Explore Our Nation's Past with AMERICAN HISTORY TV This Weekend MAY 8-14, 2021 VIEW THE COMPLETE SCHEDULE       Explore Our Nation's Past Discover the people and events that document the American story.   The Vietnam War on Oral Histories Watch it: 2 pm ET Saturday, 2 pm ET Sunday   Watch a preview.   We continue to feature oral history interviews conducted by the Atlanta History Center's Kenan Research Center for the Veterans History Project.   2 pm ET Saturday Oliver Halle served on a U.S. Navy swift boat crew, which patrolled the coast and rivers to intercept munitions being trafficked by the North Vietnamese. He recalls his experiences while on patrol and his exposure to Agent Orange. [SET ALERT] 2 pm ET Sunday Charlotte Henry was a dog handler with the U.S. Air Force during the war. She remembers the dogs she trained and nights spent patrolling the base perimeter. She also discusses her struggles with gender identity while serving in Vietnam and the effect it had on her mental health. [SET ALERT]     1970s American Car Culture & Film on Lectures in History® Watch it: 8 pm and midnight ET Saturday   Watch a preview.   University of Dayton professors John Heitmann and Todd Uhlman teach a class about 1970s American car culture and films of the era. Using examples like "Easy Rider," "American Graffiti" and "Badlands," they argue these films reflected many Americans' disillusionment and glorified the open road as a way to take back control in the face of societal changes. They also talk about the impact of oil shortages, the rise of coast-to-coast races called "Cannonball Runs," and the popularity of trucker movies and music. [SET ALERT]   “One of the truckers ran out of gas on the Pennsylvania turnpike and, instead of pulling off the road, he spontaneously decided to stop the truck right in the middle of the highway, producing a traffic jam. And then he told (other truck drivers on the road) using a CB about all this ... and they stopped. And these truckers then produced the first outcry against the changes taking place in America.” TODD UHLMAN   Share Tweet Forward   Watch a preview.   “A Time for Peace” (1972) on Reel America® Watch it: 10 pm ET Saturday, 4 pm ET Sunday Fifty years ago, on June 10, 1971, President Richard Nixon lifted a trade embargo against Communist China that had been in place for 21 years. Less than a year later, in February of 1972, he made a historic trip to the People's Republic of China, the first ever by an American president. "A Time for Peace" is a U.S. Information Agency film documenting President Nixon's trips to China, Iran, Austria, Moscow and Poland. [SET ALERT]   Watch a preview.   The Chinese in America on American Artifacts® Watch it: 6 pm and 10 pm ET Sunday We visit San Francisco to hear the story of the Chinese in America from historian Charlie Chin. He leads a group of college students through the Chinese Historical Society of America, then on a tour of Chinatown. This is a three-part program.   🎧 ICYMI: This week on Booknotes+, Brian Lamb talks with Jason Hershey, founder of David's Tent DC, a 24/7, inter-denominational ministry on the National Mall where Christians worship through music and prayer. Click here to listen to this or other episodes.   American History TV in Prime Time Join American History TV in prime time next week. Tune in starting at 8 pm ET. Monday — Queen Elizabeth & U.S.-Great Britain Relations The ceremonial state opening of the British Parliament takes place May 11, and the centerpiece of this annual affair is remarks by Queen Elizabeth II outlining the government's legislative agenda for the coming year. On the eve of the "Queen's Speech," we look back to May 1991 and Queen Elizabeth's address to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, a first by a British monarch. The queen was on a 13-day visit to the United States, which also took her to Virginia, Florida, Texas and Kentucky.    Tuesday — Gettysburg College Civil War Institute On a night of programs from the Gettysburg College Civil War Institute, we begin with Gary Gallagher, author or editor of more than 30 books on Civil War history. His latest, The Enduring Civil War: Reflections on the Great American Crisis, collects more than 70 essays written for Civil War Times magazine. They contain his thoughts on topics ranging from the direction of contemporary Civil War scholarship to the common notion of Gettysburg as a turning point in the conflict. He discusses these and other subjects with the Civil War Institute's Peter Carmichael and Ashley Whitehead Luskey. Wednesday — First Ladies Julia Sweig's new book, Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight, is based on Mrs. Johnson's own recorded diaries, giving a rare account of her life in the White House and influence on LBJ's presidency. In a conversation with C-SPAN as part of our Q&A series, Ms. Sweig talks about what led her to tell this story and what the tapes reveal.   Thursday — Chinese American History We’ll re-air our weekend program on the story of the Chinese in America.   Friday — Espionage Intelligence experts H. Keith Melton & Robert Wallace discuss some of the most notable espionage sites in the nation's capital, including embassies, hotels and even walking paths. The presentation focuses on their new book, Spy Sites of Washington, D.C.: A Guide to the Capital Region's Secret History. Washington's International Spy Museum hosted this event.     Are you loving this newsletter? Share it!   Share Tweet Forward     About American History TV   Every weekend on C-SPAN3, American History TV features 48 hours of people and events that document the American story. Hear from eyewitnesses to history. Come along with our cameras to museums and historic sites. Watch archival speeches from former presidents and other national leaders. We'll take you to the classrooms of leading history professors and to lectures and symposiums featuring prominent historians.               Every Saturday at 8 am ET through Monday at 8 am ET       Listen on the go: Download our free app to listen to C-SPAN Radio and C-SPAN podcasts — including American History TV's Lectures in History — anywhere, anytime.  C-SPAN SHOP You can support C-SPAN and American History TV through the C-SPAN Shop. Every purchase helps support C-SPAN’s nonprofit operations, including our programming, community outreach efforts and educational programs.