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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 Strange Genius of Mr. O: The World of the United States’ First Forgotten Celebrity
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On July 15, 2021, historian Carolyn Eastman delivered a Banner Lecture examining the career of James Ogilvie, a now-forgotten celebrity of the very...
“The United States of Virginia”: Jefferson’s Invention of America through a Virginian Lens
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On October 13, 2022, historian Robert Pierce Forbes took a fascinating look at Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia.
When Thomas...
Thomas Jefferson’s Enlightenment—Paris, 1785
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On September 11 at noon, James C. Thompson delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "Thomas Jefferson’s Enlightenment—Paris, 1785."
In the summer of 1784...
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...
Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy (Wilkinson Lecture 2021)
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On October 20, 2021, bestselling author Nathaniel Philbrick delivered the 2021 J. Harvie Wilkinson, Jr. Lecture based on his newest book, Travels with...
Turning Fact into Fiction: Writing Fiction about the Richmond Theater Fire
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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...
Unionists in Virginia: Politics, Secession, and Their Plan to Prevent Civil War
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On October 29 at noon, Larry Denton will delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "Unionists in Virginia: Politics, Secession, and Their Plan to Prevent...
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...
Virginian Honor: The Ethics of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson
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On September 6, 2018, Craig Bruce Smith delivered the banner lecture, “Virginian Honor: The Ethics of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.”
Despit...
War and Pieces: Quilts through America's War Years
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On Thursday, August 22, Neva Hart delivered a banner lecture entitled "War and Pieces: Quilts through America's War Years."
For soldiers in the field...
Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of Slavery
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On December 9, 2021, historian Bruce A. Ragsdale presented a lecture about his book, Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of...
Washington’s Marines: The Origins of the Corps and the American Revolution
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On October 24, 2023, Maj. Gen. Jason Q. Bohm, USMC, gave a lecture on the formation of the Marine Corps and its role in the American Revolution. The...
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...
What Made George Washington Tick
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George Washington very much wanted to be famous. Yet, he did not wish to be known, and there is a remoteness about him that will perhaps always remain...
What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life
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On July 2 at noon, Marc Leepson delivered a Banner Lecture entitled “What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life.”
What So Proudly We Hailed...
Why Did the Civil War Happen?
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Why Washington Burned and How the President Survived: James Madison and the War of 1812
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On March 7, 2013, Jeff Broadwater delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "Why Washington Burned and How the President Survived: James Madison and the War...
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...