History   

Experience the incredible four years which transformed California from an unknown backwater into a worldwide phenomenon. This period created the largest migration of mankind in the history of the world along with a rapid admission into the US. Terry McAteer will bring life to well known characters such as: Montgomery, Stockton, Mason, Vallejo, Sutter, Fremont, Kearney, Larkin, Sloan and Buchanan. All Californians need to take this class to fully appreciate the Golden State.

Experience the incredible four years which transformed California from an unknown backwater into a worldwide phenomenon. This period created the largest migration of mankind in the history of the world along with a rapid admission into the US. Terry McAteer will bring life to well known characters such as: Montgomery, Stockton, Mason, Vallejo, Sutter, Fremont, Kearney, Larkin, Sloan and Buchanan. All Californians need to take this class to fully appreciate the Golden State.

Back by popular demand! The first four First Ladies, Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolly Madison, and Elizabeth Monroe, lived fascinating lives and played indispensable roles in their husbands' illustrious political careers. We’ll explore the lives and contributions of these women, America's Founding Mothers. How did they live? How did they influence their President husbands? Some historians say that without the assistance of their wives, none of their husbands would have found themselves elected to the Presidency.

Back by popular demand! The first four First Ladies, Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolly Madison, and Elizabeth Monroe, lived fascinating lives and played indispensable roles in their husbands' illustrious political careers. We’ll explore the lives and contributions of these women, America's Founding Mothers. How did they live? How did they influence their President husbands? Some historians say that without the assistance of their wives, none of their husbands would have found themselves elected to the Presidency.

Very different from the Founding Mothers, the second generation of First Ladies, Louisa Adams, Rachel Jackson, Leticia and Julia Tyler, were also very different from one another. One expanded the role of First Lady, another became an influential ghost, and a third turned rebel and joined the Confederacy. Come discover their fascinating stories.

Very different from the Founding Mothers, the second generation of First Ladies, Louisa Adams, Rachel Jackson, Leticia and Julia Tyler, were also very different from one another. One expanded the role of First Lady, another became an influential ghost, and a third turned rebel and joined the Confederacy. Come discover their fascinating stories.

Historian Colin Woodard, in his fascinating book, argues that the reason Americans have never been able to resolve fundamental issues (e.g., is this a Christian nation or secular? Which political party defends American values and which undermines them?) is because there isn’t, and never has been, one America but several. Woodard details the histories of eleven distinct regional cultures that evolved from the vastly different groups of immigrants who took control of the lands that became the United States. Includes 4-page handout with summary and links to related articles.

Begin in Edo, the roots of modern Tokyo, before racing across the country on the 180 mph Bullet Train to Hiroshima—a city reborn from tragedy. Discover Kyoto’s timeless beauty, from peaceful temples and gardens to the Emperor’s historic residence back in Tokyo. Dive into the energy of Tokyo’s famous fish market and take in the breathtaking views of Mount Fuji. Experience the spirit, resilience, and grace that make Japan unforgettable.

Franklin Roosevelt once said that the presidency was “pre-eminently a place of moral leadership.” Yet he was also a practical politician who sometime put aside morality for political advantage or survival. Eleanor Roosevelt was often his conscience, reminding him to do what was right. In this course we will explore the relationship between these two towering figures of the 20th century during the presidency of FDR. We will see how a moral vision and practical politics can clash but also be blended together in order to create needed change.

In fall of 1986, the covert and illegal enterprise of supplying arms to a “freedom fighting” insurgency in Central America and to the “terrorist” Iranian government in its war with Iraq burst out of its classified vaults on to the headlines of global media. The Reagan administration went into full cover-up mode to protect the president, who had been ardently directing these policies. The president narrowly escaped impeachment and quietly transitioned out of office. In this course, you will journey from the early events that laid the groundwork for this criminal endeavor through to the ignominious conclusion six years later when another president, himself a participant, pardoned the conspirators.

A majority of Americans still do not believe the Warren Commission Report.  Many key witnesses met strange deaths. Film, police crosstalk, acoustical and forensic evidence suggest three shooters. Roger Peterson has met and talked with several people who witnessed the assassination. 

Discover the Kamchatka Peninsula—comparable in size to California—home to thousands of grizzly bears, hundreds of active volcanoes, and abundant fish species. Study this unique ecosystem and investigate the ancient migration theories of humans crossing the Bering Land Bridge and traveling the Kelp Highway all the way from Beringia toward San Francisco. Ride a Russian helicopter - if you want to pay $900 CASH!

When Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) saw her first airshow as a fiesty11 year old, there was little evidence then that that airplanes would develop into a full-throttled passion. But later she captured the hearts of America after becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic in 1928. We'll learn about her work as a nurse and a social worker as well as her record-setting aviation career as well as about her family, love affairs, and accomplishments. She is certainly one of the most remarkable women of the 20th century!

To prepare for this class, I traveled nearly 10,000 miles across the U.S.—from sacred burial grounds in South Dakota to the site of Wounded Knee, Custer’s Last Stand, and Jim Thorpe’s hometown. Along the way, I explored Native museums, cultural centers, and modern tribal enterprises. Join us to discover the deep history, living cultures, and enduring spirit of Native America.

The arrival and evolution of the first peoples in the Americas is a story that continues to reveal itself from mystery to majesty. From the time hominins began traversing the earth until they arrived at Turtle Island, one theory after another is undone by new discoveries. This class looks at the pathways to and through the Americas, the Indigenous Peoples who populated those lands, the diverse cultures they created, their encounters with each other and eventually with an alien race that tried to subjugate or exterminate them. It's a remarkable story that they survived and are yet persevering.

America’s national identity has long been shaped by religious stories of divine destiny, chosenness, and sacred purpose. From the Puritan “City on a Hill” address to presidential inauguration speeches, this course reads the evolution of American religious nationalism as an open-ended literary tradition, drawing on genres like the epic, romance, tragedy, jeremiad, and apocalyptic fantasy. 

Standing in contrast to these dominant narratives of the nation are the counter-traditions crafted by abolitionists, Indigenous leaders, Black nationalists, Catholic immigrants, and religious fringe movements. Through foundational texts, sermons, speeches, and popular culture, we will investigate how the idea of America is imagined and contested over time. How do religious and political communities construct stories of belonging, exclusion, and destiny? And how do these stories reflect their geographic, cultural, and historical contexts?

Weekly topics may include the Puritan jeremiad, Manifest Destiny as epic, the Civil War as messianic crisis, Black nationalist prophecy, Indigenous spiritual resistance, Catholic and Mormon exceptionalism, and more contemporary visions of apocalypse and conspiracy. No prior background in religious studies or literary theory is required—just an interest in how stories shape the world we live in.

Up to 1.8 million people of Mexican descent—most of them American-born—were rounded up in informal raids and deported in an effort to reserve jobs for white people. These were the “repatriation drives,” a series of informal raids that took place around the United States during the Great Depression.

Explore South Africa’s rich history—from 57,000-year-old rock art and vibrant Bantu and Zulu cultures to European colonization and the harsh era of apartheid. Discover the inspiring story of Nelson Mandela’s leadership and the nation’s journey to democracy at the Apartheid Museum and Soweto. This class offers a powerful glimpse into South Africa’s past and its ongoing transformation.

Some of the earliest and rarest views of California and San Francisco came from the brush of French artists, many of whom came to the United States with their 30,000 compatriots fleeing political turmoil in France and hoping for a better life in Gold Rush California. Art historian Claudine Chalmers will tell the stories of an exciting range of French and Franco-Californian artists and she will show their California works. Claudine is the author of eight books and her work has inspired exhibits at the California Historical Society in San Francisco, at the Crocker Art Museum and at the Monterey Museum of Art. Her first session will cover the bulk of French depictions of California in the 19th century. Her second session will focus more specifically on French depictions of the gold country and of gold miners.

This lecture describes the history of how the Missions began in Mexico and what is now Southern California, then focuses on interesting histories of each of the Missions along and near the coast of California.

Discover the story of the Stephens Townsend Murphy Party! They are the first group to successfully get wagons over the Sierra Nevada into California. Discussion on the reasons for its success and impact on settling the west. The successes and failures of the Donner Party. Reasons for the failure of the Donner Party and the successes and its heroes. This class will cover the challenging journeys of early immigrants to California focusing on the Stephen, Townsend, Murphy Party and the Donner Party and their experiences crossing the Sierra Nevada.

How are countries born? How do countries die? Are there winners in 21st century wars? Who determines the borders of a country? Ukraine's new borders, the annexation of territories, and the rare earth agreement between USA and Ukraine - are these wonderful opportunities, terrible scars on the body of Europe, or simply factors in the new reality in which we live? At the time of writing this lecture proposal, it is still unknown how the war between Russia and Ukraine will end. The lecture will be formed in the course of rapidly changing news. In the next two hours, we will try to assess / answer these questions together.

How are countries born? How do countries die? Are there winners in 21st century wars? Who determines the borders of a country? Ukraine's new borders, the annexation of territories, and the rare earth agreement between USA and Ukraine - are these wonderful opportunities, terrible scars on the body of Europe, or simply factors in the new reality in which we live? At the time of writing this lecture proposal, it is still unknown how the war between Russia and Ukraine will end. The lecture will be formed in the course of rapidly changing news. In the next two hours, we will try to assess / answer these questions together.

This course will focus on the background and details of several historic events that currently are symbolized at historical sites and public monuments. We’ll study ten Revolutionary Boston sites where it all began. We’ll then take a look at five events during this war as well as the Charters of Freedom including the highlights of the Constitutional Convention. We’ll conclude with ten Civil War sites. You will learn not only about the famous sites, but also about a few lesser known but significant ones. Be prepared to learn multiple perspectives, fascinating details, and stories behind each location or monument.

Here, we learn about the migration of the Mormon pioneers under the leadership of Brigham Young, and how they established the West’s major, two-way trail that brought not only Mormons to Utah, but also fostered the opening of vast areas of what are now the central and western portions of the United States.

Across recorded history, countless brilliant women have been heroines, fearless patriots, innovators, inventors, and investigative journalists. Some were acknowledged, even honored, many forgotten, but history moves on, and these women too often become lost in the male-dominated march of time. We will look at three remarkable women – Nellie Bly, Madam C. J. Walker, and Julia Morgan.

If you think today is filled with divisiveness between red and blue then you should have lived in America the latter part of the 19th Century. The end of the Civil War with 700,000 American dead began this era of angst. The post-war era coupled with the acrimony between a growing divide between the haves and have-nots led to labor unrest and a complete revisioning of democracy in this country. The parallels are amazing! Taught by Terry McAteer

Earp spent less than eight years in police work. He followed the boomtowns ending up in LA. A reporter there once asked him, "Mr. Earp, what was it like to be a marshall in the Old West?" The old man replied, "I was a gambler, not a policeman." Peterson interviewed three people who personally knew Earp. He published three articles on Earp. His research is cited in Earp's biography and the bio of Earp's third wife.