Trials, Tribulations, Failures and Successes of Our First Three Presidents, 1789 to 1809. We will look at several events and attitudes that Washington, Adams, and Jefferson had to address. Some of the problems these events and attitudes caused were handled during their administrations, some of them are still with us today: Power of the Federal Gov. vs power of the states, massive war debt, Jay’s Treaty, Citizen Genet affair, Hamilton vs. Jefferson, Hamilton’s financial system, slavery …

Thomas Paine was arguably the savior of the American Revolution and one of the essential contributors to it’s success. John Adams said: “Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain.” And yet, of all the founders, Paine is without question the least known, the least understood, and the least appreciated. He knew almost every significant player in the American founding. When he died, not a single one of them came to his funeral.

Composer Jam Part II Five different composers this semester (can’t claim they are new since the oldest is from the1600’s) get their moment in the spotlight. We will hear a sample of their best compositions in the best available versions.

Documentary Films on Humor After our course on tyranny now is the time to recalibrate and find a measure of relief in the humor presented by great comedians and also review their lives and difficulties. We will enjoy the artistry of Buster Keaton, W.C. Fields, Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, Jack Benny, Sid Caesar, Jonathan Winters, Robin Williams, and Peter Sellers.

Conversation Class Based on exchanges from the past three Conversation classes, it might as well be retitled The Anything and Everything Class. We have considered political, economic, social, and personal issues and far more. I have been fortunate to be a part of vibrant conversations and universal participation in each session. I look forward to continuing where we left off in the fall.

An Amazing Period for the American Short Story, 1970-2020 The second half of the 20th century was a period of considerable upheaval in the US. Disturbances in the social, and political fabric of the country cut across many aspects of everyone’s lives (e.g., civil rights legislation, feminism, the Vietnam War, student sit-ins, HIV) and lasted well into the 21st century. In the literary world, story writers searched for new ways to capture and reflect on the lives of everyday Americans.