Program Menu
 |
  |
Aural History Productions
The Radio Archive ~ January - June, 2005
June 30, 2005
Segment 1: "Remember When: Gang Rule in the City (part 2)."
MP3.
Time: 33:46
"Gang Rule in the City: Or, The Most Perfect Party Organization in the World" was a two-part program -- part of Charles Hardy's documentar series, "I REMEMBER WHEN: TIMES GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN." This is part 2 of the program. See last week's entry for more details.
Segment 2: "From the Archives: 'Segro-Country and Western' and the Song Wars of the Civil Rights Era."
Kajun Ku Klux Klan (selection):
MP3.
"The Segregation Wagon":
MP3.
In the 1960s, as the Civil Rights movement -- the 'singing movement' -- was spreading through the South, a resistance culture emerged that sought to counter the progress of the Civil Rights movement and LBJ's "Great Society." That southern resistance movement, like the Civil Rights movement it opposed, had a strong cultural component, but one generally overlooked by historians and students of the era. Often exploiting the most racist and pejorative stereotypes that pervaded popular and genteel Southern (and Northern) white society, several regional musical movements emerged and produced a counter-integrationist repertoire of songs (as well as jokes and racial parodies). Among the most virulently racist strains of that movement was one that has been called by one writer "Segro- Country and Western" -- associated with, though not exclusively from, Louisiana. One of the record labels that recorded and circulated such music was Jay Miller's Rebel Records (also referred to as Reb Rebel Records) in Crowley, Louisiana. Most of the songs were issued as 45 RPM singles, but Rebel Records also put out one LP compilation of these 45s, titled "For Segregationists Only." It contained such songs (and vocal parodies) as: "Flight NAACP 105" by 'Son of Mississippi,' "Kajun Ku Klux Klan," by Johnny Rebel (actually Clifford 'Pee Wee' Trahan), and "Old Man Moses," by Happy Fats. The record jacket included the following summary of the record's contents: "This long playing album is composed of the best selling 45 RPM singles ever released by Reb Rebel Records. These selections express the feeling, anxiety, confusion and problems of many of our people during the political transformation of our way of life . . . Transformations that have changed peace and tranquility to riots and demonstrations that have changed incentive for self improvement to much dependency on numerous federal 'give away' programs, under the guise of building the 'great society.' For those who take a conservative position on intergration (sic.), this 'great society' program, the controversial war in Viet Nam and the numerous so-called 'Civil Rights' Organizations, this record is a must!" There were dozens and dozens of pro-segregation tunes put out by Miller and other southern studios, including "The Segregation Wagon" (sampled below). For background on Rebel Records and its racist fruits, go to the following link: http://www.ferris.edu/JIMCROW/question/dec06/. On air, we explored several songs (slightly edited); here we present some excerpts and examples of the genre. The "worst" examples are not included. Those interested in learning more about the other side of the Civil Rights movement and its culture, see the previous link and find re-issues of the original 45s and LPs. They are available from several sources on the WWW.
June 23, 2005 Segment 1: "Remember When: Gang Rule in the City (part 1)."
MP3.
Time: 31:46"Gang Rule in the City: Or, The Most Perfect Party Organization in the World" was a two-part program that originally aired in late January and early February of 1983. It focused on Philadelphia politics between the two world wars, and particulalry on Bill Vare's Republican organization, one of the most powerful and corrupt party machines in the nation. This program was one of a dozen in a series produced by Charles Hardy and titled "I REMEMBER WHEN: TIMES GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN." The series was broadcast in late 1982 and early 1983 on WUHY-FM in Philadelphia.
Segment 2: "From the Archives: The Harlem Race Riot of 1943." Off-Site Link.
http://www.historychannel.com/speeches/archive/speech_455.html
On August 2, 1943, an African American soldier was shot by a white policeman in New York City. The event brought New York racial tensions to their breaking point, precipitating a major race riot that drew in the US Army. Other cities -- such as Los Angeles, California; Beaumont, Texas; Columbia, Tennessee; and Detroit, Michigan -- also experienced similar racial explosions in 1943. Detroit's was the worst, with 25 African Americans and 9 whites killed. The New York riots led to six deaths and hundreds injured and arrested. Here, New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia discusses the curfiew he declared in response to the riots in Harlem. For a brief overview of the waves of race riots that swept through the nation before, during, and after 1943, see: http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/resources/pdf/hs_es_urban_race_riots.pdf. For information on the Detroit race riot, go to http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=185&category=events and http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eleanor/peopleevents/pande10.html.
MP3.
Time: 17:31.Talking History / OAH's Fred Nielsen interviews David Herlihy, author of Bicycle: The History about the history of the bicycle. (Please note, there is one error in the interview: in his discussion of the high wheeler, David Herlihy inadvertently said "solid iron tires" instead of "solid rubber.") Produced: June, 2005.
June 16, 2005
Segment 1: "Slavery and the Making of America."
MP3.
Time: 29:30
From Dialogue: "Slavery was the dominant economic engine of early America. It was present in every region and by the mid-19th century exceeded every other �product� in its monetary value to the society. Given that slavery in America lasted from 1619 to 1865 and was a direct contradiction of professed national values it is clearly the central narrative of American history. This is the argument of James and Lois Horton who documented it in this conversation." James and Lois Horton are the authors of Slavery and the Making of America.
Segment 2: "From the Archives: Helen Gahagan Douglas and Anti-Lynching Legislation." Off-Site Link.
http://www.thisdayinhistory.com/speeches/archive/speech_406.html
Helen Gahagan Douglas, U.S. representative of California, was interviewed in 1947 by reporter Jack Bell about her involvement in House initiatives to pass federal legislation against lynching. Douglas sponsored H. R. 800 ("For the better assurance of the protection of persons within the several States from mob violence and lynching, and for other purposes," 80th Congress, 1st Session) and H. R. 3618 ("To declare certain rights of citizens of the United States, and for the protection of such citizens and other persons within the several states from mob violence and lynching, and for other purposes," 80th Congress, 1st Session), in 1947. Unfortunately, conservative Southern legislators blocked the passage of these and related legistation through the use of parliamentary procedures, including the filibuster.
MP3.
Time: 14:48.Talking History / OAH's Fred Nielsen discusses William Clark with Landon Y. Jones, author of William Clark and the Shaping of the American West (Hill & Wang, 2004) and editor of The Essential Lewis and Clark (Ecco, 1999). Produced: June, 2005.
June 9, 2005Segment 1: "The Death Penalty in America: A History."
.
MP3.
Time: 14:28.Talking History/OAH's Bryan Le Beau explores the history of the death penalty in America with Stuart Banner, professor of law at University of California, Los Angeles and the author of The Death Penalty: An American History. Produced: May, 2005. Segment 2: "Remembering the General Slocum"
.
MP3.
Time: 8:44.Remembering the General Slocum was produced last year (2004) by independent producer and Talking History contributor Joe Richman (Radio Diaries); it was originally aired by National Public Radio (NPR). It recalls a tragedy that occured a century ago in New York City. Here is Richamn's summary of the piece: "100 years ago, in 1904, a steamship called the General Slocum left the piers at East 3rd Street in Manhattan. The boat was filled with more than 1,300 residents of the Lower East Side -- children, parents, many of them recent immigrants. It was a special day: they were headed on an annual church outing, a boat cruise and picnic on Long Island. But as the steamship made its way up the East River, it caught fire. The General Slocum disaster was -- until September 11, 2001 -- the deadliest tragedy in New York City's history. Adella Wotherspoon, the last survivor, tells the story." Segment 3: "From the Archives: Bill Graham and the Origins of Bill Graham Presents (BGP). 1973."
MP3.
Time: 10:08Back in the fall of 1965, Bill Graham produced his first concert--a benefit for The San Francisco Mime Troupe, a progressive political theater group. Held in a San Francisco loft, the benefit brought together regional musicians, poets, artists and many others, including the Jefferson Airplane, The Committee, The Fugs, Allen Ginsburg, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Besides its fianancial success, the event also marked the beginning of decades of musical promotion by a man who, until his tragic death in a helicopter accident in 1991, was a central figure in the musical world of the mid- to late 20th century America. In this archival audio from the "vaults" of WRPI-Troy, Graham recalls his eary career and the establishment of the Fillmore Auditorium (ultimately both the Fillmore East and West) and BGP (Bill Graham Presents). Segment 4: "Einstein's Five Seminal Papers."
MP3.
Time: 13:58Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the publication of five revolutionary papers by Albert Einstein, Talking History's Bryan Le Beau interviews Elizabeth Stoddard, Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Missouri Kansas City, about the content of those papers and their historical significance. Produced: April, 2005.
June 2, 2005 Segment 1 (full show): From the Archives: "Timothy Leary at RPI, April 8, 1967."
MP3.
Time: 42:51On April 8th, 1967, Dr. Timothy F. Leary, writer, psychologist, and promoter of the consciousness-raising use of psychedelic drugs spoke at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York. His appearance, and the controversy it ignited in the local community, made the national news. The New York Times, reporting on the event, characterized Leary as "the self-styled prophet of a religion based on the use of the drug LSD," and described his appearance as follows: "The former Harvard teacher sat cross-legged and dressed in white as he told several thousand studens from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of his 'consciousness-expanding' religion, whose basic tenet, he said, was to 'get high, turn on and drop out." (NYT, April 9, 1967, p. 95). Rennselaer County District Attorney (later to become a prominent local judge) M. Andrew Dwyer, along with the local Lions Club, Troy Chamber of Commerce, and numerous local clergy attempted to halt Leary's appearance, without success. RPI administrators strongly defended the right of a University to air unpopular and controversial speakers (prefatory comments explaining their decision are preserved on this recording). However, they made one compromise: tickets to the event were only sold to students, faculty, and staff of RPI. The public was not invited. The talk, however, was broadcast by the News and Public Affairs Department of Radio Rensselaer (WRPI), the station from which Talking History now originates. This recording comes from the WRPI vaults. Unfortunately, problems on the recording day and almost four decades of less-than-ideal storage conditions did impact the quality of the recording. Please bear with occasional audio drop-offs; overall, the recording is not in bad shape. It was slightly edited for broadcast. Our thanks to WRPI and to the numerous station engineers who were responsible for this and many other now historic recordings (some of which we hope to bring you in the future).
Additional audio segments utilized on the on-air broadcast, including "Legend of a Mind" by the Moody Blues, are protected by copyright restrictions and can't be archived on line. For those interested in learning more about Timothy Leary, there are numerous on-line short biographies of Leary, some more sensational than others. We hesitate to recommend specific sites. A recent anthology of viewpoints from those who knew Timothy Leary can be found in Robert Forte's (ed.) Timothy Leary: Outside Looking In : Appreciations, Castigations, and Reminiscences by Ram Dass, Andrew Weil, Allen Ginsberg, Winona Ryder, William Burroughs, Albert Hofmann, Aldous Huxley, Terence McKenna, Ken Kesey, Huston Smith, Hunter S. Thompson, and Others (1999). For more information about Leary's ideas, see his own writings: Change Your Brain (1988); Your Brain is God (1988). Flashbacks (1983); High Priest (1968); The Politics of Ecstasy (1968); Start Your Own Religion (1967); Psychedelic Prayers & Other Meditations (1966); The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, co-author, with Ralph Metzner, Richard Alpert, Karma-Glin-Pa Bar Do Thos Grol (1964); The Interpersonal Diagnosis of Personality (1957).
May 26, 2005 Segment 1: "I Remember When ~ Times Gone But Not Forgotten: Philadelphia, The Most American of Cities."
MP3.
Time: 33:30"Philadelphia: The Most American of Cities" was broadcast initially on December 21, 1982 as the first of three programs focusing on the immigration of Southern and Eastern Europeans to Philadelphia in the decades surrounding the turn of the Twentieth Century. Relying heavily on oral history, it explores the reasons for migration, the journey across, expectations, and first impressions on immigrants. This program was one of a dozen in a series produced by Charles Hardy and titled "I REMEMBER WHEN: TIMES GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN." The series was broadcast in late 1982 and early 1983 on WUHY-FM in Philadelphia. Segment 2: "From the Archives: Warren G. Harding on Liberty Under the Law."
MP3.
Time: 4:35.Ohio Senator Warren G. Harding, Republican Candidate For President, delivered this address on August 6, 1920 during his (successful) election campaign. It included the following passage: "We must not abridge the freedom of speech, the freedom of press, or the freedom of assembly, because there is no promise in repression. These liberties are as sacred as the freedom of religious belief, as inviolable as the rights of life, and the pursuit of happiness. We do hold to the right to crush sedition, to stifle a menacing contempt for law, to stamp out the perils to the safety of the republic or its people when emergency calls, because security and the majesty of the law are the first essentials of liberty. He who threatens destruction of the government by force, or flaunts his contempt for lawful authority ceases to be a loyal citizen and forfeits his rights to the freedom of the Republic. Let it be said to all of America that our plan of popular government contemplates such orderly changes as the crystallized intelligence of the majority of our people think best. There can be no modification of this underlying rule, but no majority shall abridge the rights of a minority. Men have a right to question our system in fullest freedom, but they must always remember that the right to freedom impose the obligations which maintain it." Harding sought a middle ground between the WWI and post-War repression of the Wilson administration (the first "Red Scare"), and deference to the Bill of Rights. It was he who liberated Socialist leader Eugene Debs from an Atlanta prison after the former has been convicted and imprisoned for violating the 1917 Espionage Act for a June 16, 1918 anti-war speech he delivered in Canton, Ohio. Debs' ten year sentence was commuted to time served by Harding after intensive appeals by Debs' supporters, and particularly by Socialist Norman Thomas, who, like Harding, hailed from Ohio. For more information on this speech, contact Talking History / University at Albany, or the National Archives' Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division, College Park, MD. Segment 3: "Founders of the Constitution: The Notion of Liberty."
MP3.
Time: 14:57.In this, the fourth and final segment of a series produced in collaboration with the Bill of Rights Institute on "The Founders and the Constitution," Talking History's Bryan Le Beau interviews Craig Yirush on the notion of liberty as a guiding principle for the Founding Fathers. Yirush is a professor of history at the University of California, Los Angeles. Produced: May, 2005.
May 19, 2005 Segment 1: "How To Weigh John Brown's Body in Our Age of Terrorism."
MP3.
Time: 38:38Historian David W. Blight delivered this keynote speech (edited for broadcast) at a John Brown Day Celebration on Saturday, May 14, 2005 at the Old County Courthouse in Elizabethtown, NY. "Dr. Blight has been studying, teaching and writing about New World slavery for over forty years, and he currently serves as the Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition, at Yale University. He is also a member of the National Advisory Board of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center at Cincinnati and has been a consultant to several documentary films, including the 1998 PBS series, "Africans in America," and "The Reconstruction Era" (2004). Among his many books and publications are the widely-praised Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory (Harvard University Press, 2001), which received seven prestigious book awards; Beyond the Battlefield: Race, Memory, and the American Civil War (University of Massachusetts Press, 2002); and Frederick Douglass's Civil War: Keeping Faith in Jubilee (LSU Press, 1989). Blight has also lectured and written extensively on WEB DuBois, Frederick Douglass, abolitionism, American historical memory, and African American intellectual and cultural history. As of the 2000 and 2004 editions, he is one of the authors of the bestselling American history textbook for the college level, A People and a Nation (Houghton Mifflin). He is also series advisor and editor for the Bedford Books series in American History and Culture. He teaches summer institutes for secondary teachers and for park rangers and historians in the National Park Service. The John Brown 2005 Celebration marks the 205th birthday of the abolitionist and settler who made the Adirondacks his home and final resting place. It continues a tradition dating back to the 1930s of making an annual pilgrimage to Brown's grave." Blight's talk was recorded 5/14/2005 by Deborah D. Maxwell for Talking History/University at Albany. Segment 2: "From the Archives: Fred Friendly's 1959 FCC Testimony (edited selection)."
MP3.
Time: 4:27.Fred W. Friendly (October 30, 1915�March 3, 1998) was the former president of CBS News and the creator (along with Edward R. Murrow) of See It Now, a nationally broadcast TV documentary series. In this short segment from his 1959 testimony before the Federal Communications Commission, he explains some of the changes that took place in the 1940s and 1950s in radio and television news and public affairs programming. Friendly resigned from CBS in 1966, in protest of the network's decreasing committment to television news programming (the network ran an episode of I Love Lucy instead of the first senate hearings on US involvement in Vietnam). He joined the Columbia University faculty as a professor of Journalism. For more information on Friendly, see CNN's 1998 obituary for him at http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9803/04/friendly.obit/. For more information on this recording, contact Talking History / University at Albany, or the National Archives' Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division, College Park, MD. Segment 3: "Founders of the Constitution: Robert McDonald on the Idea of Equality and the Founding Fathers."
MP3.
Time: 14:01.Robert McDonald discusses the Founding Fathers' idea of equality with Talking History's Bryan Le Beau in this, the third segment of a series produced in collaboration with the Bill of Rights Institute on "The Founders and the Constitution." Produced: May, 2005.
May 12, 2005 Segment 1: "Founders of the Constitution: David Marion on Limited Government."
MP3.
Time: 15:30In this, part 2 of a series produced in collaboration with the Bill of Rights Institute on "The Founders and the Constitution," David Marion discusses the concept of Limited Government and the life of James Madison with Talking History/OAH's Bryan Le Beau. Marion is Elliot Professor of Political Science at Hampden-Sydney College and Director of the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest. Produced: May, 2005. . Segment 2: "Hellfire Nation."
MP3.
Time: 14:45.Talking History's Bryan Le Beau and Prof. James Morone discuss how "America became a nation with the soul of a church." Morone is a professor of political science at Brown University and recently authored Hellfire Nation: The Politics of Sin in American History (Yale University Press, 2004), an exploration of the tensions between two strong moral impulses shaping modern American politics and culture: a Victorian conservatism and a moral communalism firmly rooted in the Social Gospel. Produced: April, 2005. Segment 3: From the Archives: "The Flushing Remonstrance" (1950).
MP3.
Time: 16:16.The Flushing Remonstrance is widely considered to be a precursor of the first amendment of the US Constitution--specifically its protection of Freedom of Religion. The Remonstance was signed on December 27, 1657 in what became Flushing, New York by a group of citizens protesting Gov. Peter Stuyvesant's persecution of New Amsterdam's Quakers. This dramatic documentary portraying the events of 1657 was produced around 1950 as part of the New York State Bureau of Social Studies (Education Department) series titled "The Price of Liberty." The series consisted of dramatic documentaries reconstructing (with actors) key events in American and New York history and was produced as an educational tool and for radio broadcast by the Junior Leagues of Albany in cooperation with the State Education Department. According to the New York State Archives, the recordings may have been connected to the popular "Freedom Train" movement of the early 1950s: "In 1949 a Temporary State Commission for the New York State Freedom Train was established and historical documents celebrating American liberty were sent on tour. In conjunction with such efforts, suggestions to elementary school teachers for teaching about freedom were produced by the Education Department." This recording comes from a set of 16" transcription disks donated to Talking History/University at Albany and the UAlbany Library; another set can be found in the New York State Archives, and consists of "twelve recorded segments, each contained on one side of a 16-inch, 33 1/3 rpm sound disk. They are entitled: the Iroquois Confederacy; Flushing Remonstrance; Trial of John Peter Zenger; Sir William Johnson; Coxsackie Remonstrance; Battle of Oriskany; New York Becomes a State; the Story of Transportation; the Story of Agriculture; the Story of Industry; the Story of Free Education; and the Story of World Trade." For more information, contact Talking History/University at Albany or the New York State Archives, Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY. For an on-line transcription of the original Flushing Remonstrance, go to: http://www.nyym.org/flushing/remons.html.
May 5, 2005Segments 1 and 2: "Jules Schwerin on Salt of the Earth."
Part 1:
MP3.
Time: 23:29.
Part 2:
MP3.
Time: 18:47.Jules Schwerin was the Production Manager and Assistant Director for the 1953 blacklisted film, Salt of the Earth. He died on Feb 8, 2004. In this talk, recorded over a decade ago at the University at Albany, SUNY (on December 1, 1994), Schwerin speaks about the challenges the producers of Salt of the Earth faced in making and distributing this now classic labor and feminist film. For more information about the film, go to: http://www.videoamericain.com/articles/salt.html. Segment 2: From the Archives: "An Interview with Ring Lardner Jr."
OFF SITE LINK: Don Swaim Interviews Ring Lardner Jr. (1985). Time: 44:07.
"Academy Award-winning screenwriter Ring Lardner, Jr., son of the famous humorist, refused to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947. He would serve a year in federal prison and be blacklisted in Hollywood for over a decade. Lardner talks with Don Swaim in 1985 about his father, his life as a reporter and a screenwriter, working for David Selznik, politics, the Hollywood Ten, his Oscar-winning screenplays for Woman of the Year and M*A*S*H, and his novels, The Ecstasy of Owen Muir and All for Love."
April 28, 2005
Segment 1: "Grandma Was an Activist ~ 'How Do You Spell Relief?': The WPA and the Unemployment Councils in the Great Depression."
MP3.
Time: 29:58
This is the second episode of a six-part series titled Grandma Was an Activist: A Radio Series on Radical Women in the 1930s, which extensively utilized oral histories from the Oral History of the American Left collection at the Tamiment Library, NYU. It was produced by Charlie Potter and Beth Friend back in 1983 and was first aired on WBAI-FM (NY) in that year. The six half-hour programs included: (1) "The black and the red" - Activists in Harlem early in the Depression; (2) "How do you spell relief?" - The WPA and unemployment; (3) "On the line" - Women in the labor movement; (4) "They shall not pass" - Women of the anti-fascist movement; (5) "Readin' and 'ritin' on the road to power" - Socialist women on campus; and (6) "The militant muse" - Activist women in the arts. .
Segment 2: "They're Taking Debs to Prison:" Bob Suckiel of the Rose Tattoo Recalls the Arrest of Eugene V. Debs in Prose and Poetry."
MP3.
Time: 6:54.
Bob Suckiel of the musical group Rose Tattoo, tells the story of Socialist leader Eugene V. Debs and his arrest during World War I -- as a preface to his recitation of a poem recalling that arrest. From Talking History/University at Albany. For more information on Deb's arrest, see: Debs Goes to Prison
MP3.
Time: 16:16.Stephen Klugewicz rejoins Talking History's Bryan Le Beau to discuss Republican Government. This is the beginning of the second four part series broadcast by Talking History on the Founders and the Constitution; the first part aired in Fall 2004. The series is a collaborative effort with The Bill of Rights Institute. Stephen Klugewicz is Executive Director of The Collegiate Network. Produced: April 25, 2005.
April 21, 2005
Segment 1: "I Remember When: Butler on the Beat."
MP3.
Time: 33:42
"Butler on the Beat" examines Prohibition in Philadelphia and the unsuccessful efforts of Marine General Smedley Darlington Butler, Director of Public Safety during 1925 and 1926, to clean up the city and enforce the laws. This program was one of a dozen in a series produced by Charles Hardy and titled "I REMEMBER WHEN: TIMES GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN." The series was broadcast in late 1982 and early 1983 on WUHY-FM in Philadelphia. This particular segment aired on Nov.23, 1982. .
Segment 2: "From the Archives: The Life of Booker T. Washington"
MP3.
Time: 11:41.
This is an excerpt from a dramatic biography of Booker T. Washington produced during World War II by the Department of Education and the U.S. Office of Civilian Defense. It was probably broadcast in 1942. For more information on this recording, contact Talking History / University at Albany, or
the National Archives' Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records LICON, Special
Media Archives Services Division, College Park, MD.
MP3.
Time: 16:33.Talking History's Fred Nielsen discusses the "brilliant solution" -- the invention of the American Constitution -- with Carol Berkin, professor of history at Baruch College and the City University of New York. Berkin is also the author of A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution. Produced: April, 2005.
April 14, 2005
Segment 1: "Catherine Clinton on Women, Slavery, the South, and the Civil War."
MP3.
Time: 33:00
University at Albany's Amy Murrell Taylor interviews Historian Catherine Clinton about her many years of writing about the South, women, slavery, and the Civil War. Clinton is the author of several monographs, most recently a biography of Harriet Tubman, Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom (Little, Brown, 2004). For a full list of her books, visit her Web site at: http://www.catherineclinton.com/books.html.
Segment 2: "From the Archives: Truman's Inaugural Speech."
MP3.
Time: 5:25.
This is an excerpt from Pres. Harry S. Truman's Januray 20, 1949 inaugural speech, outlining his views of the world in the early years of the Cold War.
MP3.
Time: 15:58.Talking History's Fred Nielsen discusses Lincoln's brief, but extremely memorable, second inaugural speech with Ronald White, author of Lincoln's Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural. White is a professor of American intellectual and religious History at San Francisco Theological Seminary. Produced: March 2005.
April 7, 2005
Segment 1: "Gandhi in America."
MP3.
Time: 28:24
From Dialogue. Srimati Kamala, Director of the Gandhi Memorial Center, and author of Gandhi: An American Profile offers her perspective on Gandhi and his influence on America. Produced: April, 2005.
Segment 2: "From the Archives: Lysistrata."
MP3.
Time: 4:00.
These short excerpts from a 1962 recording of Aristophanes' Lysistrata (with Hermoine Gingold, Stanley Holloway, Miriam Karlin, and Edward Atienza) suggests the early origins of non-violent strategies of resistance to war and militarism -- and puts the previous segment in a wider and more universalist context. From the Talking History/University at Albany record archive.
MP3.
Time: 17:41.Building Bridges's Mimi Rosenberg and Ken Nash interview Journalist Larry Tye, author of Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and the Making of the Black Middle, about the laboring lives and important roles that black Pullman porters played in the civil rights struggles of 20th century America.
March 31, 2005
Segment 1: "David Von Drehle on the Fire that Changed America: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911."
MP3.
Time: 28:00.
From Building Bridges's Mimi Rosenberg interviews David Von Drehle, author of Triangle: The Fire That Changed America (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2003).
MP3.
Time: 13:13.The Mid-century White House Conference on Children and Youth took place in Washington, D.C. on December 3-7,1950. Besides introductory remarks from President Harry S. Truman and an address by Dwight D. Eisenhower, it included speeches by a variety of prominent scholars and social scientists, such as: Allison Davis, Oscar R. Ewing, Melvin A. Glasser, Katharine F. Lenroot, Leonard W. Mayo, Margaret Mead, Arnulf M. Pins, Margaret Price, and Carlos P. Romulo. One of the speakers at the conference was the noted child psychologist and pediatrician, Benjamin Spock. He served as the vice-Chairman of the conference. Here, we feature his entire speech. For more information about this recording contact Talking History/University at Albany, or the National Archives' Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division, College Park, MD. Segment 3: "Paternalism Incorporated."
MP3.
Time: 17:13Talking History's David Leverenz, the author of Paternalism Incorporated: Fables of American Fatherhood: 1865�1940 is interviewed in this segment of Talking History/OAH. He explores the period from the end of the Civil War to World War II -- a time of considerable change in the United States which witnessed the transformation of the American economy, as well as race, class, and gender relations. Also transformed was the role and image of the father. Produced: March, 2005.
March 24, 2005
Segment 1: "I Remember When: What Became of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918." (The Influenza Epidemic of 1918 in Philadelphia).
MP3.
Time: 34:51.
"What Became of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918" was one of a dozen programs in a series produced by Charles Hardy and titled "I REMEMBER WHEN: TIMES GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN." The series was broadcast in late 1982 and early 1983 on WUHY-FM in Philadelphia. This particular segment was aired on January 18, 1983; it focuses on the worst pandemic of the Twentieth Century and its impact on Philadelphia, the hardest hit of American cities."
MP3.
Time: 6:24.This is a recording session held with Jimmy the Greek to produce a series of public service announcements promoting widespread vaccination in anticipation of a wide-spread outbreak of Swine Flu in the winter of 1975-76. The PSAs were produced by the Centers for Disease Control, which spearheaded a massive inoculation campaign. No swine flu epidemic came, and unfortunately the vaccine proved to be worse than the disease. Thousands experienced serious side effects, and nearly 100 people died. The government's aggressive initiative ended in an embarrasing public health fiasco. This recording comes from the Records of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1921 - 1995, National Archives (NARA II). Segment 3: "Rudolph Valentino."
MP3.
Time: 17:23Talking History's Eileen Dugan and Emily Leider, author of Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolf Valentino discuss what made Valentino such a sensation in life and death. Produced: February, 2005.
March 17, 2005
Segment 1: "Mandela: An Audio History (part 5 ~ conclusion)."
MP3.
Time: 13:11.
This is part 5, the conclusion, of Joe Richman and Sue Johnson's five-part radio series documenting the struggle against apartheid through rare sound recordings, the voice of Nelson Mandela himself, as well as those who fought with him -- and against him. Richman and Johnson spent a year in South Africa researching and collecting the audio for this production. Hosted by Desmond Tutu with an introduction by Nelson Mandela. Editors: Ben Shapiro, Deborah George. The series was mixed by Ben Shapiro.
Mandela: An Audio History was originally broadcast on National Public Radio in the U.S. and SAfm in South Africa.
MP3.
Time: 12:13.President Lyndon Baines Johnson offered this explanation of "The Great Society" to graduating students and faculty at the University at Michigan on May 22, 1964. For more information on this speech, contact the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, National Archives and Records Administration or Talking History/University at Albany. Segment 3: "From the Archives: Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge on Unconventional Warfare in Vietnam, June 6, 1965."
MP3.
Time: 3:55Selection from a press conference by Vietnam ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. In this four-minute segment, Lodge answers a question about the nature of the growing conflict in Vietnam and how to best battle guerilla fighters (in Lodge's vocabulary, "terrorists"). For more information about this recording contact Talking History/University at Albany, or the National Archives' Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division, College Park, MD. Segment 4: "Judith Sealander on the Failed Century of the Child."
MP3.
Time: 13:51Talking History's Jim Madison interviews Judith Sealander about U.S. public policy and children in the 20th century. Sealander is professor of history at Bowling Green State University and author of The Failed Century of the Child: Governing America's Young in the Twentieth Century (Cambridge University Press, 2003). Produced: March, 2005.
March 10, 2005
Segment 1: "Mandela: An Audio History (parts 3 and 4)."
MP3.
Time: 25:39.
This is part 3 and 4 of Joe Richman and Sue Johnson's five-part radio series documenting the struggle against apartheid through rare sound recordings, the voice of Nelson Mandela himself, as well as those who fought with him -- and against him. Richman and Johnson spent a year in South Africa researching and collecting the audio for this production. Hosted by Desmond Tutu with an introduction by Nelson Mandela. Editors: Ben Shapiro, Deborah George. The series was mixed by Ben Shapiro.
Mandela: An Audio History was originally broadcast on National Public Radio in the U.S. and SAfm in South Africa.
Time: 46:00
This is a speech ("Revolution in the consciousness of women") that Betty Freidan delivered at Albion College, Michigan, back on March 5, 1971. It presents her views on women's struggles against sexual hostility and television stereotypes. The speech was first broadcast on WKAR on March 5, 1971. For more information, contact the Vincent Voice Library at Michigan State University and see catalog listing at: http://vvl.lib.msu.edu/record.cfm?recordid=3130.
Segment 3: "No Turning Back."
MP3.
Time: 19:21Talking History's Bryan Le Beau interviews Estelle Freedman, the Edgar E. Robinson Professor in U.S. History at Stanford University, and author of No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women. They two discuss the history of feminist struggles and the gradual social changes that have accompanied them. Produced: March, 2005.
March 3, 2005
Segment 1: "Mandela: An Audio History (parts 1 and 2)."
MP3.
Time: 29:22.
We present here the first and second segments of Joe Richman and Sue Johnson's five-part radio series documenting the struggle against apartheid through rare sound recordings, the voice of Nelson Mandela himself, as well as those who fought with him -- and against him. Richman and Johnson spent a year in South Africa researching and collecting the audio for this production. Hosted by Desmond Tutu with an introduction by Nelson Mandela. Editors: Ben Shapiro, Deborah George. The series was mixed by Ben Shapiro.
Mandela: An Audio History was originally broadcast on National Public Radio in the U.S. and SAfm in South Africa.
MP3.
Time: 5:00This is a selection from one of several programs produced by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service during World War II and targeted to "new" Americans. The programs were designed to educate and promote democratic ideals and pride of citizenship among immigrants. For more information about this recording contact Talking History/University at Albany, or the National Archives' Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division, College Park, MD.
Segment 3: "An Imperfect God: George Washington and His Slaves."
MP3.
Time: 15:15In An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America, Henry Wiencek delves into Washington's papers and new oral history information to assemble a portrait of the first President of the United States as a slaveholder. In this interview, conducted by Fred Nielsen of TALKING HISTORY, Wiencek discusses his book and his findings. Produced: February, 2005.
February
24, 2005
Segment 1: "The Heart is an Involuntary Muscle."
MP3.
Time: 31:22.
"The Heart is an Involuntary Muscle" was one of a dozen programs in a series produced by Charles Hardy and titled "I REMEMBER WHEN: TIMES GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN." The series was broadcast in late 1982 and early 1983 on WUHY-FM in Philadelphia. This particular segment was aired on January 11, 1983; it focuses on the romance and courtship in the ethnic neighborhoods of pre-World War II Philadelphia, and the war that raged between strict, old world fathers and their Americanizing children.
MP3.
Time: 14:41"The Trial of Peter Zenger" was first produced around 1950 as part of the New York State Bureau of Social Studies (Education Department) series titled "The Price of Liberty." The series consisted of dramatic documentaries reconstructing (with actors) key events in American and New York history and was produced as an educational tool and for radio broadcast by the Junior Leagues of Albany in cooperation with the State Education Department. According to the New York State Archives, the recordings may have been connected to the popular "Freedom Train" movement of the early 1950s: "In 1949 a Temporary State Commission for the New York State Freedom Train was established and historical documents celebrating American liberty were sent on tour. In conjunction with such efforts, suggestions to elementary school teachers for teaching about freedom were produced by the Education Department." This recording comes from a set of 16" transcription disks donated to Talking History / University at Albany and the UAlbany Library; another set can be found in the New York State Archives, and consists of "twelve recorded segments, each contained on one side of a 16-inch, 33 1/3 rpm sound disk. They are entitled: the Iroquois Confederacy; Flushing Remonstrance; Trial of John Peter Zenger; Sir William Johnson; Coxsackie Remonstrance; Battle of Oriskany; New York Becomes a State; the Story of Transportation; the Story of Agriculture; the Story of Industry; the Story of Free Education; and the Story of World Trade." For more information, contact Talking History / University at Albany or the New York State Archives, Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY.
Segment 3: "Boston Marriages."
MP3.
Time: 15:30Talking History's Bryan Le Beau discusses same sex unions in the past with his guest, Estelle Freedman. Freedman's article, "Boston Marriage, Free Love, and Fictive Kin: Historical Alternatives to Mainstream Marriage," appeared in the Organization of American Historians� Newsletter of August 2004. Estelle Freedman is Edgar E. Robinson Professor in U.S. History at Stanford University.
February
17, 2005Segment 1: "Max Holland on the Kennedy Assassination Tapes."
MP3.
Time: 28:20.From Dialogue. Max Holland, a Washington, D.C. journalist for twenty years, is the author of The Kennedy Assassination Tapes (Alfred A. Knopf, 2004). Here, as in his book, he discusses Lyndon Johnson's secretly recorded telephone conversations as President with George Liston Seay. Together, they explore what light these conversations shed on Johnson's views of JFK's assassination and his own presidency. Segment 2: From the Archives: "Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam,' (selection), September 25, 1963."
MP3.
Time: 23:51Elijah Muhammad (1897-1975) became head of the Nation of Islam (NOI) in 1934, following the disappearance of the group's founder, W. D. Fard. This radio broadcast by Muhammad was aired in the NYC area on radio station WNTA on November 23, 1960. It was part of a series of radio broadcasts by the NOI that -- in part -- sought to explain the group's separatist and nationalist racial philosophy to the public. This recording comes from the New York State Archives, New York State Police Non-Criminal Investigations Files Collection. The NYS Police kept extensive files on the Nation of Islam, and followed closely the growing rift in 1964 and 1965 between Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm-X. The files on the two men includes extensive clippings, surveillance reports, and some recordings -- such as this one. For more information on these files and on this specific recording, contact Talking History / University at Albany.
Segment 3: "Lee Harvey Oswald and the Fair Play for Cuba Committee (August 21, 1963)."
MP3.
Time: 19:32This recording comes from the Records of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), housed at the National Archives (Archives II), and offers a rare opportunity to hear Lee Harvey Oswald explain his political views and activities -- before his implication in the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November of 1963. The recording was made in September 21, 1963; it is of a broadcast of "Conversation Carte Blanche," aired on New Orlean radio station WDSU and hosted by Bill Slatter. Slatter was joined by Bill Stuckey, host of WDSU's "Latin Listening Post," and the two of them interrogated three men about US-Cuban relations. The three included: Lee Harvey Oswald, Secretary of the New Orleans Chapter of The Fair Play for Cuba Committee; Ed Butler, the Executive Vice-President of the Information Council of the Americas (INCA), a New Orleans-based anticommunist organization; and Carlos Bringuier, Cuban refugee and New Orleans Delegate of the Revolutionary Student Directorate, an anti-Castro refugee organization. For more information about this recording contact Talking History/University at Albany, or the National Archives' Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division, College Park, MD.
February
10, 2005
Segments 1 and 2: "An Interview with Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee (Building Bridges, 12-15-1998)."
Part 1:
MP3.
Time: 34:06.
Part 2:
MP3.
Time: 23:49.
From Building Bridges. On July 15, 1998, Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg, of Building Bridges, interviewed Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee about their book, With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together, exploring their contributions to the arts and political struggles of the post World War II era.
MP3.
Time: 5:18From the Pacifica Radio Archives. Ossie Davis delivered this eulogy for Malcolm-X on February 27, 1965 at the packed 600-seat Faith Temple Church of God in New York City (the the name of the church was changed in 1974 to Childs Memorial Temple Church of God in Christ). Thousands of people stood outside the church in the street as Davis spoke. This is one of more than 55,000 recordings in the Pacifica Radio Archives. To obtain information on other recordings of Davis available from the Archives, and/or to help support the preservation of the many fragile recordings in the Archives, please contact: http://www.pacificaradioarchives.org/.
February
3, 2005
Segment 1: "Kristie Miller on Isabella Greenway: An Enterprising Woman."
MP3.
Time: 28:20.
From Dialogue. Kristie Miller, author of Isabella Greenway: An Enterprising Woman, discussed the life and career of Isabella
Greenway (1886-1953), Arizona's first Congresswoman, with George Liston Seay.
MP3.
Time: 6:03From the Pacifica Radio Archives. On September 25, 1963, James Baldwin recorded his essay "After the Murder of Four Children," a response to the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The bombing took the lives of Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair. The Church had been the organizational rallying point for marches against segregated schools in Birmingham. This is one of more than 55,000 recordings in the Pacifica Radio Archives. To obtain a copy of the full recording by Baldwin, for more information on the Archives, and/or to help support the preservation of the many fragile recordings in the Archives, please contact: http://www.pacificaradioarchives.org/. For more information about Baldwin, see: falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/baldwin.htm. For information about the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing, go to: http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/terrorists/birmingham_church
Segment 3: "Nat Turner."
MP3.
Time: 16:21In August 1831, Nat Turner led a band of rebels in the murder of some 60 white men, women and children in Southampton County, Virginia. In this interview by Talking History's Bryan LeBeau, historian Kenneth Greenberg discusses the illusive character of Nat Turner and the circumstances behind the 1831 slave rebellion he led. Greenberg is both the author of Nat Turner: A Slave Rebellion in History and Memory (Oxford University Press, 2004), and co-producer, co-writer, and historian of the recently released documentary, Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property . Produced: January, 2005.
January
27, 2005Segments 1 and 2: "The Rape of Nanking and The Chinese in America: An Interview with Iris Chang."
Part 1:
MP3.
Time: 14:35.Part 2:
MP3.
Time: 26:53.On November 12th, 2004, Iris Chang was found dead in her car of a self-inflicted gunshot. She was 36. Several months before her death, Chang joined Bryan Le Beau in conversation about two of her books, the controversial The Rape of Nanking and The Chinese in America. This is a recording of that conversation. Segment 3: "From the Archives: Vice-President Lyndon Baines Johnson Addresses the President's Commission on the Status of Women (1962)."
MP3.
Time: 21:04Vice-President Lyndon Baines Johnsons addressed Preident John F. Kennedy's Commission on the Status of Women in 1962. This is a recording of that address, from the records of the Department of Labor. For more information about this recording contact Talking History/University at Albany, or the National Archives' Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division, College Park, MD.
January
20, 2005Segments 1 and 2: "Making Two Nations: The Origins of the Civil War."
Part 1:
MP3.
Time: 22:39.Part 2:
MP3.
Time: 26:53.Peter Onuf is Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor of History at the University of Virginia. His research and writing has focused on sectionalism, federalism, political economy and on the political thought of Thomas Jefferson. Onuf is the author, co-author or editor of ten books, including Jefferson's Empire: The Language of American Nationhood (2001) and The Revolution of 1800: Democracy, Race and the New Republic (2002). In this 2003 speech, delivered at Siena College in Loudonville, New York, he offered his observations on federalism, nationalism, and the foundations of the American Civil War. Recorded by Lizzie Redkey for Talking History/University at Albany. Segment 3: "From the Archives: Georgia Governor Herman Talmadge on Segregation, 1954 (selection)."
MP3.
Time: 04:38Georgia governor Herman Talmadge was interviewed on the "Longines Chronoscope" television series, sponsored by the Longines-Wittnauer Watch Company, on April 14th, 1954 -- before the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education ruling -- and offered the following comments on desegregation of schools and Georgia's strategy for maintaining a segregated educational system. This is an edited selection of his replies to questions posed to him during the 15 minute broadcast. For more information about this recording contact Talking History/University at Albany, or the National Archives' Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division, College Park, MD.
January 13, 2005Segment 1: "Freedom Summer."
MP3.
Time: 25:08.Dan Collison is an independent radio and video documentary producer based in Chicago and a regular contributor to National Public Radio's news magazine programs, Public Radio International's This American Life, and our own Talking History. This is his look back at one of the most famous summers of the 1960s Civil Rights movement. Segment 2: From the Archives: "John F. Kennedy on Civil Rights (Desegregation of the University of Alabama). June 11, 1963."
MP3.
Time: 13:29On June 11, 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered this radio and television address on Civil Rights. The occasion was his successful intervention in attempts to desegregate the University of Alabama. In response to Kennedy's warnings, Governor George Wallace ended his blockade of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and allowed Vivian Malone and James A. Hood to enroll. Source: John F. Kennedy Library, NARA. For more information about this event, go to the following NPR story and resource page: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1294680. Segment 3: "From the Archives: Autherine Lucy and Thurgood Marshall Press Conference, January 1956."
MP3.
Time: 00:54Autherine Lucy was the first African American student to attempt to integrate the University of Alabama. In response to her attempts to enroll in early 1956, riots broke out, and she was expelled after three days. For more information on Lucy and this event, go to: www.stanford.edu/group/King/chronology/details/560206.htm. This is a short escerpt from a television interview with Lucy and one of her attorneys, Thurgood Marshall. Segment 4: "Martin Luther King Day."
MP3.
Time: 12:49.Talking History�s Bryan Le Beau discusses the youngest of American public holidays, Martin Luther King Day, with Matthew Dennis, author of Red, White and Blue Letter Days: An American Calendar. Produced: January 2005.
January 6, 2005Segment 1: "Samuel F. B. Morse."
MP3.
Time: 14:59.Talking History�s John Herron discusses the life of Samuel F. B. Morse -- painter, sculptor, photographer, and inventor of the electromagnetic telegraph -- with Kenneth Silverman, author of Lightning Man: The Accursed Life of Samuel F. B. Morse (Knopf, 2003). Silverman is Professor Emeritus of English at New York University. He is winner of the Bancroft Prize in American History and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography for The Life and Times of Cotton Mather (Welcome Rain, 2001). Produced: January 2005. . Segment 2: From the Archives: "Nazi Eyes on Canada (selection), 1942."
MP3.
Time: 13:50J. Frank Willis, one of Canada's greatest radio reporters, also produced many CBC Radio programs during World War II, including Alan King's five-part radio theater series, Nazi Eyes on Canada, with several well-known Hollywood actors. Originally Broadcast in 1942, the play featured Orson Welles, Vincent Price, Helen Hayes, Judith Evelyn, and several other actors taking on the identities of real-life Canadians and portraying their lives as they might be if Germany won the war. The play was based on reports of Nazi spy Colin Ross, made as he travelled throughout Canada in the 1930s reporting back to his Nazi superiors on strategic Canadian vulnerabilities. Ross later became a major Nazi propaganda strategist under Joseph Goebbels during World War II. Here is a short excerpt from the play. For more information about this recording contact The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Archives archives.cbc.ca or Talking History/University at Albany. To obtain a complete copy of the series, contact Scenario Productions at Scenario Productions Segment 3: "From the Archives: W.L. Mackenzie King, 1942 World War II Speech."
MP3.
Time: 6:11W.L. Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 - July 22, 1950) was the longest-serving Prime Minister of Canada (1921-1926, 1926-1930, 1935-1948). In 1942, he delivered the following wartime speech to galvanize support behind the war effort. For more information about this recording contact The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Archives archives.cbc.ca or Talking History/University at Albany. Segment 4: "Dr. Seuss."
MP3.
Time: 14:18.Talking History�s Bryan Le Beau and Philip Nel explore the life and works of the beloved children's author, Dr. Seuss, who was born 100 years ago. Seuss is the subject of a new book, Dr. Seuss: American Icon (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004) by Philip Nel. Nel is a professor of English at Kansas State University. Produced: December 2004.
| |