Carol Berkin

Historian Carol Berkin's A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution is a rich narrative portrait of post-revolutionary America and the men who shaped its political future. "Just as the Constitution was a brilliant solution to the problems of the 1780s, Carol Berkin's book is a brilliant account of the making of that constitution. Written with great verve and clarity, it nicely captures all the contingency and unpredictability in...

The remarkable life of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, renowned as the most beautiful woman of nineteenth-century Baltimore, whose marriage in 1803 to Jérôme Bonaparte, the youngest brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, became inextricably bound to the diplomatic and political histories of the United States, France, and England.

Indian, European, and African women of seventeenth and eighteenth-century America were defenders of their native land, pioneers on the frontier, willing immigrants, and courageous slaves. They were also - as traditional scholarship tends to omit - as important as men in shaping American culture and history. This remarkable work is a gripping portrait that gives early-American women their proper place in history.

"Eli Faber, professor of history emeritus, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, has written a narrative history of the case of George Stinney, a fourteen-year-old African American boy who was executed for the alleged murder of two white girls (ages 8 and 11) in June 1944. This made Stinney the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century. In 2014, a circuit court judge in South Carolina vacated the conviction. Faber moves beyond...

"A staunch proponent of breaking down racial and gender barriers, Shirley Chisholm had the esteemed privilege of being a pioneer in many aspects of her life. She was the first African American woman elected to the New York State legislature and, later, the United States House of Representatives. She also made a run for the Democratic Party nomination for president in 1972. Focusing on Chisholm's lifelong advocacy for fair treatment, access to education,...

Where were women during the American Revolution? Helping to run it, of course. This video lecture discusses the important role that women played during this piece of history.

Civil War in 15 objects: This video lecture highlights items from the Civil War that help humanize the time period and illustrate just how tragic and important the war was in history. American Revolution: Focusing on some of the little-known events and facts about the American Revolution, this video lecture highlights America's great struggle for independence. America in WWI: The issues that Americans faced during World War I are also being faced...