More Info »

Louis Stokes was elected to the U.S. Congress from Ohio in 1969 and served for 30 years – a record tenure, at the time, for an African-American in the House of Representatives. In this oral history from the collection of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Stokes details his journey from a Depression era childhood in Cleveland to the halls of Congress. And he recalls the founding of the caucus – which marks its 40th anniversary in 2011 – and early strategies to gain political power and influence.

More Info »

Charles Rangel entered the Congress as a representative from New York in 1971 and eventually served as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. He lost that position after ethics violation charges surfaced – and his colleagues voted in early December 2010 to censure him. In this oral history from the collection of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Rangel recalls his political career and the founding of the caucus – which marks its 40th anniversary in 2011.

More Info »

The Rev. Walter Fauntroy served as the District of Columbia’s first delegate to Congress from 1971 to 1991, and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. In this oral history from the collection of the CBC Foundation, Fauntroy talks about his civil rights work and his political career.

More Info »

Yvonne Brathwaite Burke served in the United States House of Representatives from California in the 1970s. In this never before televised oral history from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, she recalls the work of the caucus, her efforts on behalf of displaced homemakers, and an unlikely political battle to save the Capitol beauty shop for working women.

More Info »

Jonathan Hansen presents a history of America's presence at Guantanamo Bay.  The author reports on the United States' early interest in the area, which was central to U.S. plans to control the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.  Mr. Hansen examines the creation of the U.S. naval base and prison at Guantanamo and its continued use despite calls for its closure.

More Info »

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell talks about the political career of fellow Kentuckian John J. Crittenden, a member of the U.S. Senate in the 1880s.  A friend and ally of Henry Clay's, Crittenden also served as Kentucky's governor and twice as U.S. attorney general. Senator McConnell emphasizes Crittenden’s commitment to the Union before and during the Civil War and reflects on what current lawmakers can learn from former legislators. This event was hosted by Eastern Kentucky University.

More Info »

How is slavery interpreted at historic sites – and how has that interpretation evolved over the last quarter century? Those were among the questions addressed at a conference convened at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello to consider the history of slavery scholarship and how it makes its way to the American public.

More Info »

These are unedited excerpts from a 1995 conversation with President Eisenhower’s son, John. A retired U.S. Army Brigadier General, he talks about his father’s role as Supreme Allied Commander Europe. He also discusses Ike’s relationships with American and British generals and how he compromised with Allied nations to bring World War II in Europe to an end. Independent producer George Colburn conducted this interview as part of a documentary series on Dwight D. Eisenhower’s military and political career – a period covering from 1941 to 1961.  His latest project –  “Eisenhower’s Secret War” – debuts on public television stations nation-wide in May. Hosted by Evan Thomas, author of “Ike’s Bluff," Mr. Colburn’s two-part program focuses on Ike’s campaign to wage peace in the aftermath of World War II.

More Info »

C-SPAN's "First Ladies: Influence & Image" follows the life of Lucretia Garfield and her influence on the 20th president, James A. Garfield.

More Info »