American History TV in Prime Time August 6-10
American History TV Prime Time Schedule
August 6-10, 2018
Starts at 8pm ET Each Night on C-SPAN 3
1968: America in Turmoil
Monday August 6: Vietnam War
The major military, political and diplomatic developments in the Vietnam War from the January Tet Offensive to the March 16th My Lai massacre, the escalating body count and the undoing of Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency. Guests are Vietnam War veteran and former U.S. Senator (D-Virginia) Jim Webb and David Maraniss, Washington Post associate editor and author of "They Marched into Sunlight: War and Peace, Vietnam and America, October 1967."
Tuesday August 7: Presidential Campaign
In the end, it was Democrat Hubert Humphrey vs. Republican Richard Nixon. But the cast of characters dominating 1968 presidential politics included LBJ, Eugene McCarthy, Robert F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, George Romney, Nelson Rockefeller and third-party candidate George Wallace. Before it was over, the sitting president was out of the race, another Kennedy was assassinated, violent clashes between Chicago police and protesters dominated television coverage of the Democratic National Convention, and Richard Nixon had won a decisive victory. Guests are former Richard Nixon campaign staffer & columnist Patrick Buchanan and Barbara Perry, University of Virginia Miller Center presidential studies director.
Wednesday August 8: Civil Rights & Race Relations
Martin Luther King, Jr. titled his 1967 book, "Where Do We Go From Here?" He was still asking that question in 1968 as he focused on economic equality and the "Poor People's Campaign." It's why he was in Memphis when he was assassinated on April 4. The Black Power movement was rising in influence. African American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised clenched fists at the Mexico City Olympics. LBJ's Kerner Commission declared that the country was becoming two societies, "one black, one white." Was there a national civil rights agenda? Guests are Peniel Joseph, University of Texas-Austin Center for the Study of Race & Democracy director, and former Black Panther Party communications secretary and Emory University School of Law lecturer Kathleen Cleaver.
Thursday August 9: Liberal Politics
LBJ's Great Society and emboldened liberal activists redefined the role of the federal government and challenged traditional values. But the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy dealt shattering blows. Guests are Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Robert F. Kennedy's daughter & former Maryland Lt. Governor, and Michael Cohen, author of "American Maelstrom: The 1968 Election and the Politics of Division."
Friday August 10: Conservative Politics
Perceived liberal excesses and disenchantment with the size of government gave rise to the political right, the resurgence of Richard Nixon, and a Republican presidential victory. Ronald Reagan made his debut as a presidential candidate, foreshadowing the conservative revolution to come. Guests are Matthew Dallek, George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management associate professor and American Conservative Editor Robert Merry.
American History TV. All weekend - every weekend. And also in Prime Time this week. Only on C-SPAN3.