AMERICAN HISTORY TV: Saturdays on C-SPAN2

 

May 20, 2023           See Full Schedule   Welcome to another Saturday of exploring our nation's past on American History TV.   The 1990s   Lectures in History   Watch: 8 am/pm & 11 am/pm   Watch Preview   American University professor Joseph Campbell explores a decade of political, cultural, social and foreign policy events to define the zeitgeist of the American 1990s.   Marc Selverstone on "The Kennedy Withdrawal" The Presidency Watch: 9:30 am/pm & 12:30 pm/am (5/21)   Watch a Preview   Marc Selverstone talks about his research into President Kennedy's Vietnam War policies—which is partly based on previously secret White House recordings—and his conclusion that JFK was keeping his military options open. In his book, "The Kennedy Withdrawal: Camelot and the American Commitment to Vietnam," Selverstone explores the oft-debated historical question: If President Kennedy had lived, would he have withdrawn from Vietnam or escalated the conflict by sending in more American troops, as President Johnson did? Mr. Selverstone is chair of the Presidential Recordings Program at the University of Virginia's Miller Center.     1973 Paris Peace Accords 50th Anniversary Watch at 4 pm   It's been a half century since the January 27, 1973, signing of the Paris Peace Accords. To better understand the Vietnam War and how it came to an end, the Richard Nixon Foundation in Yorba Linda, California, hosts a four-hour virtual discussion with historians and authors. They talk about the lead-up to the war, President Nixon's strategy, and the legacy of the peace accords. You'll also hear clips of President Nixon from a selection of his wartime speeches.     Also Saturday on American History TV   The Civil War—Lincoln's Journey to Washington     In his book, "Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington," historian Ted Widmer traces Abraham Lincoln's historic 1861 train trip from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., to be sworn in as the nation's 16th president. The Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia, hosted this discussion with detailed insights on the president-elect's demanding journey through a divided country where Lincoln spoke to crowds as he passed through seven of the largest Northern states and escaped an assassination plot in Baltimore. Watch at 2 pm     "Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad"     Author Andrew Diemer discusses William Still, who dedicated his life to managing a critical section of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—the free state directly north of the Mason-Dixon Line Diemer offers his insights on the abolitionist Still, while discussing his book "Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad," at this event co-hosted by the Library Company of Philadelphia, the American Philosophical Society, and the Historical Society of Philadelphia. Watch at 3 pm        Coming up Sunday on C-SPAN   Q&A: Ashlee Vance on "When the Heavens Went on Sale" Bloomberg Businessweek feature writer Ashlee Vance discusses his book "When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach," about the private companies that are launching small satellites into Earth's lower orbit for commercial and noncommercial use. In the last three years alone, the number of satellites orbiting Earth grew from 2,500 to 8,000. Mr. Vance estimates that over the next decade these companies will launch tens of thousands more. He talks about the positives and negatives of this new effort to dominate space.                Tune in at 8 pm & 11 pm or enjoy Q&A as a podcast.       The Weekly - Jewish American Heritage Month The month of May was established as Jewish American Heritage Month by Congress and President Bush in 2006. To mark Jewish American Heritage Month, in this latest episode of The Weekly, you'll hear representatives and senators from both parties give definitions of the Yiddish word "Chutzpah" and incorporate "Chutzpah" into their floor speeches. But with a twist. A twist you'll only get from this podcast: nobody speaking the Yiddish word "Chutzpah" is Jewish. Listen to C-SPAN's The Weekly.     About American History TV Explore our nation's past and discover the people and events that document the American story — Saturdays on C-SPAN2. Come along with American History TV to museums and historic sites. Watch archival speeches from former presidents and other national leaders. Visit classrooms, lectures and symposiums featuring professors and historians.  Every Saturday on C-SPAN2 starting at 8 am ET or online anytime at c-span.org/history.