Featured Programs

The National Archives Experience is proud to offer a selection of streaming video programs from our public program repertoire. Webcasting is an outreach initiative of the National Archives Experience, supported by the Foundation for the National Archives.

Interior of the William G. McGowan Theater

The views and opinions expressed in the featured programs do not necessarily state or reflect those of the National Archives & Records Administration.

Lincoln and American Values

On September 20, 2008, the Center for the National Archives Experience celebrated the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth with a daylong symposium, Lincoln and American Values. The symposium provided historical insight into some of the most critically important facets of Lincoln's Presidency.

American Conversations

American Conversations is a series of informal conversations between the former Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein and people who've shaped the dialogue about the interpretation and use of American heritage. Conversations with David McCullough, Barbara Bush, John Hope Franklin, Ken Burns, Lindy Boggs and Cokie Roberts, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Lonnie Bunch, and Lynne Cheney are available for viewing.

Conversation Videos and More from American Conversations

The Invisible Constitution

On September 17, 2008, legal scholar Laurence Tribe spoke on newest volume from Oxford's Inalienable Rights series, titled The Invisible Constitution. Tribe discussed how some of our most cherished and widely held beliefs about constitutional rights are not part of the written document but can only be deduced from it. Laurence Tribe is Carl M. Loeb University Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.

July 4th 2008 at the National Archives

On July 4th, 2008, the National Archives celebrated the 232nd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Hosted by NBC4 anchor Jim Handly, the program feaured an address by Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States, a performance by the Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps, and our annual dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Citizens by Choice: Women in Business Leadership

Many Americans are surprised to learn that there is a large and growing group of immigrant women entrepreneurs and business leaders who are rapidly making their mark in the U.S. business sector, in every region of the country and across a wide range of industries. On June 11, 2008 the National Archives Experience presented a discussion program that explored the challenges these women face, and how have they used gender and nationality as strengths in building their businesses. This program was generously supported by the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, Inc.

Panel from left to right Mark Mellman, Judith Best, Gordon Wood, David Broder, George Edwards III, and Ed Goeas

Electoral College: The Debate Continues

In the wake of the Presidential election of 2000, the value of the Electoral College has been questioned and debated. Does the Founding Fathers’ vision still apply today, or should this system be reevaluated? On May 21, 2008 the National Archives Experience presented a program examining this important and timely topic.

200th Anniversary of the Slave Trade Act of 1808

The Slave Trade Act of 1808, passed by Congress in March of 1807, became effective January 1, 1808. On January 10, 2008 the Center for the National Archives Experience held a day-long symposium to commemorate its 200th anniversary and raise awareness of the slave trade, its abolition, and its impact on United States history and culture.

Session Videos and More from the Slave Trade Symposium

This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War

On January 9, 2008, Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust spoke on her newest book, This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. Faust’s book is an illuminating study of the American struggle to comprehend the meaning and practicalities of death in the face of the unprecedented carnage of the Civil War. Dr. Faust took audience questions after her talk.

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