威尼斯人娱乐场

Summer (virtual) Programs for All Ages
Press Release 路 Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Washington, DC

The 威尼斯人娱乐场 presents a wide variety of summer programs  on topics ranging from the circus to the Insanity Defense! All programs are Eastern Daily Time (EDT).

The Fires of Philadelphia: Citizen-Soldiers, Nativists, and the 1844 Riots Over the Soul of a Nation 
Tuesday, July 6, at noon; ; watch the livestream on our .
In The Fires of Philadelphia, history professor Zachary M. Schrag discusses how in 1844, Philadelphia was set aflame by a group of Protestant ideologues鈥攁vowed nativists鈥攚ho were seeking social and political power due to fear of the Irish Catholic immigrant menace. Schrag鈥檚 book is a gripping and masterful account of the moment when one of America's founding cities turned on itself, giving the nation a preview of the Civil War to come. Joining Schrag in conversation will be professor Dan Horner.

Battle for the Big Top: P. T. Barnum, James Bailey, John Ringling and the Death-Defying Saga of the American Circus 
Wednesday, July 7, at noon; ; watch the livestream on our .
Millions have sat under the 鈥渂ig top,鈥� watching as trapeze artists glide and clowns entertain, but few know the captivating stories behind the men whose creativity, ingenuity, and determination created one of our country鈥檚 most beloved pastimes. In Battle for the Big Top, author Les Standiford brings to life a remarkable era when three circus kings鈥擩ames Bailey, P. T. Barnum, and John Ringling鈥攁ll vied for control of the vastly profitable and influential American circus. 

The Man Who Hated Women: Sex, Censorship, and Civil Liberties in the Gilded Age*
Thursday, July 8, at noon; ; watch the livestream on our .
Amy Sohn presents a narrative history of Anthony Comstock, anti-vice activist and U.S. Postal Inspector, and the remarkable women who opposed his war on women鈥檚 rights at the turn of the 20th century. Journalist and author Elizabeth Mitchell will join Sohn to discuss the man behind the eponymous law, passed in 1873, that penalized the mailing of contraception and obscenity with long sentences and steep fines.

The Director: My Years Assisting J. Edgar Hoover 
Thursday, July 15, at noon; ; watch the livestream on our .
In 1965, twenty-two-year old Paul Letersky was assigned to assist the legendary FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.  Hoover鈥檚 personal privacy was more tightly guarded than the secret 鈥渇iles鈥� he carefully collected鈥攁nd that were feared by politicians and celebrities. The Director offers a unique inside look at one of the most powerful law enforcement figures in American history. Joining Letersky in conversation will be former FBI agent Joe Pistone.

Insanity Defense: Why Our Failure to Confront Hard National Security Problems Makes Us Less Safe
Tuesday, July 20 at 1 p.m.; ; watch the livestream on our .
Former Congresswoman and Wilson Center Director Jane Harman will discuss how four administrations have failed to confront some of the toughest national security policy issues, and she suggests ways to move the country toward a safer future. Abraham Denmark, Director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, will join her in conversation.

Meet Teddy Roosevelt (portrayed by Joe Wiegand): Young Learners Program
Thursday, July 22 at noon; ; watch the livestream on our .
Theodore Roosevelt was a soldier and statesman, explorer and scientist, historian and author. Often known as 鈥楾eddy鈥� or 鈥楾R鈥�, he was the nation鈥檚 youngest president and personified a vigorous United States in the early 20th century. For this 威尼斯人娱乐场 Comes Alive! program, Theodore Roosevelt will explain how he doubled the number of national parks despite foes in Congress who declared, 鈥淣ot one red cent for scenery!鈥�, and will take questions from participants. 

*Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote and programs presented in conjunction with the exhibit are made possible in part by the 威尼斯人娱乐场 Foundation through the generous support of Unilever, Pivotal Ventures, Carl M. Freeman Foundation in honor of Virginia Allen Freeman, AARP, AT&T, Ford Motor Company Fund, Facebook, Barbara Lee Family Foundation Fund at the Boston Foundation, Google, HISTORY 庐, and Jacqueline B. Mars. Additional support for National Outreach and Programs provided by Denise Gwyn Ferguson, Maggie and Robert Boroujerdi, BMO Financial Group, The Hearst Foundations, Maris S. Cuneo Foundation, FedEx, Bernstein Family Foundation, and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation/Ambassador Fay-Hartog Levin (Ret.).

The Failed Promise: Reconstruction, Frederick Douglass, and the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Tuesday, August 31 at noon
In The Failed Promise, historian Robert S. Levine foregrounds the viewpoints of black Americans on Reconstruction in his absorbing account of the struggle between the great orator Frederick Douglass and President Andrew Johnson.  Despite early indications that Johnson would pursue aggressive federal policies for black equality, Douglass soon grew disillusioned with Johnson鈥檚 policies and increasingly doubted the president was sincere.  Levine grippingly portrays the conflicts that brought Douglass and the wider black community to reject Johnson and call for a guilty verdict in his impeachment trial.