C-SPAN begins two weeks of reair of our history series "The Contenders."  The series featured profiles of key figures who have run for president and lost, but changed political history nevertheless.

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In February the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville held a conference on Henry Clay and Leadership in the U.S. Senate. Kentucky State Historian James Klotter talks about Senator Clay’s career after losing a presidential election and his speaking and leadership style.
 

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This weekend on History Bookshelf, Historians David and Jeanne Heidler discusses their book, “Henry Clay: The Essential American.”

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200 years ago in 1811, Henry Clay began his first term as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.  He had a prolific political career, not only serving as Speaker, but also serving several terms in the U.S. Senate.  He also served as Secretary of State under President John Quincy Adams from 1825 to 1829.

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Kentucky State historian James Klotter speaks about Henry Clay at the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center.

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U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks at a conference on Henry Clay and Leadership in the U.S. Senate hosted by the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville.
 

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President Reagan called on Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" in this address at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin on June 12, 1987.

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Fifty years ago on June 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy spoke in Berlin on the differences between free and Communist systems, famously stating that as a free man he took pride in the words “Ich bin ein Berliner.”

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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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