September is almost here; as are new webinars from the National Association of Scholars! Please consider joining us in the coming weeks for events discussing American history and literature. You can find all of our upcoming events in this series here. 

Our next two webinars are:

Join NAS tomorrow at 2 pm ET as we discuss "1848: Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War." In 1845, the United States annexed Texas, a territory that rebelled against Mexico nine years earlier. The annexation of Mexican-claimed Texas led to border disputes that quickly spiraled into an armed conflict. These events mark the near climax of the patriotic fervor called "manifest destiny," the public will for the westward expansion of the American republic.

What role did President Polk's commitment to Manifest Destiny play in the annexation of Texas and the subsequent war? In what ways did the acquisition of Texas heighten tensions between slave states and free states? Did the United States' victory in the war bolster the argument for Manifest Destiny?

This event will feature David Heidler, an award-winning historian of the early American republic and author of Henry Clay: The Essential American; Robert Merry, former editor of The National Interest and author of A Country of Vast Designs; and John Pinheiro, professor of history at Aquinas College. The discussion will be moderated by Michael Scott Van Wagenen, author, filmmaker, and associate professor of history at Georgia Southern University.

To read more about this event, click here.

Join NAS next Tuesday at 2 pm ET, as we discuss "Twice-Told Tales" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This webinar will discuss what makes Twice-Told Tales a great work of American literature and Hawthorne's use of short stories or "tales" to communicate important themes.

The event will feature Charles Baraw, associate professor of english at Southern Connecticut State University; Monika Elbert, professor of english at Montclair State University; and Brenda Wineapple, author of Hawthorne: A Life. The discussion will be moderated by Samuel Coale, professor emeritus of english at Wheaton College.

To learn more about the event, click here. 

If you can't attend, but would like to receive a recording of any of these events, I encourage you to register anyway. All registrants will receive a follow-up email with a link to the event recording.

If you have missed any of our past events or webinars, you may find all of our recordings here: https://www.youtube.com/user/NAScholars/videos.

I look forward to seeing you in the virtual audience!