Kasey Pipes was interviewed about his book Ike's Final Battle: The Road to Little Rock and the Challenge of Equality, published by World Ahead Publishing. The book examined President Eisenhower's role in the civil rights movement.

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Edna Greene Medford discusses the state of Abraham Lincoln scholarship. Dr. Medford says Lincoln must be looked at in the context of his era. She responds to authors such as Thomas DiLorenzo and Lerone Bennett who have published books critical of Lincoln. She also discusses current day issues of racial descrimination, education, and the possibility of the first African American president.

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David and Jeanne Heidler discuss their biography "Henry Clay: The Essential American." Henry Clay was Speaker of the House and served in the Senate. He unsuccessfully ran for President five times. A founder of the Whig Party, he was known as the Great Compromiser. David and Jeanne Heidler have written numerous books together including "Daily Life in the Early American Republic," "Manifest Destiny," "Old Hickory's War," and "The War of 1812."

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Harold Holzer talks about his book "Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860-1861." In his book about the presidential transition period of Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Holzer traces Lincoln's actions in the four months between his 1860 election and his inauguration: a period when seven states seceded from the Union. Harold Holzer, co-chairman of the U.S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and vice chairman of the Lincoln Forum, has authored, co-authored, or edited over 30 books on the Lincoln era. This interview was conducted in the lobby of Washington's historic Willard Hotel, where President-elect Lincoln and his family resided in the days leading up to the 1861 inauguration.

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Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld talks about his book "Known and Unknown." After leaving his position in the George W. Bush administration, he spent four years completing this book on his life. Mr. Rumsfeld has twice held the position of Secretary of Defense, in the George W. Bush administration and the Gerald Ford administration. Other offices include Chief of Staff to Gerald Ford, UN Representative to NATO, and a member of Congress. Mr. Rumsfeld talks about his philosophy of presidential staff leadership. He also compares and contrasts his years in government with those in business.

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For the past 30 years, Carol Highsmith has been traveling the United States and documenting the country through her camera lens. In this program, she talks about and shows her photography including some from her project to photograph each state in the country. Highsmith also shows and discusses an earlier project to photograph the entire Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in detail.

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Former Marine Lieutenant Karl Marlantes talks about his autobiographical narrative, “What It Is Like To Go To War.” He speaks of the profound impact being a front line soldier during war has made on his life. Marlantes relates many of his own combat experiences, including one intense battle in Vietnam during which 17 Marines were killed. His actions on that day ultimately won him the Navy Cross which is the highest citation awarded by the Department of the Navy. He shares his own anguish in recognizing and coming to terms with post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. He feels that the military did a poor job of reintegrating Vietnam veterans to life back in the United States. Marlantes cautions that every combat situation is a life changing experience, and many soldiers may return home and turn to drugs, alcohol, or suicide. He states that those are the soldiers the country needs to look after. He discusses his thirty year journey to write and publish his books, and his plans for the next one.

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This June marks the 50th Anniversary of two of President John F. Kennedy’s most memorable speeches. On June 10th 1963, JFK delivered the commencement address at American University known as his “Peace Speech.” He called for high-level negotiations with the Soviet Union, a nuclear test ban treaty and an end to the Cold War.  On June 26th 1963, President Kennedy took a harder line in West Berlin, famously stating that as a free man he took pride in the words “Ich bin ein Berliner.” This is a discussion from the Kennedy Presidential Library about the significance and lasting influence of these two addresses.

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The Battle of Gettysburg took place July 1-3, 1863, in Pennsylvania, as Union forces turned back an invasion of the North by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The Union victory inspired President Abraham Lincoln to call for “a new birth of freedom” in his address a few months later dedicating the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg. C-SPAN's American History TV was LIVE on June 30 from Gettysburg National Military Park covering events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the battle, including remarks by scholars such as Harold Holzer, Allen Guelzo, and Doris Kearns Goodwin, as well as your calls and tweets for Civil War Institute Director Peter Carmichael and novelist Jeff Shaara.

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American History TV joined historian Carol Reardon and Col. Tom Vossler to learn the story of the three-day Battle of Gettysburg through a selection of their favorite monuments.

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