The search results below contain listings from our website. To search our library and museum collections catalogs, please visit the Collections page.
The Notorious History of the Virginia State Penitentiary
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
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)
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"
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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...