Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” was published fifty years ago on February 19th, 1963.  Michigan State University history professor Kirsten Fermaglich, who is the co-editor of a new critical edition of the seminal book, discusses the legacy and importance of Friedan, her contributions to the feminist movement, and how ideas in “The Feminine Mystique” relate to other social justice struggles of the 1960s. Rowan University in New Jersey hosted this event.

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The B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore is marking the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with the ongoing exhibit "The War Came by Train." We visited the museum's historic roundhouse building for a tour with guest curator Daniel Toomey.  Mr. Toomey argues that due to the extensive use of railroads and the telegraph, the Civil war was the first "modern war."

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In his book entitled “John Otto: Trials and Trails,” author Alan Kania describes an eccentric man who arrived in Grand Junction, Colorado in 1906. Otto explored the neighboring canyons and plateaus, built trails, and promoted that the area be protected; later he became the first park custodian of Colorado National Monument.  Mr. Kania describes Otto as “a very strange character” who was locked up three times on insanity charges. This program was recorded at Denver’s History Colorado Center.

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Historian Frank O’Reilly of the National Park Service discusses the Battle of Chancellorsville, which was fought from April 30th to May 6th, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The fighting resulted in more than 30 thousand total causalities. Historians widely consider the Battle of Chancellorsville to be Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s greatest victory.

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Florida State University Professor Andrew Frank discusses the Creek Indians and the First Seminole War, which took place in the early 19th century in the southeastern part of the U.S. and Spanish-controlled Florida. The war was fought in part to prevent slaves from fleeing into Florida.

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On April 20th, 1999 – Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 of their fellow Columbine High School students and one teacher and then committed suicide.  On History Bookshelf Dave Cullen discusses his book “Columbine”, which presents a comprehensive account of the shootings at the Colorado school.  He talks about the psychology of the shooters, how they evolved into killers, and the stories of the victims and survivors.  This program was recorded at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

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In 1875, ten years after she left the White House following President Lincoln’s assassination, Mary Todd Lincoln was found to be insane by a jury in Chicago. Her son, Robert Todd Lincoln, had signed a petition to have her involuntarily committed to an insane asylum. She was taken to Bellevue Sanitarium in Illinois where she stayed for several months before her release to live with her sister. 

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We continue our series of interviews from the Eisenhower Legacy Collection with unedited excerpts from a 1992 conversation with former U.S. Attorney General Herbert Brownell. Mr. Brownell was Dwight D. Eisenhower’s senior campaign strategist in 1952, became Attorney General in 1953 and served in that capacity until after the Little Rock integration crisis in 1957. In this oral history, Mr. Brownell talks about his relationship with Ike, the election, U.S. involvement in Korea, and the Warren Court.

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In this program from our 1999 "American Presidents: Life Portraits" series we focused on Abraham Lincoln's life and career. Author David Long and history professor Edna Greene Medford talked about Lincoln's election and presidency. Director of the Lincoln Legal Papers, Cullom Davis, focused on the president's law practice. Linda Norbut Suits, a curator at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, toured the house and presented many of its artifacts.

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C-SPAN’s Local Content Vehicles take American History TV on the road. Throughout the weekend of April 20-22 we feature the history of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

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