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History

J-Term: Virginia and the Constitution
“I believe that constitutions are shaped by context—by history, tradition, culture, and politics,” explains A.E. Dick Howard, Warner-Booker Distinguished Professor of International Law at the University of Virginia‘s School of Law. Howard’s January Term, or J-Term, course gave students the chance to study constitutionalism “through the lens of a distinctive place.” Lifetime Learning is pleased […]
Our Better Angels
In the aftermath of the events of January 6, 2021, John Ragosta looks at our nation’s violent history and offers hope. Ragosta is a fellow at Virginia Humanities, author of Religious Freedom: Jefferson’s Legacy, America’s Creed, and lead faculty for Lifetime Learning‘s  Summer Jefferson Symposium at the University of Virginia. We welcome your comments below. […]
Transition Tradition: Presidential History Lessons
Following the November U.S. elections, Barbara A. Perry comments on the tradition of presidential transitions. Perry (@BarbaraPerryUVA) is the Gerald L. Baliles Professor and Director of Presidential Studies at the University of Virginia‘s Miller Center. We welcome your comments on this post below.   Transition Tradition: Presidential History Lessons In the classic Broadway play and […]
Being Thankful in Difficult Times
As we approach Thanksgiving in an unusual November, John Ragosta reflects on the writings of Thomas Jefferson and his words: “…to be thankful for what we have, rather than thoughtful about what we have not.” Ragosta is the lead faculty for Lifetime Learning‘s Summer Jefferson Symposium, a fellow at Virginia Humanities, and author of Religious Freedom: […]
The Jewish Grandchildren of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson
“Origins are not destiny,” writes James Loeffler, considering how the past can shape the next chapter of American history. Loeffler is the Jay Berkowitz Professor of Jewish History in the Corcoran Department of History and the Ida and Nathan Kolodiz Director of Jewish Studies in the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at […]
Pandemics and the Power of History
What lessons has the past taught us about containing diseases? Christian McMillen suggests that particular social and biological conditions historically have given rise to the emergence of epidemics and pandemics. McMillen is a professor in the Corcoran Department of History and associate dean for the social sciences in the College and Graduate School of Arts […]
RBG: Jimmy Carter’s “Notorious” Judicial Legacy
Ruth Bader Ginsburg might not have ascended to the Supreme Court if President Carter had not developed a deliberate affirmative action strategy. Barbara Perry explains the significance of Carter’s appointment of Ginsburg to the DC Circuit bench. Perry (@BarbaraPerryUVA) is the Gerald L. Baliles Professor and Director of Presidential Studies at the University of Virginia‘s […]
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A New Biography of John F. Kennedy Might Calm Your Election Jitters
“JFK himself will remain firmly embedded in history as long as worthy biographies about him continue to appear in each new age,” says Barbara A. Perry about Fredrik Logevall’s new work: JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956. Perry (@BarbaraPerryUVA) is the Gerald L. Baliles Professor and Director of Presidential Studies at the […]
Categories: History
Speak, Memory: Poetry and Survival After the Atomic Bombings
August 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of WWII. Chad R. Diehl gives us a personal and poignant look at a unique bombing survivor’s representation of trauma through the Japanese art of tanka. Diehl is an assistant professor in the Corcoran Department of History […]
Categories: History
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