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Category: "America Through the Centuries"

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Poking Fun: Political Puns and Social Satire in the Genre Paintings of William Sidney Mount

Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan, St. James
Subtle humor injected into scenes of country life by this world-renowned 19th century Long Island artist brought smiles to the lips of those in the know.

George Washington's Long Island Spy Ring

Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan, St. James
This colorful PowerPoint presentation reveals how Patriot spies gathered British military information, from Long Island to Manhattan, and delivered it to George Washington despite constant danger.

Brooklyn's Waterfront: The Maritime Provinces of Brooklyn

John B. Manbeck, Brooklyn
As island nations have grown into commercial centers because of water, so Brooklyn capitalized on its extensive deep harbors to develop into a major American port offering a diverse assortment of opportunities and experiences.

America's Nine First Ladies From New York State

Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan, St. James
One saved Lafayette’s wife from the guillotine. Another was the "Rose of Long Island." Learn about these and seven other fascinating women from New York State who became First Ladies.

Political Humor: A Look Back in Anger Mixed with Mirth

Joseph Dorinson, Brooklyn
Can Tina Fey impede the political ascent of Sarah Palin? Did H.L. Mencken destroy the reputation of Presidents Harding and Coolidge? How did comedians in America contribute to Nixon's resignation? For answers to these and other knotty questions, stay tuned.

1812: New York's War, New York's Impetus

Robert W. Arnold III, Albany
The War of 1812 largely was fought on New York's soil, exposed serious inadequacies in the state's infrastructure, and resulted in many long-term changes.

Let Loose the Dogs of War: New York in the American Civil War

Robert W. Arnold III, Albany
New York supplied more men, money and material in the Civil War than any other state. New Yorkers went to war in many ways.

New York State: Four Centuries of Immigration and Migration

Peter Eisenstadt, Rochester
The history of immigration into New York State and the migration out of the state.

The New York Hall of Fame: 400 Years of Great New Yorkers

Peter Eisenstadt, Rochester
Explore New York State history through the biographies of important New Yorkers over the last four hundred years.

Presidential Power

Frank M. Sorrentino, Brooklyn
This lecture will explore Presidential power and how it has evolved from its origins to the present. Is it sufficient to protect the nation in an age of terrorism, or is it a threat to the constitutional framework and American liberty?

The Police and the Constitution

James L. Coll, Seaford
This informative lecture with a unique perspective highlights how Founding-era ideals apply to the evolving powers and limitations of the police in modern society.

Rediscovering Hudson, Fulton and Champlain: Where New Worlds Meet Old Ambitions

Robert Spiegelman, New York
Voyages into the New World were floated by courage, vision, technology, and investment. Take a fresh look at the legacies of Hudson, Fulton, and Champlain: how each contributed to New York's rise as an economic power, and shaped New York's commerce and influence from the colonial era to contemporary times.

Songs and Stories for the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial

Stanley Ransom, Plattsburgh
Award-winning folk musician Stan Ransom presents folk songs, historical songs, and stories of the Champlain Basin, which reflect the past 400 years of history in the Champlain Valley region.

The Lenape: Lower New York's First Inhabitants

David Oestreicher, White Plains
Who were the original inhabitants of lower New York? What were they like, and what remains of their culture today? Learn the true story of the Lenape -- not the romanticized figures of popular mythology or new-age literature, but a living people as they really are.

19th Century Circus: Sex, Violence and Politics

David Carlyon, Larchmont
When did circus change from raw adult fare to innocent family entertainment? A historian. and ex-Ringling Brothers clown investigates the reasons.

Lobbying: The Exercise of Politics and Power in New York

Tom Shanahan, Albany
They dueled over legislation long before they rowed across the Hudson to do it for keeps in 1804. Burr, Hamilton, and Lobbying in New York.

From Muscles to Motors on the Farm: Henry Ford and the Great American Tractor Wars, 1910-1930

Milton C. Sernett, Cazenovia
Henry Ford's Fordson Tractor, like his Model T, was both a technological marvel and an instrument of social change; this illustrated lecture will invoke memories of life and work on American family farms before the age of agribusiness.

New York State at 400: The Perils and Promise of Heterogeneity

Peter Eisenstadt, Rochester
The history of ethnic and regional diversity in New York State from the colonial period to the present.

Songs America Voted By: Campaign Songs of the 19th Century

Linda Russell, New York
In a lively exploration of our political campaigns past, balladeer Linda Russell sings the songs and ditties that drove Americans to the polls and informed their voting in the 19th century.

Of Time and the River: Songs of the Historic Hudson

Linda Russell, New York
Linda Russell explores the history of the Hudson River Valley through folk ballads, Revolutionary War songs, Erie Canal ditties and dance tunes.

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