What began in the middle 1800s as a series of public talks that promoted full voting rights for women finally became a national cause during the years leading up to America's involvement in World War I (1917–1918) and after. Although many people today are aware of the radical actions of women in England and in the northeastern United States, museum curator RaeLana Poteat describes a very different, more modest, picture of the suffrage movement in North Carolina and the conservative South in...

In 1754 war spread from Europe to North American and became a struggle over territory fought between the French and the British and their respective American Indian allies. By 1763 the British had won domination over the colonies—but they also had sown seeds of discontent among American colonists. Historian and author John Maass discusses this critical and fascinating period of America’s past.

From 1946 to 1964, the American birth rate soared. A new child-focused culture emerged alongside a prosperous economy, and the rapid growth of a new medium: television. Katie Edwards, the museum's curator of popular culture, describes how toys of those baby boomers reflected, not just a response to the era’s circumstances, but also the angst, energy, creativity, change, and uncertainties of American society and culture at the time.

The state’s Colonial Records Project cares for thousands of documents that depict the history of the state from its earliest days of settlement by Europeans through ratification of the United States Constitution. Historian Joseph Beatty discusses his work with the project, including some insights he discovered while working, in particular, with the records of Royal Governor Arthur Dobbs.

Dr. Brooks Simpson’s edited collection of more than 120 speeches, newspaper and magazine articles, letters, and other period writings provides a sweeping view of the hope and despair that existed during the tumultuous period in American history following the Civil War, a time known as Reconstruction.

Historian Elaine Frantz discusses her book about the birth of the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction. Historian Elaine Frantz discusses her book about the birth of the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction.

In 1782, a group of North Carolinians living in several far western counties began a secession movement with the goal to form a future state of Franklin. The movement failed, yet it had a tremendous impact on how future states would be formed and approved. Host B.J. Davis talks with Kevin Barksdale, professor of American history at Marshall University, to find out more about the first attempt at secession in U.S. history.

Taneya Thompson, a 2018 summer Museum of History intern, hosted this podcast—which explores her experiences as a student at NCCU, one of 11 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in North Carolina—with André Vann, whose own higher education is deeply intertwined in the culture and mission of HBCUs.

An interview with Luz Rodriguez, trustee for the Ernie Barnes Estate,on the life and work of Ernie Barnes. With his unique style of elongation and movement, Barnes was the first American professional athlete to become a noted painter. Noted for his unique style of elongation and movement, his work as an artist led him far from his home in Durham, yet his childhood roots remained a constant influence as shown in an exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of History, "The North Carolina Roots...

The brilliant legal writings of Durham’s Pauli Murray challenged civil rights barriers not only for African Americans but also for women and people with disabilities. In her book, "Jane Crow: The Life of Pauli Murray," Rosalind Rosenberg discusses how Murray’s contributions continue to resonate within the legal community and our country’s quest for social justice.

As director of the Southern Oral History Program, Dr. Rachel Seidman oversees a collection of more than 6,000 interviews (a number that keeps growing) that includes people from all walks of life. She discusses the history and scope of this collection and explains why oral histories provide an important and valuable resource.

During the Civil War, soldiers from North Carolina were sentenced to death in greater numbers than soldiers from any other Confederate state. In his book, Civil War Courts-Martial of North Carolina Troops, Al Perry has examined the service records of 450 North Carolina soldiers and discovered some little-known facts about discipline during the Civil War.

The third of four ships in the US Navy named for the state of North Carolina was commissioned in 1908: the USS North Carolina (ACR-12), an armored cruiser. Mary Ames Booker, curator at the Battleship North Carolina, and Ken Rittenmeyer, docent and volunteer, discuss its role before, during, and after World War I.

After hearing his grandfather’s recollections of WWI, Jackson Marshall, deputy director of the North Carolina Museum of History, collected oral histories from WWI vets while working on his master’s degree in history. His lifelong interest in the subject recently led to curating and serving as project manager for an exhibition that marks the centenary of the “war to end all wars.”

A conversation with Jeremiah DeGennaro, site manager of the Alamance Battleground State Historic Site, about the Battle of Alamance and the Regulator Movement.

John Wertheimer, professor of history at Davidson College, discusses how he worked with his undergraduate students to research and write the story of a small town lawyer whose battles for Civil Rights led to challenging the State’s literacy test—all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Chandra Manning, associate professor of History at Georgetown University, talks about her new book, "Troubled Refuge: Struggling for Freedom in the Civil War." Manning discusses how enslaved people escaped to Union held territory during the U.S. Civil War and the system of refugee camps that were established. Yet, enslaved people who ran to Union lines were guaranteed neither freedom nor citizenship during or after the war.

Catherine Morton, Hugh Morton’s youngest daughter, talks about her father’s 70-year career as a photographer, his interest in developing Grandfather Mountain, and his affection for the people, places, and natural beauty of North Carolina.

An interview with Frank Vagnone, preservationist, architect, artist, and coauthor of the "Anarchist's Guide to Historic House Museums." Vagnone talks about his school days as a Tar Heel Junior Historian (a program sponsored by the Museum of History), innovative ways to make historic house museums and cultural properties more relevant to current audiences and communities, and the need for students to become advocates for history and historic preservation.

A discussion with Collin Calloway, Dartmouth College, about the role and legacy of American Indian tribes during the American Revolutionary War. Calloway discusses how, during the American Revolution, some tribes supported the British, while others supported the colonists and many tried to stay neutral. Regardless of their allegiance, few historical events had a more profound impact on American Indian peoples.

Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton talks about the field of molecular biology, genetics, and the future of agriculture. She discusses her role in the establishment of what would become Syngenta Biotechnology located at Research Triangle Park, NC.

Photographer and historic preservation advocate Scott Garlock uses photography to capture long-forgotten homeplaces, churches, schools, and other community landmarks. His love of history, architecture, and place comes together to help showcase, document, and—in some cases—save historic structures.

A discussion with Bob Anthony, Curator, North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since 1844 the University of North Carolina has collected artifacts, papers, books, maps, currency, photographs, and a wide range of other items that tell the stories of North Carolina's social and material culture.

A conversation with Charles S. Duncan, professor of English, William Peace University, about writer, poet, and essayist Charles W. Chesnutt. Chesnutt was the first major African American fiction writer who tackled the issue of race as a realist. Writing with complexity, irony, and personal insight, his work maintains its relevancy for today’s readers who are often faced with similar issues of race and identity.

From 1942 to 1946, North Carolina was home to 10,000 German POWs. Historian Robert Billinger Jr. talks about the network of POW installations in North Carolina and shares stories about some of its prisoners.