We think we know “The Star-Spangled Banner” — but how many of us realize that Francis Scott Key was not looking at the flag we now revere as the original, and that he never set foot inside Fort McHenry? An instant success in 1814, the anthem’s first stanza opens so many sporting events today that … Continued
Slave narratives comprise one of the most influential traditions in American literature, shaping the form and themes of some of the most celebrated and controversial writing, in both autobiography and fiction, in the history of the United States. In recent years, as their importance has been recognized, slave narratives have appeared on more and more … Continued
Visual imagery played a major role in the anti-slavery movement. From the iconic image of a kneeling slave asking “Am I Not a Man and a Brother?” to images of family separations through sale at auction, images were an important weapon in the arsenal of abolitionist activity. This seminar looks at some of the imagery … Continued
Works of art are rich primary documents that can enhance student understanding of American culture. This two-part seminar explores three American paintings to see what they can tell students about slavery, immigration, and the plight of the American farmer. In this second session, the seminar demonstrates how historical information can inform our understanding and interpretation … Continued
Works of art are rich primary documents that can enhance student understanding of American culture. This two-part seminar, a collaboration between the North Carolina Museum of Art and the National Humanities Center, explores three American paintings — Christian Friedrich Mayr’s “”Kitchen Ball at White Sulphur Springs, Virginia”” (1838); Charles Felix Blauvelt’s “”A German Immigrant Inquiring … Continued
Holden Caulfield is an unlikely rebel. The son of affluent parents, enrolled in (and expelled from) expensive prep schools, untouched by poverty or racism, he would seem to have it made in the booming 1950s. Yet he is estranged from his parents, teachers, and friends. For him the world is insincere and untrustworthy or, as … Continued
Holden Caulfield is an unlikely rebel. The son of affluent parents, enrolled in (and expelled from) expensive prep schools, untouched by poverty or racism, he would seem to have it made in the booming 1950s. Yet he is estranged from his parents, teachers, and friends. For him the world is insincere and untrustworthy or, as … Continued
“I would prefer not to.” With those words Bartleby, Herman Melville’s New York law-copyist, turns himself into one of the most enigmatic and infuriating characters in all of American literature. With them he also disrupts the staid, ordered life of his employer. And with them, too, he withdraws from life until he ends his days … Continued
“This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.” In Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass excoriated the nation for its hypocrisy, brutality, and arrogance in an Independence Day oration that still stings. What arguments did he make? What rhetorical skills did he display? How did he … Continued
