HIST 205 - Western Civilization II - : Streaming Videos - Section One

By the Scientific Revolution, great strides had been made in understanding the geometry of objects fixed in time and space; the race was now on to discover the mathematics of objects in motion. In this program, Professor Marcus du Sautoy investigates mathematical progress during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries in Europe.

This episode of Biography examines the incredible achievements and lonely life of Isaac Newton, whose Principia is to science as the Mona Lisa is to art.

Isaac Newton’s three Laws of Motion are clearly described, using animation and video to illustrate each law at work.

James Burke examines the connection between the Renaissance, Galileo and classical physics.

The 18th-century movement known as the Age of Enlightenment saw the rise of intellectuals who endorsed freedom of thought apart from the dictates of state and religion, thus laying the foundation ofr advances in sicnec,e social phyosophy, and culture.

This program chronicles the life and work of John Locke, the 17th-century English philosopher and political theorist considered by many to be the first notale thinker of the Enlightenment.

This video discusses conditions and politics of 18th-century France, and reviews important tenents of the Enlightenment, both critical to understanding the writer's work. Voltaire was often in trouble, and sometimes imprisoned, for voicing his controversial views and mocking the court.

This program explores the fascinating story of Thomas Jefferson’s admiration for Voltaire and how the French philosopher, steadfast advocate of political and religious freedom, influenced not only Jefferson but many of the other founding fathers. Striking parallels are observed between life at Voltaire’s rural retreat at Ferney near Geneva and Jefferson’s estate at Monticello.

In 1776, Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations, a treatise that would forever change our understanding of how work, value, and money are interrelated. This program details Smith’s life and traces the impact of his work as Europe began the arduous transition from mercantilism to the laissez-faire philosophy of the Physiocrats

Gorée Island is where the slave ships anchored, cramming their holds with Africans to be shipped across the Atlantic to work the fields and tend their "owners" throughout the Western Hemisphere; Gorée Island is where the enslaved Africans were held until the ships were ready to receive them.

This A&E Special depicts the system of slave policing in America—enforced by militias, armed vigilante slave patrols, paid slave catchers, and federal law—and how escaped slaves and their supporters continued to struggle against overwhelming odds…and sometimes won.

Although slavery was abolished in New York State on July 4th, 1827, America’s slave-based cotton trade was not, as bales from the South continued to enter New York City for transshipment to Europe.

The first sparks of rebellion against the British Crown, the Declaration of Independence, and the unfolding drama of the American Revolution are examined in this program. Taking on the might of the Empire is no small task, and on numerous occasions the Continental army hovers near defeat. But new allies and battlefield tactics turn the tide, and Washington’s eventual triumph paves the way for a new nation.

This program explores the origins, outbreak, and outcome of the American Revolution, the major political texts which grew out of that struggle, and their ongoing significance today. Topics include the heavy British taxation that helped spark the Revolution; the spirit and structure of the Declaration of Independence; the short-lived Articles of Confederation; the drafting and ratification of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights; and their implications for U.S. government as we know it today.

The French Revolution shook the very foundations of monarchy, destroyed the last vestiges of feudalism, and planted the seeds of modern politics, diplomacy, and nationalism.

This program examines how the French and Industrial Revolutions altered Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. The French Revolution spread anti-royalty sentiment and increased awareness of the ideals of democracy throughout the continent. The Industrial Revolution promoted the middle class and turned Europe into an urbanized, industrial society.

Her father was philosopher William Godwin. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was feminism’s founder.

In Margaret Fuller’s Memoirs she wrote, “I remember how, as a little child, I had stopped myself one day on the stairs, and asked ‘How came I here? How is it that I seem to be this Margaret Fuller? What does it mean? What shall I do about it?’” During her brief life of 40 years, Fuller made every effort to answer those questions, supported and documented by her inquiring nature and writings, all to fulfill American women’s growing intellectual and spiritual needs.