Videos

The 2022 winner of the George Washington Book Prize, Bruce Ragsdale, for Washington at the Plow, was honored at a ceremony held at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. The George Washington Boo…

The 2021 Lincoln Prize, for “the finest scholarly work in English on Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War soldier, or a subject relating to their era” was awarded to Elizabeth Varon, auth…

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Eric Foner looked at the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments added to the U.S. Constitution during the Reconstruction Era. This virtual event was sponsored by th…

Book TV presented coverage of the 20th annual Frederick Douglass Book Prize awarded by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The winners were Erica Armstrong Dunbar, author of Ne…

Lin-Manuel Miranda was presented with a Special Achievement Award from the board of the George Washington Book Prize. Mr. Miranda is the playwright, lyricist, composer, and star of the Broad…

Scholars participated in a panel discussion on the crisis of slavery leading up to and during President Lincoln’s administration and its impact on his presidency. Sean Wilentz spoke on “Abra…

Ted Widmer talked about his book Martin Van Buren, which is part of The American Presidents series published by Times Books. Mr. Widmer talked about Van Buren’s presidency, his reaction to t…

A panel focused on the various controversies surrounding Alexander Hamilton and how his reputation has survived. The panel responded to questions from the audience after prepared remarks.

“Lincoln in His Time and Ours: A Public Symposium” was held by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the American Studies Program and History Department of Columbia University…

Speakers examined Hamilton’s influence on early American economic policy, including his role as the first secretary of the U.S. Treasury. After prepared remarks, the panelists responded to q…

David Blight was interviewed on stage by James Basker about his book, A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom, Including Their Own Narratives of Emancipation, published by Harcourt. …

A panel of former friends and colleagues of the historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., remembered the public historian as teacher, mentor, and friend. They discussed his book Journals: 1952-2000…

David Brion Davis talked about his book Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World, published by Oxford University Press. The book includes a history of slave revolts dur…

The New York Historical Society hosted a Symposium on Alexander Hamilton. This panel discussed the life and career of Alexander Hamilton, his thoughts on liberty, slavery, and religion. Afte…

First Lady Laura Bush and officials talked about historic preservation and education initiatives, including the importance of teaching history to students. Also recognized were a number of c…

Officials of the Gilder Lehrman Institute presented the Frederick Douglass Book Prize for the best book of the year on the history of slavery. This year’s winner, David Blight, is the author…

Kevin Phillips talked about his book The Cousins' Wars: Religion, Politics, and the Triumph of Anglo-America, published by Basic Books. In the book, Mr. Phillips traces the history of Anglo-…

The day after the prize presentation, some of the winners of the Lincoln Prize participated in a panel discussion on the Civil War. Participants included Professor Weigley who won first plac…

Winners of the Lincoln Prize talked about their books on Abraham Lincoln or the field of Civil War history, encouraged students in their study of American history, and answered audience ques…

David Eltis received the annual Frederick Douglass award for writing on the history of slavery. He received the prize for his book The Rise of African Slavery in the Americas, published by C…