American History TV visited the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery for a look at an unprecedented gathering of portraits and objects representing the major personalities of this little-known war. Curators Sidney Hart and Rachael Penman take us on a guided tour through the collection assembled from the United States, Canada and Great Britain. The War of 1812 technically ended in a draw, but it buoyed American nationalism, birthed the national anthem and Uncle Sam, and anointed a future president in General Andrew Jackson. The exhibit, “1812: A Nation Emerges,” is open at the National Portrait Gallery until January 27, 2013.

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January 9, 2013 is the 100th anniversry of President Nixon's birth. American History TV visits Yorba Linda, California and the home where Richard Nixon was born. Docent Darlene Sky gave us a tour of the small house located on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.  The grounds of the home are also the final resting place of the 37th president & his wife Pat.

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President George Washington's personal copy of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights was auctioned at Christie's in New York City for $9.8 Million, which was the most ever paid for an American printed book or manuscript. The 1789 book contains brackets and notes in the margins written by Washington himself to mark the powers of the executive branch. American History TV recorded the auction, and interviewed specialists at Christie's and at George Washington's Mount Vernon, the successful bidder at the auction.  

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American History TV visits Chatham Manor, the only known house in the U.S. visited by both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  Built in 1771 by Virginia Continental Congress delegate William Fitzhugh, it was a Union headquarters during the Civil War and a field hospital during the Battle of Fredricksburg where Clara Barton & Walt Whitman tended to the wounded and dying. Chatham was given to the National Park Service in 1975 and is part of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.

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In this second of a two-part look at U.S. Government funded color photographs from the Library of Congress, we feature images created for the Office of War Information in the 1940’s. Photographers were assigned to travel the United States and document war production efforts.  Our guide is Curator of Photography Beverly Brannan.

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The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery is commemorating the 75th anniversary of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance on an around-the-world flight. She was called “Lady Lindy” after pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh, and the mystery surrounding her loss continues to fascinate Americans. We visited the exhibit “One Life: Amelia Earhart,” which chronicles her much-photographed life and exploits. (Amelia Earhart image courtesy of Seligman Family Foundation.)

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The 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia was fought from December 11 to 13 inside and near the small transportation hub along the Rappahannock River, an hour’s drive south of Washington, D.C.  During events marking the 150th anniversary of a battle that resulted in almost 2,000 deaths and 16,000 casualties, American History TV captured video of re-enactments, including a river crossing and landing under fire and street-to-street urban combat.  We spoke with National Park Service historian Frank O'Reilly, homeowner Charles McDaniel, and several participating re-enactors.

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Each week American Artifacts takes viewers into archives, museums and historic sites around the country. Granary Burying Ground in downtown Boston was established in the year 1660 and is the city’s third oldest cemetery. American History TV looked at the oldest graves in the site, as well as the tomb of the judge in the Salem Witch Trials. We also learned about the images engraved on headstones in the 350-year old cemetery. Our guide for the tour - Kelly Thomas of Boston’s Historic Burying Grounds Initiative.

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The history of the transition from slavery to freedom for African Americans is told at the Gilmore Cabin on the grounds of James Madison's Montpelier in Virginia.  Born a slave for President Madison in 1810, George Gilmore and his wife Polly raised five children on a small sharecropper farm after emancipation.  Built by George Gilmore and his sons, the cabin is one of only a few existing freedman's homes left standing in the United States.

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Eighty-three year-old Ray Loomis has worked in the printing industry since he was 15 years old. American History TV visited the Baltimore Museum of Industry where's he's a volunteer to see a demonstration of historic printing methods and machines, including the revolutionary Linotype, which was invented in Baltimore by German immigrant Ottmar Mergenthaler.

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