The original 1607 English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia had long been considered lost under the James River. Then, in 1994, archaeologist and historian Bill Kelso found evidence of the site. Since then, the Jamestown Rediscovery Project has unearthed more than a million artifacts, including many complete skeletons of the settlers. American History TV visited Jamestown for an “in the trenches” archaeology tour with Mr. Kelso, the project director. Part one of a three-part series.

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Four centuries after the founding of Jamestown in May of 1607, the area near the settlement has become an active place of study for archeologists.

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C-SPAN visited the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab in St. Leonard, Maryland to learn more about work at the facility. About eight million objects are housed at the "MAC Lab."

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Joy Beasley, Cultural Resources Program manager at Monocacy National Battlefield, describes the recent discovery and effort to excavate a 200 year-old slave quarters. The discovery took place on the National Park Service property near the site of the Best Family Farm, built in the 1790s by a family of French Caribbean immigrants who owned about ninety slaves.

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This is the story of the first African American major league baseball player in the modern era, Jackie Robinson. Raymond Doswell of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum focuses on Robinson’s athletic career, his ability to steal bases and home plate, and the racism and obstacles he faced. Over the course of his ten-season Major League career between 1947 & 1956, Robinson played in six World Series and was selected for six All-Star games. His achievements are widely viewed as an important contribution to the Civil Rights Movement. This event was hosted by the National Archives at Kansas City in Missouri.

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New York University professor Michael Gomez teaches a class on the transatlantic slave trade from the 16th century into 19th century. Professor Gomez discusses the countries involved and the methods used in the procurement of slaves, such as raiding and kidnapping. He also discusses the complex history of Africans dealing in the slave trade to pay debts and to punish neighboring factions.

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Author James Robertson discusses the life, death and legacy of Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. He talks about General Jackson’s childhood, his education at West Point, and his military career. Mr. Robertson also looks at the Battle of Chancellorsville, where General Jackson was mortally wounded on May 2, 1863, in a “friendly fire” incident. He died of medical complications eight-days later. The Hanover Tavern in Virginia and the Museum of the Confederacy co-hosted this event. 

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Jonathan Hansen presents a history of America's presence at Guantanamo Bay.  The author reports on the United States' early interest in the area, which was central to U.S. plans to control the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.  Mr. Hansen examines the creation of the U.S. naval base and prison at Guantanamo and its continued use despite calls for its closure.

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell talks about the political career of fellow Kentuckian John J. Crittenden, a member of the U.S. Senate in the 1880s.  A friend and ally of Henry Clay's, Crittenden also served as Kentucky's governor and twice as U.S. attorney general. Senator McConnell emphasizes Crittenden’s commitment to the Union before and during the Civil War and reflects on what current lawmakers can learn from former legislators. This event was hosted by Eastern Kentucky University.

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How is slavery interpreted at historic sites – and how has that interpretation evolved over the last quarter century? Those were among the questions addressed at a conference convened at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello to consider the history of slavery scholarship and how it makes its way to the American public.

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