Talking History

Next session: Monday, March 17, 2025 | 1:30pm-3:00pm

Details:

Join historian and former Professor of History, Bob Toplin, for a thought-provoking journey through the past! The goal is to see how making judgments about historical controversies is interesting, intriguing and indeed, fascinating!  We’ll be looking at three significant controversies from the American past that can be approached from different perspectives. Good arguments can be made from different points of view. You will be encouraged to share your ideas about these controversies and discuss which arguments you favor.

We will have three meetings over the weeks. Bob Toplin, the facilitator, will introduce the subject for the day for about 15 or 20 minutes at the beginning of each meeting. For the rest of time, the participants will discuss the topics. Bob will be there to answer any questions and provide additional historical details, but your thoughts will take up most of the discussion. We want to know what you think about these controversies.

There are no formal reading assignments, but if you want to examine some information about the topic of the day before we gather at The Center, you will better understand the topic when we begin the discussion. Bob will summarize each day's topic at the beginning, but links to short historical summaries are available below. Spending a few minutes reading some of this material (or watching a video) will give you a nice understanding of the issues and prepare you for enriching conversations.  

Come with an open mind, ready to listen, share, and engage in meaningful and memorable conversations.  See below for the dates, topics and helpful links per each discussion:

• March 17:  The Decision to Drop Atomic Bombs on Japan in World War II.  The question: If you had been a key adviser to President Harry S. Truman during the summer of 1945 and the President said to you, “We have a new weapon, the atomic bomb. Should we drop two of them on Japan?” What would you say to Truman?  Bob has shared the links below to gather more information and insight surrounding this topic:
  • Harry Truman's Decision to use the Atomic Bomb​​​​​​
  • Britannica: The Decision to use the Atomic Bomb
  • NPR: Looking back at the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• March 24:  Thomas Jefferson and Slavery.  The question: You are asked to evaluate Jefferson’s handling of this controversial matter. How do you judge his ideas and actions regarding slavery, both in terms of his personal life and in terms of his political leadership?  Bob has shared the links below to gather more information and insight surrounding this topic:
  • Wikepedia: Thomas Jefferson and slaver
  • Thomas Jefferson Monticello: Jefferson's Attitude towards Slavery
  • Smithsonian Magazine:  The Dark Side of Thomas Jefferson
• March 31: Eugene Debs and the Issue of Free Speech During World War.  The question: We like the honor the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects the right of free speech, but can we have that right fully during wartime? Do the conditions of war change how the courts should interpret the right of “free speech,” or should with defend that right, whatever the circumstances? How does the case of Eugene Debs’s arrest serve as a test case for discussing this topic?  Bob has shared the links below to gather more information and insight surrounding this topic:
  • Oxford University Press: Free Speech During World War I—Primary Sources\
  • Free Speech Center: Free Speech During War Time
  • The Washington Post: How the Supreme Court has Remade Free Speech
  • Khan Academy: Schenck v. United States (1919)

Members only.

Location:
The Center

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