Great Political Trials in History

Historic political trials offer a window into the issues of their day and also raise questions that still resonate today. Borrowing from the Politics on Trial season of David Runciman's Past, Present, Future podcast, this discussion course will tackle a different noteworthy court case each session. To be discussed in this series are the trial of Aaron Burr for treason, the trial of John Brown for inciting a slave insurrection while storming Harpers Ferry, the trial of the Haymarket Eight for conspiracy and murder relating to a bombing at a workers' rally in Chicago, the lawsuit surrounding the forced sterilization of Carrie Buck under Virginia's eugenics law, and the trial of Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) for refusing to serve in the military.