jerry: needless to say, you ask me, you know, needless to say i just hope that what we have experienced, i just hope that 6 million jews did not die in vain. i just hope so. i hope that the world will have learned something from this experience. it's too difficult, it was too difficult a time. too many lives were lost. too many tears were shed. and i just hope that our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren will live the kind of life that we hope all of us should have. interviewer: thank you very

much. >> you are watching american history tv, all weekend, every weekend on c-span 3. to join the conversation, like us on facebook. each week, american history tv's american artifacts takes you to museums and historic basis. next a visit to the smithsonian's national museum of american history to see an exhibit of 6 murals from talladega college. recently restored, the murals depict the, staff -- the amistad slave result of the founding -- and the founding of the talladega college. my name is jackie serwer. we are in the process of building our new building that will open in 2016.

in the meantime, for the last several years, we have borrowed this gallery from the nationally seam of american history, our sister institution, where we have presented a series of exhibitions related to the work we are doing and we see them we are preparing to open. and that has to do with african american history and culture. this exhibition is called "rising up." hale woodruff's murals from talladega college. and it is a very special show for us. the murals come fomrrom an historically black college in talladega alabama. in 1938, the college -- a well-known artist at that time to produce these murals that would commemorate the amidsstad the the and provide a concise history of the college. hale woodruff was already know

not only as a very accomplished artist. he had managed to go to spend several years in paris, learning about the new, avenue en garde -- avante garde styles from artists like matisse and picasso. he was very sophisticated. he was also a professor at atlanta university and atlanta university is another complex of historically black colleges, belongs to that group of historically black colleges and universities. so he was not only an artist, but he was also an educator. and his belief was that you could use art to talk about issues of social justice. and so for talladega, they wanted to get in on the anniversary, the anniversary of the mutiny would have been in

1939. they commissioned him in 1938. it was quite a feat for him to be able to do this huge project any year. but he managed to do it. in this gallery, we will focus on the murals that tell the story of the amidststad. it is a very exciting story and a positive one that shows the agency and the ability of these enslaved africans to take their destiny into their own hands. they are captured near sierra leone by slave traders. and they end up being able to take over the second ship. the first ship, they get to cuba and are put on a smaller ship, and they're able to take the ship over themselves. and they managed to make their way, wel they thought theyl were

going, back to africa but they ended up off the coast of long island and ended up in new haven, connecticut, where they were jailed for a time as they attempted to arrange for their to get their own freedom. so these three murals tell that story. so we can go through them one by one. let's start with the first panel. as i said, in each of the two mural cycles, their three panels in each case. here telling the story of the amistad meeting you, the first picture, there are some people who find it a little violent. they are wielding these cane k nives that were used in the sugarcane fields and so on, and clearly, there are people who are not going to escape neintact and alive. but there is no blood. and what i like about the picture is the activism, the

movement the externally way he uses color and space. it's very very dynamic. though there is violence going on, it is not the kind that would really turn your stomach because you don't really see people dying and lbebleeding and the way that one would expect. the composition is magnificently done. you see all of these details. you see the activity. and specifically what you see are the mutineers who are, there is ruez, one of the slave dealers. and montez over here. the captain does not survive and neither does the cook who had threatened to cook them alive and eat them. so, they really had it out for him. i should point out that the

gentleman over ont the left, a very distinct looking german, is the leader of the group. we understand now that he had been a very prominent leader in the men's society in the mende culture. those were people who lived in sierra leone. as a leader of that group, when it came time to rebel it was quite clear to all of the other captives that he would be the on e to give the signal and would be the one to guide them. he is their tussling with the cook but ruez and montes, the slave traders do survive. the mutineers felt they needed those two to guide them back to sierra leone. as it turned out, they ended up

off the coast of long island and eventually in new haven. one of the elements of the story that i should mention, which at first confused me, they made the middle passage from africa to cuba in a different boat, a huge boat with hundreds of captives. once they got to cuba, and they were separated into groups there are put onto a smaller sh ip that was supposed to go around the island of cuba to a plantation where they would be slaves on a sugar plantation, which is about the worst fate you could have. slaves tended to last a short time under those conditions because it was such a harsh kind of labor. and so dangerous. so they ended up on a smaller ship. really just the group that sinke was associated with her because they were a smaller group, they could work as a team.

as a result, they were able to take over that smaller ship and steer it, not where they wanted to go, but at least to a free country. at that point, there was still slavery in the united states. it's 1839. but things were changing. and having been free people in africa ultimately would be decided that they could not be enslaved under those circumstances. so those decisions are made in the context of the american judicial system. and so, what we have in the middle mural here. this is a court scene. you see on the left side those are supported the captives, the group from the amistad. on the right except for this little boy who's honestly not supporting montes, but these are the two groups in one of the

early trials that took place in connecticut. they win that case. there is a leader once again. he's outfitted in rather dapper outfit, making him look the her o he is. the judge decided in favor of the captives, that they had been captured illegally and that they deserved to be returned to their homeland. well, at that point, i believe president van buren. the federal government decided to challenge that decision. and so, ultimately, the case went to the supreme court. which was pretty amazing. they were very fortunate in that situation that john quincy adams came out of retirement to help defend them. and i'd always thought that he had somehow volunteered, but in fact, they invited him. one of the captives, young man named kale who had a facility

with language actually drafted a letter that was sent to adams. and in his long tradition, the family tradition of being on the side of justice and very anti-slavery, he took on the responsibility of helping to defend them. when the case goes to the supreme court, they are in fact indicated. and the, they are allowed at that point to make their arrangements to return to africa. it's that second case in the supreme court that most people think of, but the first court hearing was in connecticut. and so, if you look, there is a gentlemanlean leaning on his hand in the second or third row, hard to say, that is woodruff. and so, he's communicating the

fact that not only is he telling the story. he's so involved in it that he actually pictures himself as being part of it. so that adds to the entertainment. there was an artist in new haven at the time who did a large elaborate tableau having to do with the story, the amistad sto ry.a and so, he could draw upon that. there was an artist who did a beautiful portrait. so there was some source material that woodruff could depend upon. he spent a lot of time in the new haven's a historical society. he did some studies that you see in the case here to the right of the middle panel. and so, he really did his homework and did a tremendous amount of preparation in order to create the scenes that had a very high level of authenticity.

they are also an artist vision, but he very interested in making sure that he %'s narrative in a way that will be accessible to all -- he presents this narrative in a way that will be accessible. all over the country, these events were very much publicized. there were articles. there were what we would call demonstrations. there was pressure from the various abolitionist groups in the north to free these people and let them go back. and so it really galvanized a lot of anti-slavery activity that we know, it took another 30 years and a civil war, but this was one of the important moments when consciousness was raised about the horrors of slavery and about the way in which people who had been free

in their own country were in captured -- ewere captured in a sleigh. in our country, a country that we like to think of as a country of free people. so it brought a lot of issues to the four in a very dramatic and important and visceral kind of way. so, that last panel is a smaller one. the two small panels are the mutiny on the amistad and the return to sierra leone. the third panel shows the former captives being able to return to sierra leone. most of them were from groups, cultural groups in that area. and so it seemed the right thing to take them back to sierra leone. there was a mission established by the american missionary association. some of the former captives remained with the mission, and

stayed there to help others in the community who were in danger of being enslaved and who also needed to be educated. and others went back to their homes where they had come from originally. and that was a pretty amazing thing, because normally, under these circumstances the idea that you would ever return was pretty far-fetched. it is a very happy story. the money that was raised for their return was spearheaded by the american missionary association. they not only were involved in the trial in supporting the captives, but they also were the abolitionists who were thinking towards the future and wanting to establish educational institutions to be able to prepare the formerly enslaved to live a proper, dignified, full life in their community.

and so at the mission, they're there. they are going to set up a school there for the folks still in the area of sierra leone. and others in that group, as we'll see when we get to the second cycle, devoted themselves to creating new educational institutions for former slaves who were able to escape and be ready to join american society in the fullest possible way. what you see is their dramatic arrival on the shore of sierra leone. and so there is this idea of fellowship and continued support and the idea that, this is the beginning of a continuing relationship where they will they are providing resources for not only the amistad folks but others in the communities they

came from to be educated and hopefully to be able to live the kinds of lives they want to lead and not find themselves again in the throes of a slavery situation. this is the second set of the second cycle of murals that hale woodruff completed for talladega college. these were finished later in 1942. after his prints in doing the first three. really not much more than a year, he was able to spread out the time that it took to produce these other three murals, because we should remember he was at the same time he was doing the murals he was a professor, involved in organizing exhibitions at atlanta university. as a representative of african-american art and culture. so he was a busy guy. but he did do the second cycle.

the first one focuses on the underground railroad. and the reason he wanted to do that the college wanted him to do that, is that there is a strong connection by way of the american missionary association. they were the very outspoken very effective, very dedicated group of abolitionists antislavery folks, who among other things, were the backbone of the underground railroad. so, the first panel is dedicated to the underground railroad. an what you see is peopled being helped, being given guidance where they could go to hide out being given supplies to help them escape and run away and be successful in taking their freedom into their own hands. because that is a lot of what cycles are about is that agency. and i think so often we think of

slaves people who are under the control of others as not being able to act for themselves. in both the case of the amistad and the case of the underground railroad, these are people who risk their lives but they decided like the amistad crew they are going to take that chance in order to try to escape to freedom and build a new life for themselves. so, the american missionary association who helped the amistad crew is helping these other folks. and a lot of those who escaped through the underground railroad end up being amonstgst the first to be educated at rensselaer talladega -- at talladega college. founded in 1867. so the american missionary association that had been so active continued to be active.

this time or in this earra in trying to establish educational institutions for the freed slaves. so the middle of the cycle the larger panel which corresponds to the trial panel in the other cycle shows the opening day at talladega college. and what i think woodruff wanted to communicate was, first of all, it was very much an interracial activity. and collaboration. and so, you see white figures and then you see various african-american individuals who are, who have determined that they want to be educated. now, no one has any money in that group. so, they are coming with payment in kind. so they are coming with grain

fruit, animals that they can use to pay their way so they can become students at the college. and in the background, you see the first building at the college. the college evolved from that. i do not know if i mentioned but woodruff had studied mural painting with diego rivera in mexico. murals were a technique, a strategy to encourage social action. and so, in both cases, it is all about people moving from slavery to freedom. and people making those transitions, transitions on the basis of their own activity, their own agency. and so, that is an important link between the two. i should say that in each of the

compositions, woodruff has placed certain individuals in a very important spot. and in general the most important figures correspond to where -- in the trial scene the person directing, at the center of the campus. in this case, it is william savery. in this mural devoted to the opening of the college. the third mural in this cycle devoted to the founding of talladega college is devoted to the construction of th librarye. and this, of course, we are now in the 20th century. and savery library is the space in which these murals hung originally and had been in place for many decades. and so what you see in this

picture is a mr. fletcher on the left. again, in that important place on the left which gives him a certain authority asin the case of sinke. so you know he is important guy. he was an engineer, i graduate of talladega. and he was involved in directing the construction of savery library and ultimately involved in creating this building where these great murals would be on display for many decades into the future. until just recently when they were taken down and restored and put on the current tour, which has brought them to our galleries here in washington at this the sony. -- the smithsonian. the exhibition focuses on hale woodruff's interest, social

activists. in the sense that he felt that art should be used to talk about issues of importance in terms of social justice. at the time this is done in the late 1930's, the situation for black people was not terrific, especially in the south. the period of lynchings and the ku klux klan and segregation was still in full flower. and so, to see these murals and to become this -- become aware of the story was a big shot in the arm and also a way to remind people that one of the ways he will ahead is to collaborate, to move ahead together with others who support you. and so, it's people, found it

uplifting them. i think we find it uplifting now. and it is all about good people standing together and supporting each other. [indiscernible chatter] jackie: i think these murals are important because they tell an important story that many people are unaware of. we hear so many negative stories about the period of slavery. of course, it is a negative subject but there were some moments of triumph. and there are situations, cases in which african americans were able to take their destiny into their own hands, not an easy thing to do. but in this case, though these were africans, it becomes an

american story because they were able to receive justice because they are in america, because we do have laws and we do have a system. when that system works, it is possible for anyone and everyone to receive justice. and so, it is such an american story. this could never have happened anywhere else, that these folks come under these circumstances people support them, they educate themselves, they build a case, they stand strong, they track all kinds of people to their side, and they ultimately triumph and are able to return to it there original lives. then in the second cycle, it is the same thing. here are people who have been enslaved. they have no money. they are not educated. they do not have proper places to live. but they have people who are supporting them and to understand how important it is to be educated. and they understand how important it is to be educated. and so, with these interracial

collaborations, talladega comes into being as do many other historically black colleges and universities like hampton and tuskegee and howard and so on. it is just a great example that displays that positive way of mutual support that results in the kind of america and our being able to tell the kind of story that makes us very proud to be citizens in this country. >> director of clinical

cardiology at brigham and women's hospital in boston, dr. patrick o'gera on the advances in heart surgery and the progress being made in the understanding of heart health. >> this actually is a valve that has been crimped onto this catheter that is being now positioned into the disease valve. and it will be deployed in the second with the balloon being inflated. and a new valve will be inserted inside the old calcified stenotic valve. the delivery system is being withdrawn and then the wire will be withdrawn, and what we have just seen in this pictorial display is replacement of a deceased aortic vavlve in a manner that does not require open-heart surgery. so we are trying to become

smarter about predicting who will get disease. we are try to become smarter as to identifying the most effective means to attenuate the disease, and then smarter about following up over a longer period of time. so, we are currently in an era where we are trying to harness the promise of the human genome. research project that has been in existence for more than a decade with all of the informatics that can be driven by the giants of the industry like google, for example, and information about sociology geography, demographics, where you live, where the railroad tracks are in your city, what your likelihood is to get diabetes on the basis of your educational background, and what is your likelihood of developing something like diabetes or hypertension if you live in a certain part of a city where you have less access to the right kind of food or even the right kind of instructions about sodium consumption, little things like that could have enormous impacts on population

health. >> tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern and pacific on c-span's "q&a." >> next on american history tv harold bruff, author of "untrodden ground: how presidents interpret the constitution.." " examines and contrast how presidents lincoln, fdr, bush and obama interpreted the constitution. bruff discusses the powers presidents assume from the constitution and how these assumptions shaped subsequent administrations. hosted by the national constitution center, this event is about 55 minutes. host: now it is my great pleasure to welcome harold bruff . you're in for a treat because these two scholars are as good as they come. harold bruff served on the law facultie