This week on the Lectures and History podcast, the focus is on slavery and the state of Kentucky.

When Kentucky became a state in 1792, it faced a choice. Keep slavery or abolish it.

University of Kentucky professor Melanie Gown explores the state's decision and its complicated relationship with the institution of slavery.

She also traces how slavery persisted in Kentucky until the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.

More after this.

Hi guys, nice to see you.

We are talking about Kentucky's early roots this week as preparation for this course,

thinking about the making of modern Kentucky.

And last time we said that Kentucky was attracting a lot of notice, a lot of attention. In the 18th century, a lot of notice, a lot of attention in the 18th century, a lot of groups

focused and thinking about how they could use this area that will later become

Kentucky. So we talked about Native Americans, the first people to use this land, who

used it as both a hunting ground and a homeland we said

we pointed out that European powers the great empires of Europe were looking at this area

of the Ohio River Valley and sizing it up and thinking about its possibilities,

especially the resources that it could draw from this area and a lot of conflict over this interior of North America.

And then we talked about settlement beginning and the great rush into Kentucky, people who were running mad for Kentucky.

Starting in 1775, this great flood coming in.

And we said last time in the early 19th century, Kentucky really was the place to be, a place where you could go and start

fresh, build a new, better life for yourself. We pointed out the growing population how quickly

Kentucky becomes one of the largest states in the union.

That big population translates into political influence,

a lot of voice in Washington.

...