Media Resources

Though narratives of the early farm worker movement are associated most with figures like César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, Maria Moreno, an activist and labor organizer in the 1950s, predated them both. Adiós Amor, a film funded in part by the NEH, traces her story.

This episode of BackStory takes listeners into the flu pandemic of 1918 that killed nearly 675,000 people. How do pandemics come about and what responsibilities do people bare to prevent further spread of a virus? We provide the audio recording, a listening guide, and connections to resources for investigating pandemics in world history.  

This episode of Backstory looks at the lionized figure of the American Millionaire, exploring the societal values that aided in its rise, the story of one of the first African American millionaires, and the complex philanthropic values of Andrew Carnegie. 

This episode of Backstory tackles the subject of advocacy journalism through the stories of two reporters, a discussion of the concept of objectivity, and a consideration of the role of the reporter in society.

This episode of Backstory recounts the turbulent history of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, focusing on the role President Johnson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and civil rights activists played in garnering support for this act. 

This Media Resource introduces students to Eatonville’s history and Zora Neale Hurston’s life and work. Guiding questions, video interviews, and other digital materials offer insight into Hurston’s life and Eatonville’s significance as an early and lasting pillar of Black Southern culture and folkways.

The NEH-funded Free and Equal project offers a digital way for students to explore the Rehearsal for Reconstruction in the Sea Islands of South Carolina in 1861. The site uses primary sources and dynamic images and illustrations to walk visitors through how this early attempt at reconstruction affected Black families. 

Museums and archives that focus on telling local stories can offer important insight for researchers. In this video, experts from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, and the New York Public Library discuss how local stories and perspectives inform their collections. Part of a series of videos made in collaboration with National History Day.

Ken Burns delivered the 2016 Jefferson Lecture on May 9, 2016.

Drew Gilpin Faust, historian and first female president of Harvard University, delivered the 2011 Jefferson Lecture.