The first Inaugural Ball held in the National Building Museum was Grover Cleveland’s in 1885, when it was known as the Pension Building and was still under construction.  Composed of over 15 million red bricks, the Pension Building contains a Great Hall that is 316 feet long and 159 feet high. American History TV visited to learn about the 19th century Inaugural tradition that continues in the 21st century, including President Obama's Commander-in-Chief Ball held there in January of 2009.

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This program was produced by the Republican National Committee in support of Dwight Eisenhower’s 1952 presidential campaign, and aired on national TV the evening before Election Day. Dwight Eisenhower went on to defeat Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson that year.

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According to a new Cato policy analysis, Tea Party members are conservative on economic issues, but divided on social issues. The survey shows the Tea Party asserting a strong libertarian influence on the Republican Party.

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Following last night's debate, Vice Pres. Joe Biden and his wife spoke in La Crosse, Wisconsin at a campaign event at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

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Author & journalist Max Holland discusses his book, "Leak: Why Mark Felt Became Deep Throat." Mark Felt was the FBI assistant director who in 1972 leaked Watergate investigation information to several reporters, including Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Holland argues that contrary to popular notions, Felt selfishly used journalists to discredit FBI director L. Patrick Gray in the hope that he would be appointed to the top spot; and that Nixon’s resignation was an unintended consequence. The Kansas City Public Library hosted this event.

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In 2011, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California opened a new permanent exhibit about Watergate. 

Library Director Timothy Naftali gave American History TV a tour of the exhibit, which chronicles events beginning in 1971 that led up to the break-in at the Watergate offices of the Democratic National Committee on June 17, 1972. 

Mr. Naftali also discussed the aftermath of the scandal, the resignation of President Nixon on August 9, 1974, and the lasting impact that Watergate had on our system of government. 

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Campaign for America's Future hosts a three-day "Take Back the American Dream Conference" beginning Monday in Washington. Van Jones, a former White House Special Adviser on Green Jobs, participated in the discussion.

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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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The New York Historical Society hosted a discussion on politics and power with journalists and historians.

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Abolitionist John Willis Menard was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1868, and although he was never seated, he was the first African American to address the House chamber.  In this program, Phillip Magness of George Mason University and Matthew Wasniewski, the Historian of the U.S. House of Representatives tell the life story of John Menard.

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