Hayes Presidential staff to give presentations on wide range of topics – from historical to artificial intelligence – at Lakeside

Throughout the summer, Hayes Presidential Library & Museums staff members will share their knowledge about a vaiety of topics, ranging from historical information from President Hayes’ era to artificial intelligence during the Chautauqua Lecture Series at Lakeside Chautauqua.

Admission to the programs is included with the Chautauqua daily, weekly or season pass. Programs take place in the Orchestra Hall.

Reserve passes and parking here: https://lakesideohio.com/visiting-lakeside/passes/.

Scheduled programs are:

• Chief Standing Bear and the Poncas by Alina Hart, education coordinator — Wednesday, June 17, 10:30 a.m. Native American policy in the United States is a broad, complex and fundamental history. During the 1870s-1890s, a shift in policy occurred as the reservation system was firmly established and a push towards forced assimilation began. This presentation serves as a case study on the impact of this policy in the Plains region through the life of Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca people, who were forced to leave their ancestral homeland in Nebraska and moved 600 miles south to a reservation in present-day Oklahoma in 1877. Throughout this presentation, you’ll hear their story, informed by primary sources from both Hayes Presidential and Library of Congress collections, including the circumstances of their removal during the Hayes administration, the events that led to the landmark civil rights Standing Bear vs. Crook 1879, and their combined legacy today.

• A Brief History of Providence, Rhode Island by Josh Dubbert, historian — Monday, June 29, 10:30 a.m. Once land belonging to the Narragansett and Wampanoag peoples, the city of Providence, Rhode Island was founded in 1636 by Roger WilliamsPuritan theologian outcast from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Providence would become known for its religious toleration and independent spirit. After the American Revolution, the city grew from an agricultural and fishing-based community into a hugely influential colonial and industrial powerhouse and was at one point known as the “jewelry capital of the world.” In the 18th and early 19^th centuries, much of the economic production and profit was made through slavery via the notorious “Triangle Trade.” This program provides an overview of this important and oft overlooked New England city, beginning with its Native American roots, this discussion will include Providence’s emergence through four centuries as a commercial and cultural capital, whose impact is still felt regionally and nationally today.

• America According to Currier and Ives by Josh Dubbert, historian — Wednesday, July 1, 10:30 a.m. Currier and Ives produced some of the most famous and memorable images of 19th-century America. Its lithographs were the among the first “cheap” pictures available to the burgeoning middle class in the United States, and Currier and Ives sold millions of prints during its 72-year existence. But how accurate a reflection were these images of the U.S. at the time? In this talk, the work and legacy of the “printmakers to the American People” is explored by examining lithographs that span the firm’s years of operation (1835-1907). Learn how Currier and Ives and its scores of artists created an idealized vision of the young nation for an expanding, industrializing populace — one that highlighted prosperity and progress, but also utilized controversial and racist depictions of minorities, immigrants and Indigenous peoples to tell its stories.

• Rutherford B. Hayes – The War Years by Josh Dubbert, historian (Dubbert will give this presentation virtually.) — Tuesday, Aug. 4, 3:30 p.m. For Rutherford B. Hayes, the Civil War was the defining moment of his life. He served all four years from 1861-1865, fighting mostly in campaigns in western Virginia (the region that would later become the state of West Virginia). would be injured five times in battle and have several horses shot out from under him. Respected by his troops and officers alike, Hayes rose to the ranks of brevet major general, which he considered the highest attainment of his career — higher indeed than even president of the United States. This program uses Hayes’ diary and letters to tell the story of Hayes’ service during the Civil War. His writings show the evolution of his thinking about the war, in particular slavery, which he could come to understand was the primary reason for the great battle between the North and the South.

• The Future – Artificial Intelligence by Makennah Rettig, digital media & design specialist — Friday, Aug. 21, 10:30 a.m. Artificial Intelligence spent decades as the sci-fi boogeyman, but since the release of ChatGPT in 2022, it’s been on a trajectory not many could have predicted. AI has solidified its place in our future, but to what extent? How can we weigh the potential usefulness with the devastating realities of a technology killing the planet and its people? Is the AI bubble about to burst? Explore the 70 years of history of AI, as well as what it means for our future.

Hayes Presidential is America’s first presidential library and the forerunner of the federal presidential library system. It is partially funded by the state of Ohio and affiliated with the Ohio History Connection. Hayes Presidential is located at Spiegel Grove on Buckland Avenue.

For information, call 419-332-2081, or visit rbhayes.org. Like Hayes Presidential on Facebook and follow on Instagram at rbhayespres and on Bluesky at rbhayespres.bsky.social.