Author and presidential historian William Seale discusses life in the Lincoln White House – and how the Lincoln family’s  presence there during wartime reinforced the idea of the White House as the President’s official residence. From the Lincoln Forum Symposium in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

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This second of a two-part look at the wartime home of Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis features the second floor of the mansion, where Davis spent many hours in his office, and his children played nearby in a large parlor.

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The former residence in Richmond, Virginia of Confederate President Jefferson Davis has been restored to look as it did during the Civil War. American History TV visited to learn more about President Davis, his family, and the many political & military leaders who once walked through the front door.

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50 years ago, on April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” while being held in prison for his involvement in a city-wide civil rights protest called the Birmingham Campaign. King’s daughter, Bernice King, CEO of the King Center in Atlanta, joins Alabama’s governor, Birmingham’s Mayor and others for the unveiling of a historical marker aside the Birmingham Jail.

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham civil rights campaign. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his famed “Letter from Birmingham Jail” after being arrested for taking part in the protests. The campaign gained national attention after local officials used dogs and water cannons on kids after they took to the streets in what was known as the “Children’s Crusade.” A panel of authors and historians recall the turmoil of the time, as well as how Birmingham has chosen to remember its past. This event was part of the Alabama Historical Association’s annual conference.

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At the direction of Congress, the voices and experiences from the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20^th century are being documented in an oral history project. This effort is a collaboration of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, the Library of Congress and the Southern Oral History Program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham Civil Rights Campaign in Alabama. The protests gained national attention after local officials used dogs and water cannons on kids after they took to the streets in what was known as the “Children’s Crusade.” This event features first-person accounts of the events in Birmingham that spring, including remarks by those who took part in the children’s protest, as well as student leaders of a boycott of segregated businesses. The discussion took place at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. 

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June 10th marks the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s commencement address at American University, when he called for high-level negotiations with the Soviet Union, a nuclear test ban treaty and an end to the Cold War.  This is a conversation with two veteran journalists, Tom Brokaw and Nick Clooney, on the Kennedy presidency and the significance of his “Peace Speech.”  This program is hosted by American University’s School of Communication and the Newseum, which is featuring two new exhibits on the Kennedy presidency – “Three Shots Were Fired” and "Creating Camelot".

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The National Park Service rededicates Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial. As the nation marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and after a six-year restoration effort, Americans can once again see the house much as Lee knew it.

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Presidential historian Richard Norton Smith moderates a panel on the influence of first ladies within the White House and on their fellow Americans. From Martha Washington to Michelle Obama, panelists explore how these women have defined their position and they look at the evolving public perception of their role. This discussion was part of a conference held at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was the fourth in a series of gatherings dedicated to the legacies of America’s first ladies. 

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