History   

It has now been 55 years since the United States enacted a substantive amendment to its Constitution, when the right to vote was extended to 18-year-olds through the 26th Amendment in 1971. The last time there was such a lengthy hiatus was the 61-year gap between the Twelfth Amendment (establishing the election of the President and Vice President) and the abolition of slavery in 1865 through the Thirteenth Amendment.

Of course, in the 1860s, it took the Civil War to break such a logjam. Are we today in similar straits? Are there issues that could be addressed through a constitutional amendment? Several modern scholars have suggested areas where useful compromise might be possible. This course will explore the history, purpose, and continuing  relevance of the Bill of Rights and later amendments, and consider what constitutional change might look like in the twenty-first century.

Raphael, one of the world’s most beloved artists, will be the subject of a once-in-a-lifetime retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this spring. Despite living only to the age of 37, Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is considered by many art historians to be the apotheosis of Italian Renaissance painting, unifying all of the accomplishments that came before him in the 14 th and 15th centuries, as well as creating a roadmap for the future of European painting. In this presentation, we will examine Raphael’s most important works within the context of his contemporaries and occasional rivals, Leonardo and Michelangelo. Highlights of the Met show will be discussed to enrich the experience of anyone planning to see it.

In a world before the benefits of modern medicine, how did people manage the injuries incurred from a life of backbreaking peasant labor, warfare, and congenital issues? Employing sources that illuminate the role of saints in miraculous recoveries as well as the difficulties faced by victims of various wounds, this lecture will also investigate the charity and care that was extended to those in need. From pilgrimage sites to prosthetic limbs, we will examine the curious stories of those who contended with bodily dysfunction in the Middle Ages, and those who could be counted upon to help.

The Dreyfus Affair combines a moral crusade to save a man wrongly condemned for treason with a political drama that nearly tore a nation apart. In this lecture, Jess Velona combines video clips with contemporary photos and newspaper headlines to bring this story to life. See how the Affair emerged in a Belle Epoque France already roiled by political unrest, scandal, and cultural and economic change. Watch how Dreyfus's supporters and Zola's "J'Accuse" exposed the forgeries, prejudice, and official corruption that sent the Jewish army officer to prison on Devil's Island, and how they also identified the real traitor. Observe the ensuing political firestorm and antisemitic mob violence, during which Zola found himself on trial, and the courts for years ignored the truth. Finally, consider how long after Dreyfus's reinstatement, the popular hatreds, Zionist stirrings, and media and political changes that the Affair produced echoed deep into the 20th century.

Join fashion designer Kathlin Argiro for a presentation and hands-on fabric flower workshop that brings heritage craftsmanship into the present.

Begin with the story of M & S Schmalberg, America’s last remaining fabric flower factory, and learn how this iconic Garment District atelier continues to serve fashion, theater, and film. Watch a live demonstration of the traditional hand-pressed techniques that define this rare craft.

Then create your own fabric flower using authentic, hand-pressed petals from the atelier itself. You’ll leave with a beautifully finished piece, and a deeper appreciation for the artistry and skill behind this enduring New York tradition.

“All art is propaganda,” Diego Rivera famously pronounced. In this presentation, we will look at how art has been used to inspire people in bringing about social change and upending oppressive power structures. Our investigation will span from the call for liberté, egalité et fraterité in the French Revolution with artists such as David, Gros, and Delacroix, to the anti-war and anti-authoritarian messages of Goya, Picasso, and Kollewitz, to the socialist aspirations of the Mexican painters, Rivera, Kahlo, Orozco, and Sequeiros, and finally to some recent artists such as Barbara Kruger, David Wojnarovicz, Kehinde Wiley, and Ai Weiwei. By the end of the evening, maybe we will all be inspired to make a better world.

For much of the 20th century, Berlin was at the center of conflicts that nearly tore the city and the world apart.  Learn how Berlin, the heart of libertine Weimar culture, became the Nazis' capital and by 1945 a nearly bombed out city.  See how recovery was overtaken by the city's Cold War division, Stalin's 1948 blockade of West Berlin, and a Western airlift that saved from starvation people who'd been America's enemies just three years before.  Relive East Berliners' futile 1953 uprising against Communist rule, Khrushchev's construction of a wall that denied freedom to millions of East Germans, and the fear of both sides during the Cuban Missile Crisis that if war broke out, it might well start in Berlin.  Finally, watch JFK's and Reagan's speeches making the Berlin Wall the symbol of Communist failure, the stunning day the Wall came down, and the renaissance of a reunified Berlin today.  Throughout, learn of the courage of average Berliners, East and West, who struggled for decades to survive.

How did medieval warriors fight and win unruly battles? What weapons did they have at their disposal to defend against and conquer foreign enemies, walled cities under siege, and surprise attacks? This lecture will examine the mechanics of key weapons like the crossbow, trebuchet, and broadsword to better understand what it meant to fight for one’s life in the Middle Ages. Join us as we hear the testimony of victorious soldiers, defeated rulers, and ordinary people conscripted to defend their homelands, for better or worse.

Although historians enjoy a world of beautifully curated manuscripts, sometimes the “garbage” of the past tells us more about the people who lived then. This lecture will explore discovered graffiti from the ancient and medieval past to get a glimpse of daily life as it was recorded on public walls, outhouses, and even church balconies. Join us as we track these unofficial recorders of history through humorous, lewd, and enigmatic graffiti markings.

This lecture traces the meteoric rise and lasting legacy of the "King of Rock and Roll." We explore how Elvis blended diverse musical styles to spark a global cultural revolution, inspiring a generation of legends like John Lennon, David Bowie, and Bruce Springsteen. The journey follows Elvis from his humble beginnings in poverty to his dual stardom in music and film, through the lean years of the British Invasion, and into his triumphant 1968 "Comeback Special." We conclude with his final era as a Las Vegas headliner—a period marked by massive success, personal struggles, and his untimely death at 42—to understand his permanent impact on popular culture.