Congress, Politics, Books
and American History

Princeton University history professor Sean Wilentz talks about his writings and books. He is the author of the Rolling Stone article, "The Worst President in History? One of America's Leading Historians Assesses George W. Bush."

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Yale history professor Joanne Freeman and University of Chicago political science professor William Howell are interviewed about acts of violence in the U.S. Congress leading up to the Civil War, and congressional checks on war powers in the modern era. Professor Freeman is working on a book titled "Field of Blood: Congressional Violence in Antebellum America." Professor Howell has written about congressional checks on presidential war powers. The interview was recorded at the Organization of American Historians meeting in Milwaukee.

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Hari Jones, curator and assistant director of the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum, talks about the contributions of African American Women during the War.

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On May 14, 1607, 104 English settlers landed at Jamestown Island, Virginia to establish a colony for the Virginia Company.  Thought to be lost to history, the original fort was unearthed in 1994. We visited Jamestown to learn how the story of the 1607 settlers is being revealed everyday through the study of artifacts, and how artifacts are conserved for future scholars.

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On May 14, 1607, 104 English settlers landed on Jamestown island, Virginia to establish a colony for the Virginia Company.  Thought to be lost to history forever under the James River, the original fort was rediscovered in 1994 by archaeologist William Kelso.  In this program, we join Mr. Kelso for an “In the Trenches” tour as he explains how he unearthed the original fort. And we visit Bly Straube in the archaeology lab where more than 1.5 million artifacts are studied to help reveal what life was like inside Jamestown fort over 400 years ago.

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Mercury Seven astronaut Alan Shepard was interviewed as part of the NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project. Shepard was the first American in space, and the fifth man to walk on the Moon.    

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The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support holds a hearing on the readiness of U.S. forces as they consider legislation to authorize defense programs for fiscal 2013.

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Senate Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) said a long-term extension of the National Flood Insurance Program was “imperative.”  Senators Tester and Vitter (R-LA)  support bi-partisan legislation which allows a five-year extension, an insurance rate increase up to 15%, instead of the current 10% a year and forgives $18 billion in debts for the federal program, most from large payouts after Hurricane Katrina and Rita in 2005.

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In a heavily contested Republican primary for Senator, Incumbent Indiana Senator Richard Lugar lost to Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock. Both spoke to supporters on Tuesday night.

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Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan outlined the administration’s plans to help homeowners refinance their mortgages Tuesday.

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