With all of the recent WWII presentations that focused on various campaigns in Europe, we sometimes lose track of an equally hard-fought war in Asia. For nearly four years British and Indian forces fought a very arduous campaign in southeast Asia, not only against the Japanese but against hunger, disease, jungle conditions, mountains, and monsoons. And they did this in remote areas where there were hardly any roads, railroads or airports, and where the most reliable means of transporting supplies was sometimes on the back of an elephant! Often overlooked by the British press, the British Fourteenth Army, became known as “The Forgotten Army.” This is their story and the story of their very remarkable commander, Field Marshal William Slim.

This class is a talk with slides presenting Adam Brookes’s work of narrative non-fiction FRAGILE CARGO: The World War II Race to Save the Treasures of China’s Forbidden City. FRAGILE CARGO tells the true story – for the first time in English – of the brave curators and art historians who saved the imperial art collections of China from devastation and plunder during Japan's invasion of China. To do so, the curators crated up a quarter of a million objects and books and for sixteen years transported them through war-torn China in search of safety

In 1854, Jennie Jerome (future mother of Winston Churchill) and Sara Delano (future mother of Franklin Delano Roosevelt) were born. They grew up with incredible privilege but refused to settle into predictable, sheltered lives. They lived life on their own terms, but both enabled their sons to reach the epicentre of political power on two continents. Charlotte Gray breathes new life into the stories of Jennie and Sara, arguing that the mothers were crucial in shaping their sons’ habits and careers. Gray’s book has been described as a “terrific and insightful double biography.”

Seen through American eyes, the Revolution marks a triumphant moment. Through British eyes, it looked quite different. To the King, the war for independence was an affront, a temper tantrum by an ungrateful colonial rabble. But, as historian Richard Bell explains, beyond the palace and Parliament, British responses to the war were anything but monolithic. The country was bitterly divided as to what the war was about, how to win it, and whether it was worth it.

Since Westerners first came into contact with China, there has been an interest in Chinese women, seen as so alien. In recent years, feminism has focused on this ancient culture and novels like Lady Tan’s, "Circle of Women" have explored the lives of those who ‘transcended’ what is seen as millennia of oppression. But how accurate are they? Dorothy Trench Bonett will present recent research about imperial China, often from women’s own writings, to answer this question. (See related class #367)

Did women have a Renaissance? The historical answer is yes. But what does this mean? In her talk, Dorothy Trench Bonett will discuss the effects of humanism on women’s education in 15th and 16th century Europe and introduce women like Sophonisba Anguissola, Marguerite de Navarre and Louise Labe who painted, sculpted and wrote poetry and plays in this period, and promoted scholarship. She will consider the differences between their works and those of men and changes from the medieval period.  (see related class #357)

Fashion has been in existence in America since the first Pilgrim women arrived in the 1600s. What determined fashion is as varied as the fashions themselves. Mores, religion, government, politics, laws, wars, economics, and practicality all played significant roles in deciding what we women should wear. By way of a PowerPoint that includes videos of fashions from the colonial period up through today's fashions, you will witness the ultimate fashion show. From watching how many layers of clothing women had to wear hundred's of years ago, to actual fashion shows from 1917 on up, you will witness what we women have had to put up with and all in the name of fashion.

The Supreme Court has set the parameters for American criminal procedure since the ratification of the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments. For better or for worse, the decisions dictate the entirety of the process of the criminal justice system. This presentation will focus on four of the most important Supreme Court cases in criminal procedure, including In re Gault (1967), Miranda v. Arizona (1967), Brady v. Maryland (1963), and Mapp v. Ohio (1961).

Located in Dupont Circle, the Heurich House Museum explores the American Experience through the legacy of German immigrant Christian Heurich and his Washington, DC Brewery and creates an equitable path to success for local small-scale businesses. The Heurich family lived in the Victorian-era mansion from 1894 to 1956. The house included many technological advancements, including electric lighting and "fireproofing" and the interior decoration and furnishings were made by numerous German-American craftspeople. Through research, the museum has uncovered the names of almost 150 people who worked as household staff and are about to begin a research project to learn more about the artisans.