Author Harold Holzer examines Civil War artifacts featured in his book, "The Civil War in 50 Objects,” drawn from the New-York Historical Society’s collection. He’s joined by Columbia University history professor Eric Foner -- who wrote the introduction for the book -- in a discussion on the collection’s history and themes. Objects include Confederate flags, Grant’s handwritten terms of surrender at Appomattox, and framed leaves from Abraham Lincoln's funeral bier. The New-York Historical Society hosted this event. It’s just under an hour.  

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Historian George Daughan recounts the naval battles between America and Britain during the War of 1812.  Mr. Daughan examines how the American navy, a fleet of only twenty ships, outmaneuvered their opponent and supported the U.S. Army's ground forces.

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At the direction of Congress, the voices and experiences from the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th 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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As part of a three day commemoration marking the return of American POWs from Vietnam, we hear directly from former prisoners of war who recall their imprisonment and ultimate release. And they remember the 1973 White House homecoming celebration hosted by President Richard Nixon on May 24, 1973. Fox News commentator and Republican Pollster Frank Luntz moderated the discussion. The Richard Nixon Foundation hosted this event.
 

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This was a reunion of Vietnam POWs on the 40th anniversary of the White House homecoming dinner President Nixon hosted on May 24, 1973. President Nixon’s daughter, Tricia Nixon Cox, former presidential candidate Ross Perot and Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA) addressed the gathering.  The evening also included a special performance by the POW Chorus, which sang at the original dinner.  The Richard Nixon Foundation hosted this event.

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May 24, 1973 - President Nixon hosted a dinner on the South Lawn of the White House to welcome home Vietnam POWs. This is President Nixon’s toast at the dinner.

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The Richard Nixon Foundation commemorated the 40^th anniversary of a White House dinner hosted by President Nixon to welcome home American POWs from Vietnam. This opening event of the three day observance at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum includes a wreath laying in honor of President Nixon and welcoming remarks from retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Richard Newton.

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Five former White House Chiefs of Staff share stories of their time serving Presidents Ford, Reagan, Clinton and George W. Bush.  Among the participants are Donald Rumsfeld, President Ford’s Chief of Staff in the 1970s, and Mack McLarty, Chief of Staff to President Clinton in the 1990s. This event was co-hosted by the National Archives and the Aspen Institute.

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Historians James Oakes and John Witt discuss their new prize-winning books about the process of Emancipation during the Civil War. Professor Oakes argues that contrary to conventional narratives, the destruction of slavery was a Republican goal from the beginning of the war. John Witt discusses the world’s first pamphlet style “laws of war” code written by Lincoln advisor and legal scholar Francis Lieber in 1862 and 1863. Witt argues that the “Lieber Code” was written to help justify emancipation as a military necessity, and that the code has been a source for international laws of war ever since. This Yale University discussion is moderated by Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition director David Blight. 

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In this program from our 1999 "American Presidents: Life Portraits" series we focused on Grover Cleveland's life and career. President Cleveland's grandson, George Cleveland, talked about the family's history and home life. History professor Mark Summers discussed Cleveland's foreign and domestic policy, and his unique position as the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms of office.  Sharon Farrell of the Grover Cleveland Birthplace Historic Site in Caldwell, New Jersey, talked about the home and showed some of the exhibits and artifacts displayed at the museum.

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