Virginia in 1619.
Based on his...
Thomas Jefferson, Revered and Reviled
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On December 1, Robert M. S. McDonald delivered a Banner Lecture entitled “Thomas Jefferson, Revered and Reviled.”
Of all the founding fathers, Thomas...
Today’s Agents of Change with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture
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In honor of the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment in the United States granting women the right to vote, the Commonwealth of...
Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson
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On March 7, 2024, biographer Rebecca Boggs Roberts provided an unflinching look at First Lady Edith Bolling Galt Wilson.
While this nation has yet to...
Up from History: The Life of Booker T. Washington By Robert J. Norrell
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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...
Virginia and Women's Suffrage
Virginia Waterways and the Underground Railroad
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Enslaved Virginians sought freedom from the time they were first brought to the Jamestown colony in 1619. Acts of self-emancipation were aided by...
VIRTUAL LECTURE - Escape to the City: Fugitive Slaves in Antebellum Richmond
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On September 21, 2023, Viola Franziska Müller gave a virtual-only lecture about her book, Escape to the City: Fugitive Slaves in the Antebellum Urban...
What Caused the Civil War
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This video looks at the question "What Caused the Civil War." The video specifically looks at differences between the North and South and the outbreak...
When the Sun Stood Still: Reflections on the Reverend John Jasper in His Bicentennial Year
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On February 23, 2012, Samuel K. Roberts delivered a lecture entitled "When the Sun Stood Still: Reflections on the Reverend John Jasper in His...
William Cabell Rives: A Country to Serve
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On September 3 at noon, Barclay Rives delivered a Banner Lecture entitled “William Cabell Rives: A Country to Serve.”
Defying the president and...
Without Precedent: The Invention of Chief Justice John Marshall
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As a statesman, diplomat, secretary of state, and chief justice, no one in the founding generation had a more enduring impact on our country’s...