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Congressman John Lewis, Democrat from Georgia’s 5th congressional district,  is the author of the historical narrative, “Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change.” He talks about his early involvement in the non-violent protests of the civil rights movement, and recounts his experience in leading a group of students across the Edmond Pettus Bridge in Alabama when he was 25 years old. Rep. Lewis explains how he and other students were beaten and arrested by Alabama state troopers.  He comments on many of the early participants in the civil rights movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Allis and Ronald Radosh discuss their book "A Safe Haven: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel." The book is the story of President Truman and his decision to have the United States recognize the State of Israel, which officially happened on May 14, 1948. Much of the documentation for this book was based on never-before-used archival material.

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Erik Larson is the author of the historical narrative, "In the Garden of Beasts," which details the life of William E. Dodd. Dodd became America’s first ambassador to Adolf Hitler’s Germany in Berlin during 1933. The story follows Dodd and his family, including daughter Martha, as they interact with Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Goring and other top level members of the Third Reich during the years leading up to World War II. The book chronicles Martha’s relationships with various authors including Carl Sandburg and Thomas Wolfe, as well as high-ranking Germans. It also tells the story of Ambassador Dodd’s growing frustration with America’s lack of action against the Third Reich. Erik Larson has authored three New York Times bestsellers, including "The Devil in the White City," and "Isaac’s Storm." Larson was a staff writer for the Wall Street Journal, and a contributing writer for Time Magazine. He has written articles for The Atlantic, Harper’s, The New Yorker, and other publications.

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Senate curator Diane Skvarla talks about the U.S. Senate art collection, her job as curator, and about the taping of C-SPAN's "The Capitol."

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Simon Winchester talks about his sweeping historical narrative of the Atlantic Ocean, "Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories," He details his cross-country replication of the transcontinental motor convoy Dwight Eisenhower volunteered for in 1919 that later prompted President Eisenhower’s interstate highway system proposal. He also talks about his career as a reporter, freelance writer and author, and describes his July 4, 2011, naturalization ceremony on the deck of the USS Constitution in Boston Harbor. He shares his writing and research habits, along with future projects.

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Michael Hill is the author of "Elihu Washburne: The Diary and Letters of America's Minister to France During the Siege and Commune of Paris."  Mr. Hill reflects on his early career in politics and the transition he made into independent research.  He talks about the 20 year partnership he has developed with author David McCullough and the various books he has researched for him.  He also details the research he did various authors including Evan Thomas, Nathaniel Philbrick, Jon Meacham and Michael Korda.

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In this program from our 1999 "American Presidents: Life Portraits" series we focused on James Garfield's life and career. Historians discussed Garfield's military service, his election as president and assassination shortly after his inauguration. Suzanne Miller, the site manager at Garfield's home in Mentor, Ohio, talked about several of the artifacts and documents that Garfield left behind. 

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C-SPAN’s Local Content Vehicles take American History TV on the road. Throughout the weekend of May 18-20 we feature the history of Columbia, South Carolina.

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Thousands of colonists rejected the War for American Independence and many fled to the British stronghold of New York City. San Jose State University History Professor Ruma Chopra discusses the situation in the city and the perspective of those who looked upon the British as natural allies in religion, language and blood and thought the violence of rebellion was unnecessary and unlawful.

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