Three of the most prominent recent biographers of Benjamin Franklin participated in a discussion at the National Constitution Center. Jim Lehrer, who wrote The Franklin Affair: A Novel, published by Random House, moderated the panel.

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Iver Bernstein discusses the causes and consequences of the New York City Draft Riots of mid-July 1863, that resulted from the federal draft for additional troops to fight in the war. Mr. Bernstein spoke at the U.S. Capitol Historical Society’s 2012 Civil War Symposium.

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Historian and author Craig Symonds talks about the various naval aspects of the war – from technological developments, to the battles themselves; from the Union blockade, to the rivers of the Western Theater. Symonds is history professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval Academy, and the author of “The Civil War at Sea.” He presented this talk at the Smithsonian’s Ripley Center, on the National Mall.

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Guests Charles Evans Jr. and Victor DeNoble discuss the documentary film that chronicles DeNoble’s unexpected discovery of an ingredient in tobacco which, the data revealed, when coupled with nicotine makes cigarettes more addictive. The research and the company’s attempts to keep it private lead to Congressional testimony before a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The movie details how this public revelation of DeNoble’s findings led journalists, politicians, attorneys and scientists to join forces against the tobacco industry,  which ultimately resulted in the first ever federal regulation of the tobacco industry. Evans discusses how and why he went about making the film, which began when he first watched Dr. DeNoble’s testimony on C-SPAN in 1994. DeNoble talks about growing up in New York, his early work at the Philip Morris Company and what it was like to testify before Congress on such a controversial subject.

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Historians Craig Symonds, James McPherson and Harold Holzer discuss the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The three-day battle fought in Pennsylvania from July 1st through 3rd, 1863, was the bloodiest of the war, resulting in an estimated 51 thousand total casualties. This is the first in a two-part series on the battle, hosted by the New-York Historical Society.

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Douglas Brinkley talks about his book, "Cronkite," which chronicles the life of long time CBS Evening News anchorman Walter Cronkite, often referred to as "the most trusted man in America."

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Historians consider several developments in naval technology over the course of the war. They discuss ironclad gunboats, Confederate efforts to break the Union Blockade, and spar torpedo boats. This event was part of a symposium on Technology and the Civil War hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

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Ted Widmer is the editor of “Listening In: The Secret White House Recordings of John F. Kennedy.” The book contains two audio CDs with 75 minutes of recorded conversations from the oval office, cabinet meetings, telephone calls, and private dictations during Kennedy’s presidency. Mr. Widmer describes how he was approached by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation to select and introduce and transcribe the recordings. He shares numerous clips throughout the program including a phone call from President Kennedy to Defense department advisors about the best way to board inbound Soviet ships during the Cuban missile crisis. We hear as President Kennedy calls Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman seeking advice. Widmer also chose to share the contentious discussions between Kennedy and then Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett as they dealt with the riots over the enrollment of James Meredith as the first black student to attend the University of Mississippi. Widmer also reveals a more light-hearted side to the President in several of the recordings. Widmer reflects upon his academic training at Harvard, as well as his experiences serving both President Bill Clinton, during his presidency, and Hillary Clinton, during her time as Secretary of State.

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An exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum explores how artists depicted the crisis of conflict as it was happening. Smithsonian Curator Eleanor Jones Harvey reveals how the war can be seen in seemingly unrelated works such as landscape paintings; and also examines the work of several soldier artists. American History TV attended a press briefing and took a tour of the galleries. This is part one of a two-part program.

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Historians consider the developments in battlefield and command communications over the course of the war. They discuss the portable printing press and the telegraph, and explain how these devices were used by Union and Confederate leadership. This event was part of a symposium on Technology and the Civil War hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

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