joining with our cable partners to showcase the history of iowa's capital city, des moines. to learn more visit c-span.org/localcontent. this is american history tv on c-span 3. >> we are at the henry a. wallace country life center which is 50 miles south and west of des moines. while it centers iowa consists of two historic locations, both honoring this regeneration of wallaces. there is the house and there is this 40-acre farm. henry a. and henry c. and uncle henry were always involved in food. so our work does not revolve

around a museum. our work revolves around communities and programming and food and civility initiatives. so on the farm we raise fruits and vegetables. we use the produce in our restaurant and we go to farmers' market. henry a. wallace is probably the most known of the three generation of wallaces. he was born on this family. he went on to become editor of wallace farms magazine. he was then asked by franklin roosevelt to serve as secretary of agriculture, which he did for eight years. in 1941-1945, he was roosevelt's vice president and founder of pioneer hybrid international, which is now dupont pioneer. he was a progressive party

candidate for the presidency in 1948. he was a scientist and a humanitarian. the wallace of iowa consist of three generations of wallaces. the patriarch was known as uncle henry. he worked in winterset, iowa, which is 18 miles east of this farm. he was the founder of wallace' farmer magazine. he was a champion for world america. his son henry c. wallace was u.s. secretary of agriculture under woodard wilson. he died in office. henry c.'s son was born on this farm in 1888 and i told your about henry a. wallace. this farm is significant because he lived here until he was 4

years old so we get to claim him. a three generations were concerned about rural prosperity and how they could help people better understand farming and how they felt it was important that people were close to the soil. henry a. wallace was taking a walk in waterworks park in des moines. a western union person came up to him with a telegram and it was from franklin roosevelt asking him to be the secretary of agriculture. he came into that position in 1933 when farm prices were at an all-time low when land and soil had eroded from places that should never have been plowed. so there were many, many problems that he had to deal with.

so as u.s. secretary of agriculture, he is known for the agriculture adjustment act which was the first time farmers were asked not to produce. they kept producing and kept producing and so prices were going down, down. so they needed to do things in the marketplace that would -- there would be a need for the product. at first people could not believe the things he was proposing regarding that but as prices went up they started to listen to him. people still refer to him today as the genius secretary of agriculture. he led farmers through the horrible time when they did not know where to turn next. they did not have any money. their farms were being lost because of pricing being so low.

he was a hero as u.s. secretary of agriculture. in 1940, president roosevelt asked henry a. wallace to be his vice president. so henry a. wallace agreed at that time in convention they had to vote on who was going to be the presidential candidate and who was going to be the vice presidential candidate. he was on the ticket in 1940 and he won as a team and in 1941 he took the oath of office as u.s. vice president. henry a. wallace had four years aboutas a vice president. during that time, he did more than any other vice president had done up until that time. he served as president roosevelt's liaison to the

manhattan project and that was the development of nuclear energy for weaponry. at first, he was intrigued by the whole notion of nuclear energy. when he saw what was being developed, he stood up and he said no this cannot be used against other human beings. when he made points such as that and he wasn't afraid to make those type of statements and to talk about it, he began to be questioned by other people and he became less popular through the years. another thing relating to the war that henry a. wallace did was as the war was winding down, he became vocal that the united states should not get into aned

aer is scary position with the soviet union. there were people talking about that russia was going to be the next entity that the united states needed to be fearful of. because of that, that was the downfall for henry a. wallace. we know what happened after that. the united states got into a long, cold war with the soviet union so people would have been different if people would have listened to him. but that was the demise of his political career concerning the vice presidency of the united states. some of the things he was saying publicly got the attention of the progressive party and they came to him and asked him if they would be their presidential candidate for the 1948 election

and he agreed to do that. being out of washington, d.c. he felt he was freer to say things that he felt were porntd toimportant to the country. he was not afraid to go into the south. in fact, he was the first presidential candidate to do this, to go into the south and oppose the jim crow laws. he talked about equal pay for equal work. he talked about it was right to have the lunch program in the schools. so he talked about things that were way ahead of the thinking of the majority of the people in the united states. he did not get many votes in the 1948 election. he lived out the last years of his life in the state of new

york. he acquired lowing lou gehrig's disease. this is just a testament to the scientist he was his whole life. when he found out the diagnose, he called the center for disease control and said you can use me to figure out this horrible disease. you can take tissue samples and do whatever you need to do. he lived less than two years after the diagnosis and a few months before he died when he could still speak he was asked by a reporter, what do you think is the greatest problem facing the united states? he said people moving away from the land.

because it is happening soon there will be problems with the economy, environment, and with communities. >> throughout the weekend american history tv is featuring des moines, iowa. our local content team traveled there to learn about its rich history. learn more about des moines and other stops at c-span.org/localcon ten. you're watching american history tv all week, every weekend on c-span 3. >> each week american history tv bring you arrest skial arrest sky val films that tell you the history. >> one of washington's most

distinguished i want to make it clear that grateful as we are for this painting, we will continue with the push ahead with the effort

to develop an independent artistic force and power of i'm on. -- power of our own. >> the party leads a tribute to the lady who will pay host to many thousands in the next few weeks. the enigmatic smile acts as a magnet to both art lovers and the curious. the next day, the gallery as gender as the crowd passes by a painting -- the gallery is jammed. each viewer has three to five seconds in front of the painting. the painting is being exhibited under stringent security measures, and wooden panels are protected in a humidity controlled case.

nearly 10,000 people filed by "mona lisa" the first day making her by far the most popular hostess in washington. everybody wants to meet the new girl in town. >> 40 years ago, the watergate scandal led to the only resignation of an american president. throughout this month and early august american history tv revisits 1974 and the final weeks of the nixon administration. this weekend opening statements from the house judiciary committee as members consider articles of impeachment against president nixon. >> selection of the president that occupies a very unique position within our political system. it's the one act in which the entire country anticipates, and the result is binding upon all of our states for four years. the outcome is excepted. the occupant of that office stands as a symbol of our national unity and commitment, so the judges of the people are to be perverse, if the majority

willing to be one done, if that symbol is to be replaced to the action of the elected representatives, then it must be for substantial and not trivial offenses, supported by facts and not by surmise. >> watergate, 40 years later on american history tv on c-span3. >> a lawyer who argued more than 100 cases before the supreme court, francis scott key was originally opposed to declaring war on england. next, marc leepson, arthur of -- author of "what so proudly we hailed: francis scott key, a life" discusses the life of the author of the "star-spangled banner." >> the 200th anniversary of the bombardment of baltimore's fort mchenry will soon be upon us.