full schedule on your program guide or watch online anytime at c-span.org/history. announcer: a healthy democracy doesn't just look like this. it looks like this. where americans can see democracy at work. when citizens are truly informed, our republic thrives. get informed straight from the source on c-span. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. from the nation's capitol, to wherever you are. the opinion that matters the most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-span, powered by cable. >> we are asking middle and high

school students to make a 5-6 minute video. what is the most important change would like to see in america? for over the past 20 years and what has been the most important change in america? as we do each year, we are giving away $100,000 in total prizes with a grand prize of $5,000 and every teacher who has students participate in this year's competition plus -- has the opportunity to share $50,000. the competition deadline is friday, ja 19, 2024. for information, visit studentcam.org. >> "washington journal" continues. host: welcome back. it's open forum and we will be taking your calls. just a quick programming note -- at 9:00 eastern time, the house will gavel in for a very brief pro forma session. we will take you there and then come right back to open forum.

you can continue to call in and stay on hold. i want to show you this, this is the news from yesterday, the detroit news --

>> this is fox news saying that rudy giuliani filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy after being ordered to pay $148 million. giuliani was ordered to immediately pay $148 million. we will go to your calls now. calls now, arlington, texas, democrat, good morning. caller: good morning. a great show and merry christmas to you and your staff and you

have a wonderful staff in the background. host: yes, we do. caller: i have two things. i wanted to ask your guest but we all know that trump is guilty in inciting this insurrection. he wanted to hang mike pence and he tried to force him to change the results of that. there is a poll recently about how many americans do not want trump to run again. americans are not stupid. we know what happened january 6. we know what the results were. he is guilty as charged. there were people who would not argue about that. i am worried about her democracy. -- about our democracy. bush versus gore went in the direction of bush because he

filled the courts with conservative judges. i'm not really optimistic in this particular instance that the courts filled by donald trump with conservative judges will rule against him. there is a lot of scholars out there who believe they can do the opposite, but the pattern has been -- i go to bush v gore. that's how president george bush became president of the united states because the courts ruled in his favor. there were other supreme courts that want to leave it to the voters but the reality is, the supreme court has changed things like that. i want to add my second comment to your last segment on the economy whether we are optimistic or pessimistic. i am optimistic by nature. i am an optimist about the economy. quite frankly, i am doing well and i retired at 69 years old but the reason is i saved 20% of

my paycheck. i didn't go to the vending machines where a can of soda pop was two dollars. when i went grocery shopping, i bought my items including my medication. quite frankly, my wife and i had a goal of paying off our house by 2029. we've been in the house about 12 years. we have not lived beyond their means. i go to a gas station and gas at the walmart is $2.24. host: baltimore, maryland, republican, good morning. caller: good morning, good to see you. i love it when you are hosting.

in august, 2020, nancy pelosi said there is no way we will let that man win. i can guarantee you. i promise you and god's green earth, there is no way we will let that man win," and my jaw dropped to the floor. she basically laid out what she would do and they would not play by the rules. i was like this is crazy and it happened. in my opinion, the only insurrection that happened should have been prevented by the marines and the navy seals. i don't know everything but this is my observation. when trump was in office, her border was secure, we were respected in the world. he came in as the commander-in-chief and the economy was good. right now, we will see the

effect of the obama administration sanctions against everybody in the world. the petrodollars or on the fence right now. we need to declare a national emergency on the border because it's crazy. we are being invaded. host: i wanted to say that i hadn't heard nancy pelosi saying that and i look to the eckley and i got this on cnn that this is from august, 23 2020 with this headline, plessy says she would accept the results if trump wins reelection. caller: i saw it live and her saying there is no way we will let that man win. i can guarantee you. i promise you on gods green earth we will not let that man win. i watched it live. i remember it like it was yesterday. the national emergency at the

border, i stopped watching mainstream corporate news. host >> this is the first time i have been on with you as moderator and you're doing an excellent job. i want to thank c-span. i want to make sure everyone listening a blessed christmas. i want to make a couple of comments here, regarding the woman who was on before, i want to make a suggestion that when you have a conversation going over such an important issue as this, that there would be a follow-up discussion with people that truly know constitutional law, like a jonathan turley or alan dershowitz. i want to make that suggestion. i also want to say something about when we have states in

this country that kind of go rogue or try out different things, what a lot of people don't understand is that we are the united states of america. and when you're dealing with important issues like a natural -- a national election, abortion, immigration, i think it is important that people understand that what one state can say can affect the entire country. this woman that was on before, ironically enough, she was describing donald trump and certain traits of his has being dictatorial, when in reality the man that we have in the white house right now is more of a dictator than any president in my lifetime. and i'm 75 years old. the bottom line is this, and then i will get off. we know now a lot of people in this country, that every attempt will be made to keep donald

trump from getting back into the white house. this is wrong. the american people should be making the decision on this. because it is so important. and we see what is going on now in this country, in many areas, especially the immigration area, and we need someone in there that is going to fight for us, and that is donald trump. thank you, and have a good day. host: you too. regarding the border, this is on axios. mike johnson, the speaker, urges biden to unleash executive actions on border security. it says that he is calling on president biden to take executive action to address securing the southern border, urging him to restart a series of policies embraced by the trump administration. he told biden in a letter first obtained by axios that significant action on the border must start with you. dave in spring hill florida,

democrat. hi, dave. caller: first of all, most of the aens that these people are complaining abt come in through the airports, and don't renew their visas and leave the country. does not solely people coming over the mexican border, anyway, winston churchill said that the best case against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. and when you consider thatome of these people who call into the show, with so much toxic hate and rage that are completely detached from reality are able to get into a voting booth, it's really no mystery how a crookepsychopath like trump can actually make it in the white house. that is the prlem. st the past few minutes you had callers who think ashli babbitt was just an innocent tourist at the capitol when she was crawling through broken window to get into the senate

chambers. you had one of them who thinks the world respected trump, when in reality the world sees trump as a malignant clown, who left half a million dead americans in morgues and refrigerator trucks when he was virtually dragged out of the white house kicking and screaming, and you just got one of them who makes up fictitious quotes from pelosi as he goes along, and he is still detached from reality. even though you read him the actual quote, so, we have millions of people in this country like that who should be forced to either repeat grammar school, or be committed to a psych ward, because i get there from donald trump. not from a rational judgment. not weather -- it is not really whether something complies with reality, it is whether something complies with a political ideology for them. whether something stands up to the test of truth, being true or

false. that is not even in the equation for them. the truth is dismissed as a liberal or democrat, or when you listen to a trump republican, for not five minutes, but for 30 seconds you realize that true or false doesn't even plan to the equation unless we devise a way to brainwash fools away from a voting booth. the grand experiment called america is doomed, i'm sorry to say. host: right, dave. bessie in delaware, republican. good morning, cassie. caller: how are you? i am not a brainwashed fool. so much for the rhetoric he doesn't like. i'm going to say the lady that was 75 years old that said you should bring on professor turley , he is a constitutional lawyer in georgetown. he knows the law. the lady that was on, kimberly,

does not understand that this issue with colorado has nothing to do with states rights. it is about constitutional law, 14th amendment, which has nothing -- does not involve state rights. it is a constitutional issue. so, i don't know. she teaches law, but how can she not know that. host: kathy, what do you think about the argument of keeping former president trump off the ballot, according to the section three of the 14th amendment? caller: if you bring professor turley on he will explain to you every single nuance of that constitutional issue. i am not aversed in constitutional law, but if you would please bring him on, and he will explain why in so many areas it does not apply to the situation with donald trump. one thing is that the party that

brought this suit in colorado used the information from the january 6 investigation by congress. well, that in itself is considered to be hearsay, because there has been no trial in colorado that designated donald trump as guilty of anything to do with the 14th amendment. you see, those of us out here who care about the law and listen about -- listen to all parties and understand what the 14th amendment is saying, we try to educate ourselves. everybody needs to do that. don't just listen to the mouthpiece that was on this morning, kimberly, who absolutely does not understand the 14th amendment. i'm just suggesting, you know, professor turley is truly, he's not going to represent any party or any political position.

he's just going to explain to you what the law is. so, that is my suggestion. host: happy holidays and merry christmas. here is a fox news article about professor turley. he says he is deeply troubled by colorado barring trump from the ballot and says it could be "incredibly destabilizing. here is john, an independent in maine. caller: hello. i was just calling about the founding fathers. i think both sides of the aisle have it wrong right now. they are allowing the biden crime family to allow that chinese balloon to spy on us. we have george santos out of the representatives and in tg inking she can do whatever she wants. that is all i have to say. host: ok. thomas, louisiana, line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning, mimi.

i think we have a problem with people seeing things fairly. every weekend we watch all kinds of sports. i have been involved with sports my entire life. and the ability of americans to look at the same play and get different calls is ridiculous. everybody knows trump, the 14th amendment, and section three says you don't have to be convicted of anything. you have to engage in insurrection. so, there does not have to be a trial. it is like a requirement. you have to be 35 or you have to be born in america and you have to not be engaged in insurrection. so, that is that.

but the next point is, what would donald trump have done with joe biden if his insurrection had, you know, won the day? you have the president elect sitting there, the vice president-elect sitting there, you have nancy pelosi and chuck schumer in the house and senate. so what was he going to do with those people if his insurrection had won the day? people need to really think about that, because we have been, you know, doing this thing with donald trump with kid gloves, hand not really thinking about the ramifications of, what if he had -- this insurrection had won the day? that's what i want people to think about. host: we will get one more call in from new york. kingsley, independent line. caller: hi.

thank you for having me. i really enjoy your program. first of all, i want to say dave, his analysis is amazing. he was absolutely right on all points. the thing is, i have been listening to the colorado decision. i listened to everyone and all of these other things. i hear from republicans saying, you know, we are letting judges decide who is on the ballot. it is the constitution. which they themselves say is really important. i find a lot of these callers are completely -- i don't want to say ignorant, but totally don't understand what the constitution says or what it is about. i have read the constitution several times. you know, when i was in school i took physics class, so i understand how a bill is made. so, i want to say, like, it is two different sides.

and i am a different -- and i am an independent. in the crafts want to work inside the law. they want to work with the institutions. they want to work with consensus. on the republican side, though, this idea that they are right, right over might, we are allowed and we will take over, and you are doing this, and it is like, they want to work outside the law. this guy, trump, he almost destroyed our nation. i am terrified. i have a 10-year-old and 11-year-old. i think about this every day. it's like, depression that if this guy gets back in congress he is going to totally destroy a 230 year experiment of self-governance. and i don't think people really understand this. like, sleepwalking through this thing.

this trump -- and i'm an independent, and many of my independent friends, we are not stupid. we watched january 6 on tv. like, i understand we are not stupid. anyone that says that he is good for this country, and that we prospered, a half a million people died of covert under his watch. host: that's going to be the last word because we are out of time for this segment. but up next on "washington journal" is lindsay rosa, vice president of conservation research at defenders of wildlife. it is the 50th anniversary of the endangered species act. stay with us. ♪

>> today watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail, a weekly roundup of campaign coverage, providing a one-stop shop to discover where the candidates are traveling across the country and what they are saying to voters. this, along with first-hand accounts from c-span.org, or down c-span now, our free mobile app, or braver you get your podcasts. c-span. your unfiltered view of politics. ♪ >> c-span's studentcam documentary competition is back, celebrating 20 years, but this year's theme, and ford by considering the past. we are asking middle and high school students to create a

video addressing one of these questions. in the next 20 years what is the most important change he would like to see in america checkup war, over the past 20 years what has been the most important change in america checkup as we do each year, we are giving away 100,000 dollars in total prizes, with a grand prize of $5,000. and every teacher who has students participate as the opportunity to share a portion of an additional $50,000. the competition deadline is friday, j 19th, 2024. for information, visit our website at studentcams.org. ♪ >> next week book tv's afterwards is in prime time. a program where nonfiction authors are interviewed by journalists, legislators, and more on their latest book. on monday night talk eat editor

with her book "the death of public schools, go -- schools," and she is joined by mariah. watch afterwards all next week. in primetime and 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. also, go to c-span.org to get the complete schedule. >> a healthy democracy does not just look like this. it looks like this. where americans can see democracy at work. when citizens are truly were -- truly informed, our republic drives. get informed, straight from the source, on c-span. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word from the nation's capital, to wherever you are. because the opinion that matters the most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-span. powered by cable. >> "washington journal" continues. host: welcome back to

"washington journal." we are joined by lindsay rosa, vice president of conservation research and innovation at the defenders of wildlife. welcome to the program. guest: thank you. host: let's start with defenders of wildlife. tell us about the mission and how it is funded. guest: defenders of wildlife, that is what we do, that is who we are. we defend wildlife. our mission and goal is to attacked all native plant and animal species in their natural habitats. so, really, we are here to help, you know, keep nature as healthy as possible by protecting its very foundation, the wildlife, the plants. host: how do you do that? guest: how do we do that? there is quite a varied toolbox we have. anything from working to defend species and the endangered species act in the courts, to working with congressman on the

hill, and to doing research to help fill in some of the knowledge gaps in conservation and help us work out in the field on the ground with state agencies, with private landowners to ensure that we continue to share this land and our landscapes with the wildlife that also lived there. host: and how are you funded? guest: we are represent 2.2 million supporters, members and different partners who are helping us in this fight. host: next week on the 28th of december marks 50 years since president nixon signed the endangered species act. i have actually got a picture of that right here. this is from december 28, 1973. richard nixon signing that. so, tell us about that.

the endangered species act, and why it was enacted and what does it do? guest: the endangered species act 50 years ago today, it is pretty remarkable, was something that was supported most unanimously in both the house and senate, past and put into law december 28, 1973, and really its main purpose is to prevent the extinction of species, help those who are listed as endangered or threatened to recover to the point where they no longer need the protections of the act, and really bring together this -- all of us, right? my five-year-old likes to say teamwork makes the dream work. the esa is that at heart. all of the different federal agencies are supposed to use what is in their powers to help ensure that we continue to keep some of these species from going extinct.

so that they are around for future generations. host: and how does the legislation to that? how does it present -- present -- prevent endangered species and how does a species get on that list? guest: there are a number of protections that are -- that go along with the act. once the species are listed under the endangered species act as endangered or threatened they are listed under there. it goes through a process of a listing petition, and then there is best available science used to determine whether or not that species needs the protections of the endangered species act. those protections ensure that there is not, you know, unwarranted take of a species. that means killing, harming, harassing any of these species. it is through other actions that

agencies may take on, that private companies may take on in development. host: if you would like to ask our guest a question or comment about the endangered species act, or wildlife conservation, you can do that on our lines by region. if you are in the eastern or central time zones the number is (202) 748-8000 if you are in mountain and pacific. you can call us on (202) 748-8001. i'm going to put it on the screen. a couple of the tenants of the endangered speesct. it establishes protections for fish, wildlife, and plants listed as threatened or endanger, ovides for adding and removing species to endangered species list, and prepares and implements recovery plans for endangered species lists. those protections also provide for interagency cooperation, take a list of species, and for issuing permits for

otherwise-prohibited activities. how is that law enforced? so, if somebody were to harm plants or animals on that list, what happens? guest: yeah, so, there are two main services charged with helping and forcing the endangered species act. the u.s. fish and wildlife service is one, and the national marine fisheries service is another. and so, when an agency is going to take on an activity or find an activity that may end up in taking a species or harming its critical habitat, they need to go through a consultation process with one of these services. to really come up with a plan for, if that is a possibility, how can they best medicate and ensure that they are not going to, you know, to the species to

a point where it is jeopardizing their existence? host: we talked about getting on the list. how does a species get off the list? guest: a species gets off the list once it is -- once it has recovered. a major part of the endangered species act is ensuring that we are keeping species from going any further toward the brink of extinction. but another key part of this act is taking proactive measures to ensure that we are recovering a species. moving them away from extinction , and ensuring that we can take them off the list. in a way that, you know, when they no longer need those protections of the act. of course unfortunately another way you can be taken off the list is if you are declared extinct by the fish and wildlife service or the national marine fisheries service. host: staying on the positive side, how do you define a species being recovered? at what point do you say, yeah, that one is good, take them off the list? guest: one of the strong

foundations of the endangered species act and what makes it so successful today is, it is based on the best available science. so, in making these kinds of decisions and listing a species, and many other decisions implement it through the endangered species act, they are using the best available science in making those decisions and implementing them. so, talking to experts. understanding what the science is saying about these populations, and whether they are increasing, decreasing, and to what point they have actually reached recovery. host: i'm going to show on the screen, currently listed species. currently there is 505 endangered animals, 237 threatened animals, 760 seven endangered plants, and 174 threatened plants. i think about the endangered

species act i don't think about plants. guest: yeah, actually plants take over half of that. and if you think about it, plants are, you know, the foundation of ourecosystem. and really the building blocks and talked -- part of those food cycles and interactions necessary for many of the other species and wildlife that are existing in these ec

>> 85% of gaza population have been forced from their homes. the health system is on its knees. hospitals are barely operational. the deathly silence of a hospital with no medication for sick and injured patients. widespread famine looms. more than half a million people,

they quarter of the population are facing catastrophic levels of hunger. 4-5 of the angriest people anywhere in the world -- of the hungriest people anywhere in the world are in gaza. water is critical. they have acces to 10% of the water they need. it is little wonder many people cannot wait for humanitarian distributions and are grabbing whatever they can from aid trucks. public order is at risk of breaking down. humanitarian veterans, we have served in war zones and disasters around the world, people who have seen everything, tell me they have seen nothing like they have seen today in gaza.

israel began its military operation in response to the horrific attacks launched by hamas on october 7. nothing can justify those attacks or the abduction of 250 hostages. i repeat my call for all remaining hostages to be released immediately, unconditionally. nothing can justify the continued firing of rockets from gaza at civilian targets in israel or using civilians as human shields. same time, these violations of international humanitarian law can never justify the collective punishment of the palestinian people. ladies and gentlemen of the press, many people are measuring the effectiveness of the humanitarian operation in gaza

based on the number of trucks from the red cross, u.n. and other partners that have been allowed across the border. this is a mistake. the real problem is the way israel is conducting offensives is creating massive obstacles to the distribution of aid inside gaza. an effective aid operation in gaza requires security, staff can work in safety, logistical capacity and resumption of commercial activity. these elements do not exist. first, security. we are providing aid in a war zone. the intense israeli bombardment in densely populated urban areas throughout gaza threaten the lives of civilians and humanitarian workers alike.

we waited 71 days for israel to allow aid to enter gaza. the crossing was then hit wh ile aid trucks were in the area. second, staff who can live and work in safety. 136 colleagues in gaza have been killed in 75 days, something we have never seen in the history of the u.n. nowhere is safe in gaza. i honor the women and men who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and the thousands of workers who are risking their health and lives in gaza as i speak. multiple staff have been forced from their homes, all of them spend each day struggling to survive and support their families. it is a miracle they have been

able to continue working, under these conditions. yet, those same colleagues are suspending operations in southern gaza to support people living there while trying to assist the flood of displaced people who arrived from the north with nothing. they're currently providing aid in the south, doing their best to reach the north despite huge challenges, namely security. in these appalling conditions, they cannot meet their needs. third, logistics. every truck that arrives must be unloaded and cargo reloaded for distribution across gaza.

we have a limited number of trucks available. many of our vehicles were destroyed or left following the evacuation from the north. israeli authorities have not allowed additional trucks to operate in gaza. this is massively hampering the aid operation. delivering in the north is extremely dangerous due to active conflict, unexploded ordnance and heavily damaged drones. everywhere, frequent communication blackouts make it impossible t coordinate distribution of aid and to let people know how to access it. fourth, the resumption of commercial activity is essential. wallets are empty, stomachs are empty. one bakery is operating in the whole of gaza.

lesson restrictions on commercial activity immediately. we are ready to help vulnerable families. in gaza, there is little to buy. ladies and gentlemen of the media, in the circumstances described, the humanitarian cease-fire is the only way to begin to meet the desperate needs of people in gaza and end their ongoing nightmare. i hope today's resolution may help that finally to happen but much more is needed immediately. looking at the longer-term, i'm disappointed by comments by senior israeli officials that put the two state solution into question. as difficult as it might appear today, but two state solution in line with u.n. resolution,

international law and previous agreements is the only path to sustainable peace. any suggestion otherwise denies human rights, hope and dignity to the palestinian people, fueling rage far beyond gaza. it also denies a safe future for israel. the spillover is happening. the occupied west bank is a boiling point. daily exchanges of fire between lebanon and israel pose a great risk to regional stability. attacks and threats to shipping on the red sea by the houthis in yemen, potentially affect global supply chains. beyond the immediate region, the conflict is polarizing communities, fueling extremism and hate speech. all this poses a growing threat to global peace and security.

as the conflict intensifies and the horror grows, we will continue to do our part. we will not give up. at the same time, it's imperative international communities speak with one voice for peace, for the protection of civilians, for an end to suffering and for a commitment to the two state solution backed with action. thank you. >> thank you very much, inspector general. it has been over two weeks since you invoked article 99. until today, the security council has failed to act. this resolution calls for aid but does not join your call for a cease-fire. were you hoping for more urgency on the part of the council? >> of course.

i was hopeful. that doesn't mean things happen according to hope. in any case today, you can see the glass as half-full or half-empty. i hope today's resolution will make people understand a humanitarian cease-fire is something needed if we want aid to be effective and delivered. >> secretary-general, on behalf of npr, the resolution calls for both sides to allow unhindered, safe delivery of aid. we know the status about israel's role. in terms of hamas, how significant is their control, not allowing access to aid to the people? >> we have condemned all

violations of international humanitarian law, by hamas in relation to civilian shields or the rockets sent to israel, and the violations done by israel, these relentless bombardment and the fact that this is unprecedented in all conflicts. obviously, that is why a cease-fire is needed. to stop all obstacles coming from wherever they come from, a humanitarian cease-fire. reporter: how significant is hamas' denial of access to aid? is it minor? medium? >> it's one of the contributions that we have taken into account. it is not the measured factor

when you look at the situation in gaza. >> wish you and your family a happy holiday. >> happy holiday too. reporter: thank you. my question involves hamas. do you realistically think a viable sustainable two state solution is possible as long as hamas exists? with their threat to repeat october 7 over and over again? what is your thought that israel has offered a seven-day pause to allow the release of more hostages and aid into gaza but hamas has flatly turned that down, they are demanding a complete and permanent cease-fire. thank you. >> first of all, i believe we need a humanitarian cease-fire. that has been what i believed.

of course, we are favorable to any pause that can lead to improvement in aid and the exchange of prisoners. negotiations are taking place. i've been actively in contact with qatar, egypt and others and i hope negotiations will be able to lead to a new opportunity for the release of hostages. it's very clear. announcer: we seem to have lost our signal from this live event. we work to solve the issue and hope to resume live coverage shortly.

>> that is why we manage an agreement. it's important to have spirit of compromise. the first question is important. we believe the legitimate representative of the palestinian people is the palestinian authority and what we want to see is the creation of conditions that will allow the palestinian authority to assume responsibilities in gaza. in our opinion, the solution to allow for the two state solution to become reality.

reporter: what is the current situation -- do you plan to communicate with russian officials or vladimir putin? >> we have been in contact with both sides, trying to explore new forms. i don't think the repetition of a grain deal would make sense. i'm a strong believer, if we were able to have conditions for medication in the black sea -- [indiscernible] reporter: a broader question. it seems like in '23, it is chaotic. two conflicts going on. the mpg's further.

the u.n. and you yourself have been put into pressure. where is the silver lining? what kind of hope you see for 2024? >> in the u.n., we have an important process taking place for the future. the summit of the future, i hope it will be possible for us to agree on a new agenda for peace, with a moralistic approach for prevention. we had an important victory, after many years, which i'm fighting for the need to have peace enforcing operations done by our african partners, the african union, which mandates by the security council, it was possible to have a resolution that creates the possibility of

funding at 75%, it was one of the key elements. there are many others. on the other hand, we have already, we will be publishing i believe today, the report of our high-level panel on ai. i hope it will be possible to have some form of network covenants -- governance of ai, with flexibility taking into account situations around the world, but that will create more opportunities for ai to be a force for good and minimize the risks for ai. i hope to see the u.n. in the center of the effort. we have simultaneously, a number of other important questions on the table, in which member states will be able to take decisions in relation to participation of youth and

future generations in decision-making, to the international financial system and the security council. independently, i see there is a dynamic effort within the u.n. to look seriously into the need to reform and to make it multilaterally more effective in a world that is becoming more multipolar. so i am very optimistic about the work that can be done within u.n. knowing that, some of these crises will be difficult to overcome. thank you. reporter: c-span, your unfiltered view of government,

we are funded by these tv companies and more, including cox. >> it's extremely rare. >> hi! >> friends don't have to be. when you are connected, you are not alone. reporter: announcer: cox supports c-span, giving you a front row seat to democracy. ♪ announcer: today, watch 2024 campaign trails, a weekly round of campaign coverage, providing a one-stop shop to discover where candidates are traveling and what they are saying to voters, this along with firsthand accounts from reporters, fundraising data and campaign ads. watch the campaign trail, today at 7:00 eastern on c-span, online at www.c-span.org or download the podcast on c-span

now. c-span, youunfiltered view of politics. announcer: this month, watch the best of q&a. sunday, prosperity gospel scholar kate boomer talks about her memoir, everything happens for a reason. kate boler, sunday night at 8:00 eastern on q&a. listen to q&a and our podcasts on our free c-span now app. announcer: all next week, foot tv's afterwards in primetime, where nonfiction authors are interviewed on their latest books. monday night, 8 p.m. eastern, cara fitzpatrick with her book,

the death of public school, looking at the future of education in america. watch afterwards, all next week, in primetime at 8 p.m. eastern on c-span. go to www.c-span.org for the complete schedule. ♪ announcer: in partnership with the library of congress, c-span brings you books that shaped america, exploring key works of literature that have had an impact on the country. in this program, the first

autobiography of frederick douglass. published 1845, the narrative of the life of frederick douglass details his early life as a slave on a maryland plantation, his learning to read and working in baltimore, and eventual escape from slavery to the north as a young adult. one of several memoirs he wrote, this narrative was an anti-slavery treatise, bestseller and further the cause of abolition. for many readers outside the south, this book may have been their first introduction to the realities of slavery. throughout his life, frederick douglass worked toward ending slavery as a writer, orator and statesman and the power of his presence was captured in a newly minted medium. he was one of the most photographed individuals of the century. >> books throughout our history

have influenced who we are today. in partnership with the library of congress, this series explores different eras, topics and viewpoints. we are glad you are joining us for this walk-through history. far we have looked at the foundations of america through the eyes of thomas payne's common sense and the federalist papers, the expansion of america with the expedition of lewis and clark in the west and tonight the year is 1845 and the book is the narrative of the life of frederick douglass. it is a book that had a major impact on the abolitionist cause. this evening, edna green medford historian, author and longtime professor at howard university here in washington, d.c. welcome back to c-span. >> delighted to be here. >> the year is 1845. six years before the start of

the civil war. what was the country like? >> it was an interesting time to say the least. the country was becoming more divided even at that point even though we are quite a bit of distance away from the civil war. the country is divided and the reason is because slavery has either ended or is gradually ending. for the most part it has ended in 1840 five in the north but it has not in the south. it has gotten stronger in the south. the south is determined it is going to expand its holdings in slavery. it once the western territories and so abolitionism becomes even more militant. by 1825 -- 18 between nine, you had david walker writing to the enslaved population saying rise up and slay your masters. in 1831 have net turner and his

rebellion in southampton county, virginia. you have william lloyd garrison, publishing the liberator at that time. and so things are heating up. so before this period, southerners agreed slavery was a necessary evil. they recognize it as people but it was a necessary evil. i the 1830's and by the time the book is published in 1845, they are calling slavery a positive good. the abolitionists are wishing that much harder against that kind of nonsense. douglass's book exposes the hardships of slavery in a way no one had before. it is important to come from him because he is someone who has witnessed it firsthand. >> the narrative of the life of frederick douglass is published. what was its immediate impact at that time? prof. medford: it was explosive.

he was able to sell quite a few copies immediately by the time of the civil war in about 15 years. 30,000 copies had been sold. there were nine additions it had gone through. the north was all about it. the south was furious about it because they felt douglass had exaggerated what slavery was about. it showed white northerners what slavery really was. they could only imagine it because most of them had never seen slavery. they had never gone to the south. they had not witnessed the endless they were in place like southern ohio and they sell people trying to come across. but it showed once and for all the horrors of slavery, the separation of families, the race mixing, the rotella t of men and women and it was the kind of -- the brutality of men and women and it was a kind of thing northerners could not ignore. it was before harriet beecher

stowe's uncle tom's cabin. it is a way of introducing white americans in the north to the horrors of slavery. it is as much about abolitionism , as much about supporting the abolitionist cause as it is about telling, about douglass's life. >> was it available in the south? prof. medford:prof. medford: if it was available and the south, no one would ever have admitted they had a copy. i that time, the south was not receptive to anyone talking negatively about slavery. by the 1830's, they had been able to pass a gag rule in congress preventing any more petitions from coming to congress because people were becoming very agitated about what was happening in the country. slavery, they understood, was causing a problem. it would not have been something

that would have been readily available in the south. i had no doubt people would have had copies but they would've done so clandestinely. >> narrative of the life of frederick douglass was published on may 1 come 45y william lloyd garrison. we will talk autim. 5000 copies sold whin four months within a population of 20 million. that was a pretty big printer run 30,000 copies sold by 1860. it was the first of his three autobiographies. our partner in this endeavor, books that shaped america, is the library of congress. that is the organization that came up with the original 100 books that shaped america. we chose 10 from that. they have an original copy from 1845 of the narrative of the life of frederick douglass. as it says there, written by himself. library of congress describes it as one of the best written and

most widely read narratives of a formerly enslaved person. a strong testament for the need to abolish slavery. how did he write it? prof. medford: it is interesting. it seems what he is including, he had talked about in his lectures. i this time he had traveled all over the north having antislavery lectures and he talked about his life. some of what is in the book is a repeat of what he had already talked about in those lectures. he is talking about his early life, what it meant to be a child enslaved on the eastern shore of maryland. he talked about what it was like to be in an urban environment versus a rural environment. he talked about the hypocrisy of christianity which is really fascinating in the book. one of the more interesting parts i think and the strongest arguments against slavery.

he talked about separation. he talked about friendships and relationships that were forged during slavery. he talks about longing for freedom. he was the ideal person to write a book like this because he was so passionate about his desire to see everyone free. >> we have a book like this because he was so passionate about his desire to see everyone free. >> we have mentioned talbot county, maryland, baltimore and theirationship geographically to washington, d.c. here is the map of that. his birth name was fre bailey. why did he change his name? prof. medford:randmother's name was bailey. she was betsy bailey. he was born frederick augustus washington bailey. he changed his name because when

he went north, he wanted to make sure he could not be traced to where he had taken refuge. because slaveholders went after their enslaved laborers when they ran away. when he got to new york, he realized he had already changed his name -- i think he was traveling under the name of stanley because he had siemens papers with the name stanley on it. he then later changed his name to johnson. when he got to new bedford, there were too many johnson's in the community and so things were rather confused so he changed it to douglass and he kept that name for the rest of his life. >> what was his life like in the first years in talbot county? prof. medford: as a child in talbot county, he talked about not having to work hard for the first seven years of his life because he was a child he talks about the hunger.