History Lectures and Online Courses | The Great Courses Daily

North vs. South: Prelude to the American Civil War

October 9, 2019

The Anerican Civil War is so vast, complex, important, and engaging, that it has inspired literature that conservatively runs to more than 50,000 books and pamphlets. More than one book or pamphlet a day has been published about the conflict since April 1861, when the firing on Fort Sumter helped precipitate it. Review the background of the war, and learn what was happening in the North and South before the first shots were fired. […]

Politics before the American Civil War

October 9, 2019

Slavery may have been the key issue that ignited the American Civil War, but a series of political battle lines, compromises, negotiations, and institutional challenges all served as catalysts for war. Take a look at the political storms of the mid-19th century and examine the politics of the American Civil War. […]

Hieroglyphic carvings on the exterior walls of an Egyptian temple.

Investigate Art History in Ancient Egypt

October 9, 2019

Like any good civilization, Egyptian art tells us a great deal about the people who made it. Investigate the “art historical” approach to ancient Egyptian history. […]

Abraham Lincoln's Presidency Campaign Banner. H. C. Howard [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons

Abraham Lincoln’s Path to Victory in 1860

October 9, 2019

The campaign of 1860 was an interesting spectacle. Four men with different platforms and constituencies offered their arguments for leading the United States. Learn how the campaign—and the 1860 election results—illustrated the degree to which the North and South were divided on the nation’s future. […]

Political Cartoon. Storming the Castle. Currier and Ives [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons

Choosing 1860’s Presidential Candidates

October 9, 2019

What made 1860 such a volatile electoral year? One reason was the wide range of presidential candidates put forth by America’s major political parties. Follow the path to four potential candidates, including Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. […]

Painting of John Brown's Harper's Ferry insurrection on October 17 1859 Captain Albert's militia firing on Brown's insurgents from the railroad bridge.

The Shock of John Brown’s Raid

October 8, 2019

The presidential election of 1860 was the most momentous presidential election in the history of the United States. More was at stake than at any other time in U.S. history. Investigate the opening scene of the crisis: John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. […]

Archaeological site near the temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahri.

Reconstructing Egyptian History with Archaeology Excavation Techniques

October 7, 2019

Although no written records exist of Egyptian prehistory, historians can use several archaeology excavation techniques to construct a reasonable timeline, as well as to discover what life was like for Egypt’s earliest inhabitants. These methods include studying pottery remains, as well as carbon dating, and stratigraphy. […]

ancient Egyptian wall relief with people figures bringing tools

Ancient Egyptian Tools: Building Civilizations

October 6, 2019

From 700,000 B.C. to roughly 70,000 B.C., the only tool used by Egypt’s inhabitants was the hand ax. However, ancient Egyptian tools began to grow increasingly varied and more sophisticated with the arrival of the Neanderthals, followed by Homo sapiens. With new tools, came new possibilities, allowing humans to transition from nomadic lifestyles into settlements. […]

v=Nabta Playa Calendar Circle, reconstructed at Aswan Nubia museum

Prehistoric Egypt: Deciphering Egypt’s Timeline

October 5, 2019

Prehistoric Egypt refers to that mysterious stretch of time before Egypt had writing. In order to uncover the chronology of that period in Egyptian civilization, historians had to rely on other sources as alternatives to written records. The Bible was a primary means of calculating human history until Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory. Learn about the three main categories of prehistory, and what Egypt’s first inhabitants were like. […]

The Commercial Revolution in Medieval Europe

October 4, 2019

From the years 1000 to 1300, Europe’s population nearly doubled. This demographic growth led to urbanization, which in turn led to the Commercial Revolution, as Europe became involved in trading around the world. Europe also developed a more sophisticated monetization system during this period. […]