"In December 2007, the Journal of American History published an issue to study the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and to examine the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Because we are so little removed in time from Katrina's 2005 landfall, the essays cannot, and do not, fully historicize the events surrounding the storm. They are intended instead to play a part in the writing of a "second draft" of this history.

One of these essays was written by Dr. Kent Germany, professor of history at the University of South Carolina. Titled "The Politics of Poverty and History: Racial Inequality and the Long Prelude to Katrina", this work attempts to identify the connections between the civil rights policies of the 1960s with current and relevant issues in New Orleans. On Tuesday, March 11, Dr. Germany presented his thesis to our teachers at the Miller Center for Public Affairs. This provocative topic addressed how the rise of suburbs and the decline of the inner city factored into the larger struggle for civil rights in the 1960s and 1970s and set up the conditions exposed by Hurricane Katrina."

Many Americans think Lewis and Clark were sent west simply to explore the newly-acquired Louisiana Purchase. In fact, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was part of an international contest to control North America and exploit its wealth and an important part of Thomas Jefferson¹s plan for the development of the United States and the future of its Native American population.

On Tuesday, February 5, Dr. Dan Thorp of Virginia Tech explored the nature of earlier European activities in the North American West and how they shaped the timing and nature of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Dr. Thorp's talk was held at the Jefferson Library at Monticello.

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What political traditions did the framers draw upon as they wrote the constitution and what innovations did they introduce into the political life of the nation?

Dr. Carol Berkin of Baruch College spoke on Tuesday, December 4 at the Jefferson Library at Monticello as our last lecture in the fall speaker series. The workshop focused on the crisis the delegates to the constitutional convention believed their new nation was facing, the personalities and backgrounds of these delegates, and the main issues and ideals that shaped the constitution these men created.

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The story of the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692 has served as a dramatic moral tale in American culture since the late 17th century. Narrated in history textbooks since the early 18th century and fictionalized in later works of literature, the Salem witch trials tragedy has been interpreted in different ways, suited to changing social and cultural circumstances over time.

On Tuesday, October 30, Dr. Benjamin Ray of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia explored the role of religion in early America through this iconic narrative. This talk focused on the most recent historical research and indicate the new shape the story is taking. It discussed the changing nature of historical accounts and show how students can directly engage the primary source documents and develop their own conclusions.

Check this out: http://www.salemwitchtrials.org

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