brief and/or recast as a more legitimate form of running the same program that is what has happened. renditions continue under president obama. to the nation has been normalized as a central component not the we have not had that before but normalise by this president of what is called america's national security policy. . .

talking about her most recent book the swan on the women of texas. live coverage of the national book festival in washington d.c. on booktv on c-span2. >> to support early childhood literacy and increase company volunteerism. through the program more than 1 million books have been red and donated to pre-kindergarten through second grade classroom libraries across the country. the search has shown that these years provide a crucial window of opportunity to establish a foundation for future success. while we are not teaching children to read, we are teaching them to learn to love to read. in addition to our reading first program we gave away 1500 bucks

to children at last year's national book festival from our reading first kits and we hope to give away even more this year. for more than 160 years wells fargo has been working with our customers and communities to help them succeed financially. in 2012 wells fargo invested a total of $315 million and over 19,000 non-profits. at wells fargo we recognize the importance and significance of supporting organizations that are working to build healthier lives and strengthen our local communities. it's a common fact that a community prospers when its businesses thrive. housing is available and affordable, schools offer high-quality education and residents have access to hospitals banks and other services.

wells fargo helps that happened in many ways and our involvement extends far beyond being a leading provider of financial services. thank you for allowing us to be part of this special celebration again this year. we are honored to be here and look forward to this weekend's festivities. now before i relinquish the podium i would like to introduce carlos lozano. the "washington post" sunday section or opinion and analysis debates and reviews. i read it every weekend if you don't i wish he would. please welcome carlos fasano. [applause] >> good morning and on behalf of the library of congress the

library of congress were looking into the 2013 national book festival. as pete mentioned i am the editor of the outlook section of the post. the post is a charter sponsor the festival and has been since it began 12 years ago. our first author here in the history of biography pavilion has made a habit of writing about strong trailblaztrailblazing history in making american women and she should know being one herself. it is my great honor to introduce kay bailey hutchison a three term senator from texas in the first woman elected to the senate from the lone star state. she is not a big fan of that first woman to ever do x, y or z theme. she wants to make that qualifier a rock band so leading ladies an american heroin she is chronicled the achievements of american women all matter of fields from business to science to politics theory series of finally told profiles and portraits. no history can be written apart

really she has written without acknowledging the park women have played in building the greatness of our country. in her latest book "unflinching courage" she has come full circle telling the stories of pioneering women that hailed from the state she has served for so many years. azeris viewer for the "dallas morning news" this is a book that is clearly closest to her heart. there'll be time for for questions after remarks or you can approach the microphones here and also i should inform you that the presentations are being filmed from the library of congress's web site in their archives and we are also on c-span so be on your best behavior. also our author will be signing books today from 11:3212:30. please join in me in welcoming senator kay bailey hutchison. [applause] >> thank you so much and thank you for coming out early to start getting the flavor of this wonderful treasure that the

library of congress puts on for our country and especially our children and our booklovers. i'm so happy. this is my third presentation. as carlos mentioned i have written two books about american women trailblazers and i think alexis de tocqueville started out talking about the women of america in his famous trip here in the 1700's. he said when it gets down to the end -- this is a paraphrase -- when it gets down to the end i would say the most important attribute of this great country is the superiority of their women. [applause] he talked about that they had strong opinions and that men listen to them. so i thought that was a great getting, knowing that those

earliest women showed a spark that was different, showed in independents and the resilience. my first two books were about the american women who broke barriers in the different fields. i was able to do the first women who made the start at getting into a field whether it was journalism or athletics or aviation or politics or education and then i was able to interview the women who were still breaking barriers in the same field. so as an example in american heroin's my first book i read about margaret chase smith as the earliest trailblazer and went into the senate on her own and winning and that i was able to interview madeleine albright condoleezza rice and sandra day o'connor who was still breaking barriers in the field of

statesmanship in politics. then after my first two books with my wonderful publisher harpercollins, they said well would you like to write another book lacks then i came into the great state that i represent, texas. the role of women in history generally has been less on the market than the great men who have saddled our nation as well as our state of texas and so i thought i'm going to do something am basically 19th century texas women. and it was for a couple of reasons. number one of course you know i love my state. number two though, there is something special about texas and i believe that spirit of texas was created in the 19th century. there has been a lot of talk i know about texas and as i came

into the national scene and the senate i would see people world their eyes when we talked about how great texas was or how big we wear or how important we were. so i got used to that as well. i thought you know there is something different about us. some people like it and some people really don't but there is a spark. there is a spirit. i wanted to continue my insistence that women be included in history by writing about the texas spirit that our history is different. we are the only nation that fought for our independence and became a nation. we fought for independence from mexico and we were part of mexico in the early 1800's and that revolution and the women

who were there during the revolution really showed a resilience. but there was something else with the revolution and later the trail drives and the branching and the settling of far west texas, harsh land, harsh conditions. there was a spirit both really not only resilience but a positive attitude, a a happiness comes at a gaiety that has been passed through our generations thank goodness to give us a kind of a spark that i think is special. i will quote from a couple of people about texas. someone said yet another person has made that very tough decision with learning their company was moving to texas, the hard decision about whether to move or throw themselves in

front of a runaway train. [laughter] then there is molly ivins who is a dear friend of mine. she broke the mold after molly ivins and she said i dearly love the state of texas but eyes consider this a harmless perversion which i only discuss with consenting adults. so i know we are controversial but i wanted to go back and look at that beginning. in the early 1800's it was part of mexico and the women who came to texas where basically gentile southern women. they were educated. they had refinement. they had quality of life that was pretty good and they married husbands who were adventurers. now why would men from the east coast and the southern states that were already in the united

states, why would they come to america -- i mean come to texas when it was so primitive and pretty open and pretty lawless. here is why. because back then so many of the young men were -- families with a lot of kids a lot voice and girls. there were 10 kids and even if they had a good life it wasn't going to be much to be passed down. hulu were a free land is what really brought the men and the adventurers because if you moved to texas back then when they were just getting started and they were trying to encourage people to come from america into this part of mexico you got free land. as long as you would farm it and use it, you were able to keep that free land.

these southern belles came with their hearty husbands and what they found was stark reality. there was nothing there. there were as harsh, harsh weather, no houses whatsoever. certainly no furniture and so i have a couple of quotes from letters that were written and things that were said back then. my great great grandfather grandmother was one of the southern belles. her father was the governor tennessee and she married her young husband who just graduated from medical school and they moved to saint augustine texas. it was pretty primitive back then that she wrote this letter that just touched my heart. out in this new country she was

writing to her sister. out in this new country i see no one but strangers. they are the kindest people i have ever met. the society is as good as any portion of tennessee. there seems to be as much refinement as you meet with at any. there is no such thing as fine houses or furniture. they have very comfortable houses but you can't get furniture. you are too far from navigation to get such things. at the time we make the money they will navigate the river. then we can get the little notions we need. if i had them in tennessee i would have thought the house that occupy would not do it all. we live in a small house with two rooms and a passage. it doesn't even have a plank laid overhead but with all its inconveniences we are getting

along finally. i mean, just that positive spirit that shows in a new place where there was really nothing. another book was written by mary austin holly. we are talking 1831 here. her cousin is considered the father of texas was trying to encourage people to come from the east and settled. he encouraged his cousin to come from north carolina and go back and write a book that would encourage people to think this was a great land of promise. and she did. she was actually taken with texas in the time that she spent here and this is what she wrote. it is not uncommon for ladies to mount their mustangs and hunt with their husbands to ride long distances on horseback to attend it all with their silk dresses

in their saddlebags. hardy, free spirits and spontaneous gaiety are induced and continue a rich legacy to their children who it is to be hoped will sufficiently value the blessing not to squander it away in their eager search for luxuries and refinements of life. so you saw in 1831 that spark that said you know things are tough. it's hard but they are presenting a gaiety in their society that is so exciting and so much fun. you read about -- two of the chapters are about sam houston because sam houston was the commander-in-chief of the war with mexico for independence and he had already been governor of tennessee. he left tennessee after

something happened that has never been really discovered by the historians. that was a disastrous marriage. he married a young beautiful girl eliza allen and something terrible happened. it was so bad that he resign the governorship of tennessee and left. he went and lived where he had lived several times in his life and was actually a great help to him when he came to texas and understood when there was trouble because of course when the settlers moved in the indians way of life was being severely disrupted. but he understood the indians and loved the indians and considered himself an indian in many ways.

when he came to texas he became an immediate hero because he did have a military background. he had fought in the war with the indians but he had a special character. he is in the bluer of texas he is really the most famous and became one of the first senators from texas. when sam houston came to texas he had this glorious past. he married margaret houston and they had so much correspondence because he was gone so much of the time. he was gone to start writing the parameters of the new republic of texas after he won the battle of san jacinto. he was part of the leadership of texas and the texas became a republic. they were a republic for 10 years and he was one of the leaders and then became one of the first two senators. he and margaret were married and there were two chapters on them

because they wrote so much. this was a godsend for historians because it told about life and told about the early struggles of texas but margaret was very quiet and very shy really. she didn't even accompany general houston when he became governor and he was president of the republic at one point. she didn't even go to austin with them very much because she was very shy. she had the same wit and determination. she was an alabama girl and she met houston after he had won the battle of san jacinto when he was coming to alabama and came to the home of her brother. after she had her second child she had a tumor in her rest and it became very painful. he was a shinkman and she didn't want to trouble him so she reached out to his best friend who was a yale educated

physician who was also in the revolution and also a great friend and she said i know there is something growing and it's very painful and i feel that we need to do something about it. he came to see her and he agreed. we need to do something. i'm not the best qualified but i'm going to come back in a couple of weeks with a surgeon and we will take this out. she wrote sam houston and she said you know i am in pain and i'm going to have a little surgery. it's going to be quick. it will take two minutes and not to worry. she had the operation to take out the tumor and because she had been so strong with her husband sam that he not drink she refused to take the alcohol that doctors smith was urging

her to dull the pain and she refused to take it and asheville smith wrote to sam houston and said she took it like a soldier. she bet on a coin and endured this. she survived and had more children and she had a very long and regular life. of course no anesthetic and she had that amazing resilience just like those girls that came in. thomas rest who was the editor for the senator of texas -- he was actually the secretary of war. he and sam houston were best friends, wanted and they were both elected by the texas legislators to be the first after texas came into the union

that i'm going to digress for a moment and say that texas did come into the united states first under a treaty because we were a nation of course in the treaty was signed but they couldn't get that two-thirds vote in the senate to ratify it. it took too long to let texas into the united states. well, john quincy adams who had come back to the house of representatives by then after being president filibustered the entry of texas into the united states for days on and, every day he filibustered until finally he was worn out and then texas came into the united states by one vote in the house

and one vote in the senate. so i like to tell my friends in texas when i'm going back that we have been fighting in the senate for texas that it's not you that don't love this in washington. thomas rusk was the first senator along with sam houston and because they were in the revolution i thought he wrote something in the report to the president of the new republic about the battle that the kid told the tale of the greatness of texas women. he said the men of texas deserve much credit but more was due to the women. orange man facing a foe could not but be brave but the women with their children are browned them without means of defense or power to resist face danger and death with unflavored --

unflinching courage. that is the name of the book, "unflinching courage" because it was true that they face the perils of settling texas with so many obstacles. they feared that the mexican army was coming into the east and they fled and in what was called the runaway scrape. many of their children die. mike great great grandmother was going toward louisiana. all four of her living children died and were dead by that time. when she came back her husband was signing the texas declaration of independence so he was the bin there. she was struggling by herself. they came back and were reunited and had nine more children. these hardy women did their part and it was a life that they

embraced and loved. moving on from the revolution of the republic the next biggest challenge was the settling of the west. that is where there was nothing, utterly nothing. at least in the eastern part of texas they had trees so they could tilt the log cabins and have a place with a roof over their heads but when they got out to west texas there weren't very many trees. we talked about harsh land. there are places where there is just nothing but grass. there might be hills. we do have mountains in the far west but to actually settle and a place these women were going out and this is where the indian raids became much more prominent the indians were being moved out of their land and especially the cherokee about much has been

written were very harsh. i mean the comanches. the cherokees were not actually harsh but the comanches were. the comanches would brutalize these families that were out there basically with no means of defense. they would kill women, old people. they would kill children. one woman who was captured and the great historian wrote that the ones that were killed were the lucky ones because the ones who were captured were really terrorized. one woman wrote and lived to write about her time and she talked about the fact that she was 18 when she was captured. she was pregnant. the indians let her have the baby and then they killed the baby in front of her and threw it in her lap. that was the kind of harshness

when they started going out west. but here again we are talking now 18 50's, 60's and 70's. the women were so resilient and amazingly so in the face of such harsh conditions. one of the women who lose a set where and started also even going on the trail drives with their husbands -- now the trail drives, once you are out in west texas you are raising cattle but you had to get the cattle to market to make the money so that you could keep building. the trail drives would go on these famous old historic trails like the chisholm trail. many of these trails would go on horseback covered wagon and the cattle would be moved on foot from texas, sometimes south

texas all the way to kansas, go missouri or colorado. it would take months and the women come because someone dared to go with their husbands. one of those women was eliza bunsen johnson. this was lyndon johnson's grandmother. i didn't know about her although she was in the cairo boats but i have not dwelt on that part of these wonderful caro books about lyndon johnson. lucy johnson was giving me and my children a tour of the johnson ranch which is a national park and a national historic preservation area. lucy was giving us a tour of the house that they had grown up in and was part of that branch. she talked about her

great-grandmother who have been out there and johnson county in johnson city in that area, and how she had survived an indian raid in their home by hiding under the house and putting a rug over the trap door that she had gone under and putting a diaper and her baby's mouth so that the baby would cry. she heard the indians come and. they were throwing her china at the wall, breaking her wedding presents that were china and she stayed down there and then she heard them leave and take the horses outside. then she heard footsteps back in and her husband was crying out loud thinking that she had been taken or killed. so she opened the trap door and came out. lucy told me the story and she

said now this is what was passed down so don't take my word for it because i jumped on it. i had already finished the book but i said oh, gosh, she should he and the book. she is exactly the kind of woman that i want to be in the book. so i went back and did verify all the things that lucy had said and a lot of it was in the caro books. it was also a letter we found in a research written by one of the young cowboys that had been put on the payroll to help with the trail drives and he wrote to his father. this was 1871 now and he was on the trail drives to kansas and he wrote to his father calmed the eye and the hero of our camp. writing out with mrs. johnson some eight miles in advance of the train i shot a deer. well come to if they were

eight miles in front that means they were the scouts which was the most dangerous part of the trail drive. she had done that and she was written about in a book about the women of that era. it said eliza taunton was gently reared. she was another one of those gentile southern women who had come from the east but she took to frontier life like the heroin that she was. she often saw horses in the pens near the house with arrows sticking in their flanks. there was another of the great women that came forward. two other women in this chapter were women that presided over famous ranches. at one point the king ranch was the largest ranch in the world. it started in texas with a hard

drinking ship captain who met this lovely southern girl whose father was a preacher who had come into south texas to be a preacher. her parents were horrified that she would consider this uncouth man. she was in love and they got married and of course her influence on richard king was great because she stopped the harsh drinking -- i can't say that she stopped at all but she did stop enough of it to make him the productive person that he was. she refined him in many ways but she started her life as the -- of the greatest branch in the world. she started her life in a mud huts because there were no trees out there with which to build a log cabin. she was happy in her mud hut and

talked about what a wonderful honeymoon they had and the times that they were able to ride out together. that mud hut of which there is a picture in the king ranch archives didn't even have room for her kitchen utensils so they were all hung outside. that again shows that great resilience of these women who came in and really much to their own influence helped shape their men into the successes that they were. i and the book with the transition to the 20th century with another woman that i revere , who did so much to blaze the trail for women. she was born in 1905 but she was the woman who actually started the wax at the request of

general george marshall. when the war was just heating up in the late 30s, 1941 george marshall said to her because she had been volunteering in the run-up to the war, he said i want you to give me the things that women can do that will take the men and put them in combat and we can have desk jobs done by the women and let them be a part of this effort. she loved that. she drew up the things that she said that the women could do which were 236 functions and then she'd gave him a list of the people that she thought she had worked with that would be qualified to form this great wacs which is the women's auxiliary corps and women's

auxiliary army corps. she gave him all of this and george marshall said no. i want you. she said zero so no, no, no. i live in houston i have a husband and children in houston. then marshall talked to her husband who had in the former governor and her husband said of course you are going to serve your country when you are asked. so she did and she put the wacs together and they were an incredible success. what she said was that with -- not she but douglas macarthur once said the wacs are my best soldiers. more industrious and better discipline than the men. they became so successful that in in the end they had hundreds

of other responsibilities because they had done such a great job at the ones that have been started. that was the transition. i have about 10 minutes left i was just told them i would love to take your questions because this is something that is dear to my heart. i am so pleased that i've been able to share with you some of the things about the great women that have really helped shape america that was recognized as early as the 1700's by alexis de tocqueville as the specialness that gave america the advantage that we have. thank you. [applause] >> hello. i have a question. that was wonderful. thank you. do you feel there are more women

in congress now that we would have a little more productivity? /go. [applause] c. i have to say that my experience in working with my women colleagues had shown that we do find a way to go forward with wins on both sides and make progress in our country. i have to say that. i have been chairman and ranking member of the different committees with dianne feinstein with barbara mikulski and we have a way of getting down to business kind of like douglas macarthur said. we are organized. we kind of say okay here is where i am. you tell me where you are and then it's not that we compromise principles. we stand for our principles but we are able to move forward and

do so many important things by allowing the basics of negotiation which are that both sides can win something and move an agenda forward and then you have the people to decide if you are going in the right direction. thank heavens we have great elections that give people the chance to say yes or no. [applause] >> governor hogg had a couple of daughters and i was wondering what their contribution to texas was? >> did you say governor whole? >> hogg.

>> i'm a hogg did give a great contribution to our state. he was the governor of texas and i am -- i'm a has given so much to the history and culture of our state the home that she had in houston is called my old band and it's its in-house for the treasures of beautiful furniture and artwork that she preserved through the years and then donated to the people of texas, the people of houston and the people of houston. it's one of the finest furniture collections probably in the world. it's open for tours. it has beautiful grounds right in the center of houston and it's a part as well as a beautiful mansion with very refined furniture. there were rumors that he had two daughters. it was kind of a joke.

there was an i and a euro. it was actually one great daughter i'm a hogg. >> hello, thank you. to the point about the women congressional members i actually read nine women and counting to my girl scout troop but my question is it sounds like in this book you are focused a great deal on women who have a connection to the leaders of the state. do you have any reflections of some of the lesser-known like suzanne at dickinson? >> absolutely. i have a number of the lesser-known women whose stories have not been told before. the women who went on the trail drives. the first woman known to have had a baby on a trail drive. susanna dickinson who was the woman who was at the alamo who

told the most accurate history of what actually happened during the fight at the alamo. she survived and did tell her stories. jenny long who is called the mother of texas. but let me say the first book not counting my three but the reason that i met my publisher was line in county was a book written by the nine women of the senate at the time. he came -- we came from a meeting we had with the women of northern ireland. at the time northern ireland was still having terrible murders and assassinations. they were fighting and we have the women who came from both sides of the northern ireland factions and they wanted to meet with the women senators. and we did. we met with him and we each told their stories to encourage them

that they could be a force for peace. we all overcame obstacles and we talked to them about the obstacles we had overcome but we also talked about the diversions of our backgrounds. we had conservative republicans like me. we have lived for -- had liberal democrats like the other women of the senate. we had such diversity in our way of being elected but we all had obstacles. we all knew how to work together. when we came together in the senate we made a difference. the man listened to us on women's health care, on the things that we knew we had credibility on and every time the women at the senate, the violence against women act. not one woman voted against the violence against women act. republicans and democrats came together. there were compromises to make sure that it was the right law

and doing the right things. when we came together we passed legislation and we talked about that too these northern irish women. that was the first book nine and counting. we even had a sequel to it after others came into the senate. hillary clinton was elected and there were so much interest in her so we had a sequel. we donated the one organization that we could agree was important for us to donate all of the proceeds was the girl scouts. they started a leadership group that was from that book. >> first of all thank you for your wonderful series of books documenting the history of women i know that you are a strong supporter of giving a national

women's history museum here in washington in the mall. my question is what do you think the chances of ever getting approval through congress to buy the land quakes there is no funding required. it's just approval to buy the land. >> i think we will. the women's museum should be a part of the history of this country. i have to say cokie roberts has been another woman who has written about those great women of the past. it's not that we are denigrating what the men did. oh my gosh they were so brave and they were so hearty and visionary to run a constitution and our declaration of independence. it's just that there was an impact of our women and to make sure that is in the annals of our history and to show young people about overcoming obstacles and what the women did

to make sure there was an equal voice. if you look at the world, if you look at the world the countries that have the lowest economies are the countries that do not include the women in the economy. it's an issue for children and for families that women have the ability to be a part of society, to be the professionals that can teach our children, that can treat our people with medicine, that have so much to offer. the product is better and it's proven if you look at at the global economies of the countries that do have women in april parts of our society versus those who don't. so yes i do incorporated we will get it. meryl streep has been one of the leading of that movement to have a women's museum and my

colleagues barbara mikulski susan collins in all of the women senators are supportive of this. it is something that will happen just like the right to vote but it will be done with a positive effort. we are not mad. we are not down. we are going to keep going with a positive attitude which has been the mark of women on america. [applause] is that they and? can i do one more? that was my last time so thank you all so much. it was great to be with you. thank you. [applause] [inaudible conversations]

>> host: you are watching live coverage of the 13 annual national book festival on c-span2 on booktv. senator kay bailey hutchison you can see coming off of the stage there. she's on her way to join us on our set. she is going to tee take your calls. if you have a question for senator hutchison former senator hutchison two senator hutchison 202 the area code 583-5890 and for those of you in the eastern central timezones by the live 3891 if you live in the mountain and pacific timezones. she will be over here in just a minute. if you want to go ahead and dial in feel free to. this is the 13th annual national book festival held on the mall in washington d.c.. if you're in the area come on down and say hi. you can pick up a book bag at the c-span bus. the rain will hold off can

guarantee that but i'm sure hopeful that it does so we don't get wet in her makeshift set. it's the 15th year of booktv as well. this is her fifth teen peer, the 13th year we have been covering this festival live. by the way you can watch all of our archived programs at booktv.org anything we have covered including the last 13 years of the national book festival. you can watch it on line at booktv.org and if you want to get schedule updates of some the things we will be covering today and tomorrow here at the national book festival go to book tv.org. the full schedule is there and you can get schedule updates via twitter -- twitter.com/booktv or go to our facebook page facebook.com/booktv. just like us and you will be get schedule updates all day long. joining us now on our set is

senator kay bailey hutchison former senator kay bailey hutchison and senator hutchison you started your talk in a the tent here by describing the women in the 19th century state of texas as gentile southern women. a lot of people think of texas is a rough-and-tumble place. do these women remain gentile southern women? >> you know they did. of course they had to adapt the coast it was hard but i think that they brought the gentility gentility -- they brought their pianos and they want to make sure there was a culture in the quality of life. they did keep those refined backgrounds but they adapted to the harshness in a very resilient way as well as a positive way here. that is what i thought really set them apart in so many ways that they could do that so positively. >> host: one thing you didn't

touch upon in your talk is your own history in texas. what is your history in texas? >> well let me just say when i graduated from law school i couldn't get a job because the law firm's, that big law firms did not hire women so i looked for a job and it was very difficult. and i ended up when a door closes a window opens and i went through town and i stopped at a television station. i won't dan and i said i would like to apply for a job. i ended up getting a job as a television news reporter and because i was a lawyer i covered the legislature. he gave me a start so there was an obstacle course that i went through. state treasurer and then to the united states than it. >> host: windage or family

come to texas? >> guest: my family came to texas in 1828. my great grandfather signed attacks ... -- texas -- he was actually trained in law and he was catholic. you have to be catholic to own land in texas and he was a natural catholic trade a lot of people and i say agile because a lot of people married a catholic woman or declared catholicism to be able to own the land. he was real so he was part of the settling. he signed the declaration of independence. he became the chief justice of dutchess county and was a great friend of sam houston and thomas rusk. my memories here go way back. >> host: kay bailey hutchison is her guests in her most recent book is called "unflinching courage" pioneering women who shaped texas. the first call for her is sally

in menlo park california. good morning to you. you are on booktv on c-span. skal company good morning. my question for the senator is about the mexican women. we talked about the southern belle seeking from the east but what about the mexican women and the women who were already there. >> guest: yes, they were brave mexican women who are part of mexico in those early days especially and many of them stayed but it was hard for them of course because there was a revolution and there was you know the hardship but yes there were and that the early women that came in and helped settle at war with mexico. it was kind of a tough situation for them. >> host: lima in norwalk connecticut.

good morning. please go ahead with your question or comment. >> caller: good morning. i just want to tell you how much of a inspiration you are and i thank you so much for the way you are bridging the gap between people and that you are a peacemaker. that being said i wanted to know if you are involved at all with women of the military? thank you so much. >> i didn't understand what she said. >> host: the women in the military. >> guest: oh yes the women in the military. in my second book i profiled the first women in the military who became officers. that was really mid-century in the 40s and the great job they did in the military which was the wacs. they then became part of the

army and now i was also on the defense appropriations committee so they were certain things that we did both in health care and prisoners of war making sure the families got the best quality of life that we could give them. i am very close to the women who have served in our country and was during my term in the senate they are fabulous are women in the military. they are leaders in so much a part of our military. >> host: what do you miss about the senate? >> guest: nothing. i don't miss the senate. it was time. i believe in term limits. i believe you should want to come. i believe in the private sector and entrepreneurism and being a

member -- >> host: any future elected office for you? >> guest: no, not at all. i love what i'm doing. i write books and i love doing that. i am on the bank of america advisory board. i've got pockets of things that i love doing and i wouldn't trade it. >> sam and silver spring maryland you are on booktv with former senator kay bailey hutchison. >> thank you. i wanted to ask why the senator did not mention the atrocities against native americans by whites when they went to such graphic detail about the atrocities that the native americans apparently committed against a white woman and her baby? >> guest: to did he say atrocities -- >> host: against indians and the people that were -- >> guest: some of the indians

were very peaceful. i did say in my talk that of course the indians were reacting against the settling particularly of the west because the settlers were encroaching on their way of life and the land that they had grown. i think certainly we all understand that. the comanches were particularly brutal and that is documented and has been written about significantly. they did such atrocious things to the captives when we took them. that was something that certainly should be a part of history but the fact that they were pushed out also was certainly part of history as well. >> host: senator hutchison while you were talking i was thinking of some of your contemporary texas women. kay bailey hutchison and covert years lady bird johnson and company armstrong and windy davis.

where did these women fit into the history? >> guest: barbara bush and laura bush and barbara jordan. i think the spirit i talk about in the book that is resilience with a positive attitude is shown in nala the women who it mentions. many of them are and might books , either this one for the last two because i think that has caused the women in texas to be able to be governor or be senator and yet texas is considered a rough-and-tumble state. it's a state that is considered considered -- one of the quotes in my book is that texas is heaven for men and dogs and it's hell for horses and women. that is kind of the attitude that people had but yet the women have been made leaders.

we know how to work with others and i think that says a lot about texas that actually the men are very supportive and they like strong women. >> host: next up is julia in buckley washington. julia please go ahead with your question. >> caller: thank you. i'm wondering if mrs. hutchinson has children, who raised them and where are they today? >> guest: i have to 12-year-olds. i have daily and houston. houston is named for sam houston and my great-grandfather charles s. taylor. they are in dallas where i live and that is where i spent most of my time. they are great kids. i have had an enrichment of my life since i was able to have these children and be a part of their lives.

they are in school in dallas. >> host: next up scott and fort worth texas. hi scott. >> caller: you mentioned sam houston's wife and the tragedy involved with her and him. i was wondering if you had any idea what that was but also sam houston became a baptist and was there a woman's influence in that conversion? >> guest: conversion? >> guest: why? >> host: . >> host: sam houston converting to baptist? >> guest: of co-yes. margaret did make him and baptist, absolutely. he was public and at one time he was baptized because that was part of mexico. margaret had a huge influence on sam houston. she did stop his drinking which was also nor tory is and he

became a baptist and became very devout actually. he would write her letters about what the pastor said in church here in washington d.c. and she was a devout baptist. he was a baptist and he was devout and that became very much a part of his life and it was her guiding light. >> host: cave bailey hutchison why did catholicism angle early on to own land? >> guest: there were a couple of things in the laws of mexico. one was that you have to be catholic to own land. i don't honestly know if that was the case in the other part of mexico but it certainly was in the texas territory. the other thing is they were a community property state and territory. ..

>> she gave it to the public

it is a beautiful museum. a and to the grounds are lovely they have a festival there every year. >> host: does anybody point out the unfortunate combination of names? >> they had a sense of humor. they probably didn't have much to say about that. but she turned out to be a lovely women -- women on her own for what she did. >> host: and misery you are talking with senator hutchison about her book. >> caller: good morning.

do you know, about part of my husband's family from texas in your book? >> guest: i am sorry. i don't. i would love to know more about her. i don't know if she was 19th century but the books that i have today is of 19th century. >> host: if anybody has landed at the airport they fly into houston. >> she was the wife after to the airport was named. she in her own right was a businesswoman and the television station that was started where the governor

up buying the other newspaper in houston later she and her son and daughter built this communications empire. she became even more wealthy in her own right. her contribution to america was great. she made it what it was a great success that the court -- a precursor but also it became the secretary of health and human services under eisenhower. she met dwight eisenhower and thought he was a great man. so they were a very prominent democratic family. she went out on her own to support eisenhower for president then when he won

he asked her to be in his cabinet and she was. she was a prominent political figure. but the lieutenant governor of texas for years as a democrat but her daughter jessica was married to the republican who was the ambassador in the fray give administration. -- reagan administration. they had the ability to be leaders. and now their children are prominent in texas some republican and some democrats. it is a prominent family. >> host: how strong is the secessionist movement? >> in the treaty of texas

there is the right to break into five states. of course, any state can butted is not a serious movement. sometimes when texas feels they're being unfairly treated in washington, the secession movement people our bad but in fact, we are the great state of america and part of america and any thought of five states or a secession are not realistic. >> host: this is your fourth book? >> this is the ninth counting from by a colleague's but this is the third of my own.

>> host: is a lew was good morning. >> caller: i want to faq for all you have contributed to our government. you are just terrific. a little story i have spent through river bend and indeed it is very beautiful. but i have read somewhere when ima hog found out he would give that name to his daughter he wrote night and day to get there before the christening to stop his son from giving her that name. have you ever heard that story? >> i haven't but you know, it had to be controversial.

what she had to live with was very hard. but yet look at the resilience that was created because she became a loved figure and people don't think about it anymore but i can only imagine what her childhood was like. >> host: kentucky's. >> caller: good morning. you are a great lady and you have done a great job in the u.s. senate. i have just a couple of questions i know you ran for governor once would you consider to do that again? also i know they're looking for president but would you consider being a vice presidential candidate? >> that is a nice thing.

as you know, you cannot have two people from the same state running as president and vice president. but i really loved my time serving in the senate. i loved my colleagues you have too wonderful senators from misery and i love what i did but there is a time to come and a time to go. i think we do better when there is a cycling with new people coming with new ideas and a fresh approach so i of very happy doing what i am doing i love the of book writing and the speechmaking because i am doing things that i really enjoy and that are a contribution. i do have a law degree

because i want to promote trade and i want texas to be the law school to get a joint degree aid you can serve to increase with the southern part of the hemisphere so i am doing things that i love. >> host: kay bailey hutcheson to ever run into is the bushes? >> i do. they do so much good work and laura who also does so much to help with many countries with women's rights fetter not respected it has done so much to promote that. and president bush when office with the treating of

afghan women and they have done so much and keep doing good work but with my presentation of the bush literacy complication we have a october in dallas texas they have authors that come together this is something that barbara bush has done to promote literacy. she has done so much. the bushes have been great for our nation and they are still doing good work. both of them. >> host: eleanor from maryland you are on booktv with c-span2. >> caller: i have spent watching the first lady's series on sees the and there is an aspect on that show about steel, steel magnolia

and i wondered if you could comment? >> host: in case you're not familiar we're doing a series of the first lady's we just kicked off the second season all 20th century and this is william howard taft then the wilson wives all the way up through michelle obama but the steel magnolia aspect. >> yes. if my second book i do profile of the first lady's. they are the unpaid heroines' of this country. they are ambassadors, and they have done so much to improve the quality of life whether it is just a note from nancy reagan, literacy with barbara bush, and

michelle obama and does nutrition and good habits for children. laura bush to help women in the country's were there not equal partners. even hillary and i will be honorary co-chair where we bring in the women who have stood up to regimes that have suppressed women in we honor them and encourage them to keep making contributions to their country. all first ladies have had a marked that has been positive and i am so glad you are continuing to do those through the present first ladies because we

should fisher they are rewarded by a part of our history. >> host: our last call comes from wisconsin. >> caller: hello. my son made a trip to europe last three and had a bus trip through paris in france and texas has its own embassy. is that true? he saw it but to why would texas have its own embassy? >> guest: is not official but i am not sure if it is the office or there is a

building and i know there is one in london because we did go to france to help raise money for our war efforts. there might have been won there. i know there was one as well but it also could be a restaurant called the texas embassy. >> host: what is it about texas? >> guest: the spirit that is resilient and we cannot tattersalls -- can laugh at ourselves. published by harper, here is the cover. at the national book festival at washington nbc.

>> it is great to be with you. >> host: we will let the senator go on about her day up next we have charles wheelan the call in with him and "the centrist manifesto" he will be coming up in just a minute. this is the 15th year of booktv on c-span2. we started in 1998. the year of the national book festival. in 2001 it was two days before 9/11. that day a lot of authors were here floor of bush kicked off as well as the texas book festival but

well-known historian david mccullough was speaking at the national book festival in here is a little bit. >> in the case of john adams and abigail adams it is possible because of what they wrote with letters to each other and other members of the family and their diaries to know them better in then we can know any of the founders. not even franklin for all he wrote never takes us into his congress the way john adams did. it is the innermost to dealings on paper. sometimes to his detriment detriment, sometimes he tells us more than he really should. he was a wonderful writer as was abigail. either one could have been a professional writer could have had a career as a

reporter or novelist. they had a perfectly superb command of the language. when one realizes there thinks what they had to go through to get through the day in the 18th century said difficulties, labor difficulties, labor, hard work, a threat to your house or security of everyday life. beginning early at 5:00 in the morning. the idea that it had such a long strenuous it take to put up with the inconveniences in concerns that never enter our minds today that they would sit down by a candle and a kitchen table it in the boarding house room in philadelphia and with a quill pen write the letters they wrote it is exceptional

and humbling. humbling. now one of the reasons that i try as best as i could to explore that other time, it was a very different time time, it seems to me we could never know even if about the founding generation. we must never ever taken for granted we must understand against the odds that they faced, against the personal sacrifice, the danger, as a risk of life when one would sign their name to the declaration of independence they would sign their death warrant. you were recording you were a trader andy would be heading to at best. legally you could be drawn and quartered.

it is not inconceivable that could have happened. the temptation always is to look back at times past as the events happening in a prescribed order that follow this are follow that you will memorizes it it is on the test on thursday. therefore you come away to think it was all on track but nothing was ever on track. all of the events of times past whether great moments of the history of the country or the individual could have gone off in any different directions along the way. most importantly keep in mind what they did not know.

there is a hubris of the present to say they did not behave intelligent a. they should have done this why didn't they realize that what happened? that is a huge advantage of the arrogance of hindsight. they don't know how it will come out. none of them. if they have taken a poll in 1776 to decide to go ahead there would have scrapped so whole thing. only one-third of the country was for it in the remaining third was waiting to see how we came out. [laughter] the idea this scattered small population this element that of the reach 50 miles inland of the shore

was going to revolt from the most powerful empire in the world and on the face was preposterous. >> host: from the 2001 book festival the first ever and we are back live at the national book festival on the mall in washington d.c.. we're between the capital and the washington monument. covering events we are pleased to have joined us author charles wheelan who has written "the centrist manifesto." here is the cover. is this a call for a third-party? >> guest: yes or a third-party movement to empower the people to recapture the process. considering which just happened in congress with

the showdown one would argue that the folks in the middle have been disempowered it is a call and a strategy to recapture the political strength of the middle which is where more are and where they're going. >> host: people say been there done that. >> but from the extreme. ralph nader messed it up the he was not in the middle. the be seeking teddy roosevelt in the bull moose party. one is they tend if you think as the bell curve listed in the middle but if you have a third-party movement it is a completely different dynamic. second coming people focus

on the president with the electoral college no way a third-party movement will print the presidency not even the house with the gerrymandering the strategy is built around the senate to say if you can muster some sense and a handful of states that have a senator from one party or a governor from one we know that the people in the middle make the difference. run for the open seats the two parties will go to the primary to talk crazy talk democrats will say things to walk back and so will the republicans they expect they can do see etch a sketch i did not really mean that. but instead there is a centrist kiddie in the middle lee have to do is hold 34% of the vote and you have a centrist senator that is not as hard as winning

the presidency. >> host: has the two-party system always been broken? to make their airtimes particularly in the senate we had working groups, a bipartisan groups you still see it to this day and some good legislation came out of those working groups but there was a period of the late 90's with the mass series of retirements and a handful of other moderate senators from both sides when we lost those folks to see more partisanship than it lost the ability to do that and then coming out of those bipartisan working groups ideas want to put a more centrist voices. >> host: our guest charles wheelan "the centrist manifesto" we will put the

phone line up on the screen. what is your background? >> guest: and my background has forced me to write the book of a tired of getting bad one is my very first job out of college writing pieces for olympia's nose has been to was the governor of maine is one of the last eight new england republican and a moderate republican very involved with case chartwell education group education now today you would say a

democrat but it was the old breed conservative that were hunted to extinction. after that i became a policy person. but now i was watching it as a outsider. so i was in chicago almost 20 years happily teaching the obama is elected then he appoints from the manual as the chief of staff he was my congressman. there is nobody there to replace him. so probably a was just indicted because all those usual politicians were frozen no annointed successor and we've just elected a teacher and i said i decided if i would care i

should be willing to get into the ring so iran for the seat as a fiscally conservative democrat so i had not move very far from the speech writing by a mother party to realize i cannot get out of the democratic primary. with the teachers' union would say how you feel about the pay? i have a wife who ran a software company that became a math teacher i knew a lot and i said it is important to what we have to do. then there is silence by said something so offensive i cannot win the primary. i realized i was a person without a party and there

are others like me out there. >> host: our guest, charles wheelan. how would you define a centrist? >> guest: it is not compromises but it is what i argue takes the best of each party. what do we like about the democrats? their partisan the right place their richest country should be targeted for the poor people not corporations but to achieve a goal to people who need it the most. i think they're right on the environment and i don't see if they are effective but their relative. we should be doing something about environmental responsibility. republicans are right on the fiscal issues that don't think we're going about it the correct way but george to view bush was not exactly

fiscally conservative the media is important. just take a simple concept fiscal responsibility, environmental responsibility, just those two i have eliminated both parties neither party is responsible or environmentally responsible. so by not living better today at the expense of tomorrow to throw and social power with perot gave marriage because it does not affect people that are not that if you want to have a gun in your home you can have that. that does not affect anybody outside. if you go outside we need to talk with and a genuine commitment to economic opportunity. we really have to get back to a place in the face of income equality where we

offer an opportunity for everyone in the country. that's it. >> host: the first call today. >> caller: good morning. i just parted watching in the last 10 minutes but i think we are more conservative and we are focusing on these senator lamar alexander and to feel like a small minority is making decisions for the entire country. then we feel that nobody listens to us. >> part of what is going on do have a primary process

that has the power of a minority a beach party so who shows up? it is the bank their opinions are not always in sync with the electorate but those who choose who are on the ballot are often opposed by those who wait in the wings to knock off an incumbent to has the audacity or the wisdom to make a compromise on the things that we have to do. as long as those folks give the money, the base or determine who we get to pick from on the ballot did we continue to get a system that has polarized as a result. i would also argue it is our fault. why? because they show up for the primary. of we're not willing to pay attention if we're not willing to engage then we get what we deserve. i have offered a centrist party for the middle to get

energized and show up. >> host: have we had a centrist president? >> guest: presidents with centrist tendencies certainly clinton at his best was willing to compromise with the republicans to do welfare reform and the nafta and a lot of those were significant pieces of legislation. we'll get the tax policy side with ronald reagan what we need to do again was a tax reform of 86 and he conceptually was wedded to lower rates but did democrat from chicago, that was a purely bipartisan effort and reagan was willing to compromise. we absolutely have had precedence with centrist

tendencies. we're not seeing enough of that right now. >> what about those senators? >> would it happens if we manage to elect five centrist senators? the last piece of the strategy now you have to roll it up one step further to imagine the senate with 47 democrats coming six centrist and 47 republicans. they are the swing vote in not crazies on the pull. there right in the middle and therefore the arbiter between the two parties. nobody is an enemy. the you can turn to the republicans if you're serious here are six those if you are serious about putting a price on carbon

here is six votes but i'll figure would see him every reader mitch mcconnell the first decision is who was the majority leader? if the centrist determine who is the majority leader republicans will not put of a chicano or the democrats will not save harry reid they will say it is almost like baseball arbitration you still have the house and we know that is difficult but part of what is going on to change the dynamic in terms of who leaves the chamber. >> host: your web site naked economics.com. up next calling from the york state. >> caller: hi. i really enjoy listening to your guest. i am a moderate republican and i feel that i and getting extinct.

does it come down to who do like dislike more than it tea party or their teachers unions for who can i support? as a republican i think the middle we get what we deserve if we don't show up for primaries than you deserve what you get. maybe be whistling in the dark to get centrists' people to take action to vote in primaries. >> host: you describe yourself as a moderate republican touching on the tea party or the teachers union that what you were three issues, where do you stand? >> caller: number one, the deficit by of a deficit hawk. we need to cut spending and raise taxes. there is no getting around

it but if republicans are raising taxes? no, no, no the other side is to cut spending i guess i am a minority but i am talking too much i appreciate listening to your guest. think you. >> if we cannot make him a centrist this will not work because i want to give him a party he would be excited about. most of ameritech rose to the general election and says they will hold their nose food bothers me more? if i am a republican i will ignore their view on the marriage but if you're a democrat you say i care about that i will ignore the teachers' union everybody is ignoring something the idea

of the centrist candidate we will start with that. so for the candidate to go to washington to compromise to get the deal done is you can talk to constituents in don't have to apologize and i said i never promised to raise taxes but i promise to do deal and i did that you will like what we have done. this is the typical person. >> all that live coverage of the tbs c-span2 of the 13th annual national book festival here on the mall covering the events talking with charles wheelan "the centrist manifesto" the next call is from john in michigan. >> caller.

however you? i dunno if you think the number of independents that are reluctant to declare a party affiliation to represent a significant number if you were voting for one party or the other? >> guest: one of the things we want to do is not make the centrist party an exclusive movement but to support those who played the battleground that includes organizations that work with existing parties but we don't support anybody really even modern republicans or democrats. a but they just like political parties but

they're like that kennedy better they don't have to become a centrist that was the other good point then this is an attractive candidate. now on the ballot access anybody who has been around really be have it to party oligopoly and they like to keep competition out it is very hard to get on the ballot and one of the reasons to create a national movement is to provide ready in boots on the ground when duty to get a candidate on the ballot white road island door remained because you have to get a lot of signatures over a short period time if people committed from california or michigan or florida there may not be a candidate but you could go somewhere else so hopefully we get centrist to vote or to

get them on the ballot >> host: you mentioned no labels organization he says the electoral college? >> why we stay at of the house and out of the presidency. and in to think about the system that rebuilt it is jerry rigged jihad is difficult you may have some swing districts but i don't thank you getting enough to make a difference. no labels is a great organization but as long as they're committed to one party or the other the compromise is not what they were sent to do.

but i wonder situation to go back and apologize. i want them to come back to the center to say i did what i told you i would do that is a difference but let me be clear i am in support of what they try to do. >> host: but you are only focusing on the senate. you will still have an issue with the house on one side and the presidency on the other? >> there is no magic want the president is not committed it'll be tough to muster two-thirds. we have a system that was to wine -- designed not to be king george the third a and repute -- pull that off but the presidency to be an obstacle the house to be an obstacle but if you can get

legislation out of the senate because the centrist building the end of a bill that was passed that does turn up to say we have a social security reform bill that has been passed. the cost of doing nothing politically is higher. that he is doing the bill are the two tools that is probably the best that we can do. >> caller: there is a lot to go through. the problem i have heard talk about is the two-party system itself there is nothing in the constitution and says a two-party system in fact, the people that formed the constitution did not like parties at all.

but single party districts mathematically generate said to party divide. but nobody's represents either party in particular their rotten by force together of mutual hatred see you have the republican party has nothing to do with each other but they hate the democrats and those hate the republicans wouldn't it be better to have proportional representation like most modern democracies where you have multi member legislative districts, if the green party gets 10 percent and the centrist party gets 30% then each party gets that percentage of representation in the

legislature it would get rid of it gerrymandering where everybody is forced to be in the party with the gang common except mutual hatred then make a more honest process where people from political parties that represent a real political views have to get together to negotiate policies because nobody would have the absolute majority. >> host: we got the point. >> guest: he gave us the better half of most comparative politics. people don't think about the processor the system even with their preferences. it is true it would get through the gerrymandering with proportional representation. but it is not a miracle cure we should say we will not get there so i am trying to

do something with what we have. and i am creating a parliamentary system i don't fault where you come from but in those systems you get a different problem if you don't get the majority you get a strange bedfellow coalitions what you describe i'm about to take students to india for longtime they had a coalition that included the communist. see have the prime minister trying to reform the economy in a coalition that includes the communist. lookit israel with a coalition the small party may hold a couple of seats to their passionate about settlements with the west bank to make the settlement process more difficult to

you do trade on the agreement is not easy at any time. >> host: teaching at dartmouth currently and has two other books here is the cover of "the centrist manifesto." gem from california. >> caller: can you hear me? it is funny the person before me said what i was leading to. in my mind people who earn 50,000 up at 200,000 have more in common with each other as opposed to being a democrat or republican and one side or the other bedded reality in fact, i am going

farther of the parliamentary just no party system people are elected for their ideas but in the chamber is set up in a different way where the 600 people come up with a different order how they go about making rules. that is my idea. >> guest: there are a lot of smart people that say do away with parties but that is difficult. they do have some benefits and provide organizational power but the current party is are a compilation of interest what i try to do is outlined a coherent philosophy and fiscal responsibility that people can organize around as

opposed to just throwing in their lot with the coalition to have nothing in common other than to win seats. >> host: here it is again. the cover "the centrist manifesto" professor charles wheelan thank you for joining us on booktv. >> guest: it is a pleasure. >> host: the 13th the annual national book festival in washington d.c. held on the mall between the capital in the washington monument. we are live all day long with author events collins, interviews get updates on facebook also our twitter feed or go to the web site for the full schedule there as well. coming up a real live all day long we have a professor at harvard who has written a

book called representing the race, a taylor branch about martin luther king right now just starting is a historian who has written about sioux word lincoln's indispensable man. >> it is a fancy way to say i work with people who help you find digital items on our website to various means generating added data on those items. another part of my team make sure those are true to the original. i am here to introduce mr. walter star author of a biography of abraham lincoln's secretary of state. the book is titled seward. lincoln's indispensable man. i think washingtonians love a good political biography

and walter star has delivered. he began his career as a lawyer here in washington of his time has spent his time putting a man good standing with his new career as an offer he recently published a biography on john j. in the first chief justice of the united states. a understand his next project is lincoln's secretary of for stand than. another interesting read. his book on veto has been well received in the community in and outside of washington. he has been interviewed on c-span, npr, the north -- "the new yorker" review it is spent many weeks on the "l.a. times" best-seller list and in social media it

gets high reviews by readers on sites such as amazon. one reviewer gave the a five-star review and a thumbs-up with his statement a thoroughly researched and balanced view of a complex man subject to a compelling time in history i would say over 700 pages it is not for the faint of heart definitely worth the time spent. and now mr. starr is here at the national book festival. before i bring him to the podium please allow me to go through the details. this is videotaped for broadcast on the web site and other media. well we encourage you to comment and raise questions please be advised your voice

and image could be recorded and hater broadcasts. with a possible reproduction think you for your time and please join me in a warm welcome for mr. starr. [applause] >> thank you for that kind introduction and. it is wonderful to be back in washington where i have done research. when i told taxi driver is what i was doing most of them have heard of seward he bought alaska. that is right. but what else? let me take the last question what was he like?

and during the civil war years in his early sixties with the mass of disorderly gray hair, a big nose, as cigar in his mouth and a glass of wine was that he and. talking. always talking one of his guests said it could be a shingle under the niagara falls to participate in one of his dinner parties. working hard but also lived and was a famous post gathering around the table diplomat, soldiers, of politicians, actors, the life of the party. so what did he do?

he was secretary of state for eight years under johnson and before that a senator for 12 years and before that, a governor of new york. in the late 1830's and by far the most populous state a progressive and a visionary governor. one of his main causes was education particularly the education of i received -- irish catholic children many were not going to school at all because the public schools use protestant sects and those were not acceptable to the catholic parents. he was determined all children educated report card this of religion. -- regardless of religion and a big fan of libraries

to extend public libraries would change the world as new yorkers read books then went out into the world. he wanted the state to build canals, railroads not just economic reasons but to bind the state together more closely. he mesdemoiselles famous in the north and infamous in the south when he refused requests from the governor of virginia to return three men accused of helping a slave to escape. there was no law of the york that seward declared to make it a crime to help the man escape. after brief period working as a lawyer, he was elected senator and came to washington. his most famous speech as a senator was in 1850 arguing against the compromise of 1850.

he was especially against the etf any part of the territory in the west would become a slave territory. a higher law is declared dedicated of the western territories of freedom and became known as higher law seward. by early 1860's he was the odds on favorite to become the republican nominee for president. the first ballot at the chicago convention, he had by far more candidates and was within striking distance of the nomination. but then the delegates surprised almost everyone by nominating fee almost unknown one term congressman from illinois, abraham lincoln. he was in his garden with a few friends and this

happened and he knew it happened even before he read the telegram because the man running from the office had a piece of paper in his hand and waving a running oh god. oh god. it is:abraham lincoln has the nomination. what happened? in chapter seven but a brief version. [laughter] is that sign of what he had said in done over the years came back to haunt him one factor that prevented him is what he had done for the catholic school children in new york city one decade before. at allied -- stevens from the recent lincoln movie said his state pennsylvania would never vote for a man

who had ruined the public-school system of new york city to curry favor with catholics and foreigners. the anti-immigrant strain of the republican party even back in 1860. [laughter] seward was disappointed the he masks that and then went out. [no audio] no man did more to secure the election of abraham lincoln van seward land in part he named him his secretary of state. there is also a decision the president often named the man they thought should be there successor as secretary of state jefferson, madison

jefferson, madison, monroe jefferson, madison, monroe, john quincy adams they all served as a secretary of state before becoming president. so by naming seward he was really casting him as is most likely successor. that winter as the state started to secede, but seward was the leading advocate of compromise in washington. . .

>> there were two things that my father omitted from his autobiography, and i'm not certain why that was the case. he did not explain why, during