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Capital of the World: Philadelphia's Race to Host the United Nations
3/4/13

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From the ashes of the Second World War came the idea of the United Nations—an organization that would serve as a center for international diplomacy. In this lecture given at the Philadelphia History Museum on April 3, 2013,  Charlene Mires, author of Capital of the World, discusses the dramatic, surprising, and at times comic story of the hometown promoters in pursuit of an extraordinary prize and the diplomats who struggled with the balance of power at a pivotal moment in history.

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Capital of the World: Philadelphia's Race to Host the United Nations
Chinatown: Past & Present
11/8/12

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Philadelphia’s Chinatown is a small but resilient community that has consistently overcome outside threats and remains an important cultural center for Asians around the region. This discussion about Chinatown’s history and the legacies of its activism and redevelopment took place on November 8, 2012, at the Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School in Philadelphia.

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Chinatown: Past & Present, Philadelphia, China, and Chinatown
Is Thrift Good for America?
8/22/12

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In a debate held at HSP on August 1, 2012, Princeton historian Sheldon Garon, author of Beyond Our Means: Why America Spends While the World Saves, and Rutgers historian James Livingston, author of Against Thrift: Why Consumer Culture Is Good for the Economy, the Environment and Your Soul, argue their respective cases for and against thrift. This conversation was moderated by David Blankenhorn, president of the Institute for American Values.

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Is Thrift Good for America?, Franklin’s Thrift Teacher Institute, Savings and Thrift
Maps of Early America 6/14/12
6/20/12

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Joseph Garver, Librarian for Research Services of the Harvard Map Collection, discusses American history through maps. Mr. Garver spoke at the Maps of Early America event on June 14, 2012.

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Maps of Early America
The Accidental Slaveowner: Revisiting a Myth of Race and Finding an American Family
9/7/11

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Mark Auslander's book, The Accidental Slaveowner: Revisiting a Myth of Race and Finding an American Family (University of Georgia Press, 2011), examines the relationship between one enslaved woman, Miss Kitty, and her owner, prominent Methodist Bishop James Osgood Andrew. What can one contested account of an enslaved woman tell us about our difficult racial past?

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The Morreys and Montiers: A Love Story
6/20/11

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Listen to the family story of Dr. William Pickens III from a lecture given at HSP on June 20, 2011. Dr. Pickens traces his ancestry all the way back to Humphrey Morrey, who served as the first mayor of Philadelphia in 1691. Pickens’s family tree also includes Richard Morrey, whose marriage to freedwoman Cremona formed one of the city’s most prominent interracial families.

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Wanamaker's: Meet Me at the Eagle
5/4/11

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Wanamaker’s department store is fondly remembered for the massive bronze eagle in the Grand Court, concerts from the world’s largest pipe organ, and its spectacular Christmas festivities. In a lecture given on May 4, 2011, at HSP, Philadelphia native and author Michael J. Lisicky takes a nostalgic journey through the history of the store, from its beginnings as a haberdashery to the final poignant closing of its doors.

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Tracing Your Native American Roots
3/9/11

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Have you ever wondered if you descended from a Cherokee Indian princess? Searching for Native American ancestry can be a daunting and challenging task. In a lecture given at HSP on March 9, 2011, Genealogist David “Iron Head” Vann, a Cherokee descendant and member of the Cherokee National Historical Society, explains how to get started with your research.

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