In formulating the Nuremberg racial laws, Hitler looked to the United States as a model. In September 1933, Hitler ordered a memorandum from Prussia Ministry of the Interior directing German political and legal minds to wrestle with the self-imposed “Jewish Question.” The memo demanded criminalization of racially mixed marriages and specifically cited the American experience as the world leader in white supremacist legislation. Nazis began researching American race laws and discovered that immigration, naturalization, and marriage laws could be useful in crafting what became the infamous Nuremberg Laws. Jim Crow Laws, the eugenics movement, the rise of the KKK and even Hollywood’s hit films demonstrate U.S. embrace of both implicit and explicit rasicm. By highlighting examples of how leadership has the potential to enhance democratic values, we explore how to utilize this history to promote competencies for democratic citizenship.

A century ago, the covered bridge was a ubiquitous part of New Hampshire's landscape. Fire, flood and progress have destroyed 90% of them so that only slightly over 50 remain. Take a virtual tour of some of the state's past and present covered bridges while learning about their designs, the craftsmen who built them, how the bridges met their demise and the efforts to preserve those which remain.

Join us for a journey through one of the United States' nearest neighbors, Cuba. Learn about its history, music, culture, natural beauty and people - also its old cars, mojitos and cigars!

Historians generally consider that the forces of imperialism, militarism, the alliance systems and nationalism helped to increase the tensions that led to World War I. As the alliance system divided Europe into armed camps, a series of international crises in the years after 1900 moved the powers closer to war. Or did they? Recommended reading for this course is "The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914" by Christopher Clark (ISBN 0061146668 or 978-0061146664).

Stroll through the historic heart of Manchester’s downtown and hear fascinating stories of the people and events that contributed to the city’s vibrant history. Learn about the terrible fire that destroyed the original town hall in 1844, the great firemen’s muster (and riot) of 1859, the labor unrest (and another riot) of 1933; the activities of the USO in World War II based in the old armory building on Pleasant Street; the famous visitors to the city including Abraham Lincoln; and the monuments and memorials that honor the sacrifices of Manchester’s servicemen and women in our nation’s wars. The tour will start at the front entrance of Manchester City Hall. Participants should wear good walking shoes.

The sites on Boston's Freedom Trail were chosen primarily for their connection with the American Revolution, but they were also involved in parts of our New England story that preceded and followed the Revolution. We'll focus on just two of the Freedom Trail's sites, Faneuil Hall and King's Chapel. We'll explore the stories of five people associated with them: Peter Faneuil, Samuel Adams, Lucy Stone, Thomas Hutchinson, and Isaac Royall. Not all these people are well known today, and not all are heroes. However, each one represents an important facet of New England history, including slavery, the American Revolution (from both a patriot and a loyalist perspective) and the women's suffrage movement. This is an opportunity to better understand those big topics by exploring the stories of some fascinating individuals.

We'll explore two more sites on Boston's Freedom Trail: the Old State House and the Old South Meeting House. The Old State House is famous for its role in the aftermath of the Boston Massacre, and the Old South Meeting House is well known as the place where angry protesters gathered to carry out the Boston Tea Party. However, there are many more stories associated with these sites. We'll look at the fascinating stories of the buildings themselves, and then explore the stories of people associated with them. They include: James Otis, Jr., a brilliant orator who led opposition to British policies while battling mental illness; Dr. Joseph Warren, a very influential patriot leader who tragically was killed at the battle of Bunker Hill; and Phillis Wheatley, a slave who became the first published African American poet. It is not necessary to take Freedom Trail Stories Part 1 before taking this course, since the two courses focus on different sites and different people.

This course examines the historical reasons why Franco-Americans and Irish-Americans did not get along for many generations, from the mid-19th century until the late 20th century.

Let yourself "Fall" into the Harvest season of 1840. As you sit in the one room schoolhouse of the Head School, you'll be transformed back into an earlier time when storytelling was the prime entertainment medium. You'll hear some haunting tales, learn a few disipline rules of the schoolhouse and be greeted by the spirits of former Head School students or Hooksett residents now residing in the Hooksett Cemetery. Beware: the school marms will surely put you into the Halloween spirit.

This presentation will argue that, in addition to his other achievements, it is helpful to understand Jefferson as a Philosopher. His ideas about human nature inform his political vision. The group discussion will likely reflect the many disagreements about that vision.

Have you ever been on a night flight stuck in the middle seat as a thunderstorm flashes outside your window, rattling your tray and spilling your drink, while babies cry like fisher cats and you think: "Just how DO the pilots know how to get to the airport?" Learn how an upside-down airplane and a 1.6 million dollar postage stamp helped create America's (and the world's) air navigation system from bonfires to satellites in this history of the vanished Transcontinental Lighted Airway. This non-technical talk about the origins of the US Post Office's Air Mail service uses the uncovering of New England’s last existing artifact of the the Airway navigation system in Bethany, CT as a jumping off point. The talk covers early attempts to speed delivery of mail from Pony Express times to overnight trains to daylight flight to overnight air-only modalities. Prominent players and key events are examined.

The stories of two famous little people - "Commodore" George Washington Morrison Nutt (1848-1881) and "Count" Philippe Nicol (1881-1940) - are Manchester stories. Nutt grew up on a farm in the southeastern part of the city, while Nicol lived with his French-Canadian immigrant family on Manchester’s west side. Both were dwarfs who worked from a young age as "midget" performers. Nutt was one of P.T. Barnum’s top headliners, and Nicol and his wife, the "Countess" Rose Nicol, worked in circuses, and became celebrities in Montreal where they built their famous home (and tourist attraction), the Midgets Palace.

Walk through the central portion of Manchester’s picturesque Valley Cemetery and learn how the new city of Manchester transformed a raw forested landscape into one of America’s first cultivated garden cemeteries. The tour will stop at the grave sites of mayors, governors, judges, manufacturers, publishers, philanthropists, musicians, Civil War heroes, mill girls, school teachers, and other people worth knowing. Please note that the tour route will cover some rough and bumpy ground, so caution is advised. Participants will need to negotiate some hilly terrain. Participants should park on Pine St. on east side of the cemetery, or in the cemetery itself using gate on Pine St.