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♪ >> the american farmer, war or peace, depression or prosperity, it's been a hard job but the former has kept us alive. not only that, but made us the best fed nation in the world. 130 million people ask a lot of the farmers. most of us took it for granted that he would go on producing the food that we need. in the tenures before the war,

he had a hard time making both ends meet. sometimes he wondered if he could make a go of it. he wondered while he was working. that thunder you are hearing is a long way off. a man named hitler. he says he only wants poland. will they give it to him or will the lightning strike? keep your eye on the sky. listen hard. if it does, get going. you've got a job to do. wartime production, 1940, tomatoes. >> 900 million bushels. >> eggs. >> hitler in: now. -- hitler in poland now. >> that thunder you heard is

falling on london now. listen, farmer. >> i'm hungry. >> she's hungry. she's english. she's hungry. she needs you. i know what your thinking. the last war. >> digg, farmer, dig. >> so you doug. -- so you dug. you have a time to think. that is a russian soldier. feed him. pearl harbor, hawaii. that's us. >> a, farmer, get going. >> that's an american marine. there are 10 million more. this is our war now.

we are depending on you. i know you are tired. you're hired man quit you. you're all alone. don't think about him. you have a time. corn. milk. livestock. nevermind. don't stop. maybe you would like to see what happens when you stop. ok, farmer. you stop. one, 2, 3. stop. >> i'm hungry. >> it stop because used up. 6% of american food goes abroad. 10 million american men are fighting hungry. 130 million american civilians are hungry. get going, farmer. it's up to you. more farming. more corn. more beans. more milk. more rhubarb. more spinach. more grapefruit. more cabbage.

more grains. >> grains for bread, grains for life. >> this is the marine. when do i eat? >> get going. >> i've got to eat to. >> this is as fast as i can go. using patched up machinery and every available acre is under cultivation. seems to me if i was one of the big fellows in washington, i would do a bit of thinking. trying to figure out some way to spread the food so it will cover more. see what i mean? i'm warning you. that's all you're going to get. that's all i can give you. no more. do hear me? no more. from now on it is up to you. >> they heard him in washington

and worked out a system to make the food go around. a plan to see to it that everyone gets an equal share of what there is. that plan is called rationing. ♪ >> ♪ everybody gets their share get the points, mrs. brown one for you, one for me. it's clear as a-b-c. that's what a rationing plan is for mrs. brown, mrs. jones the grocery man, the butcher store people service in the stores she gets hers, you get yours

get the point, mrs. brown ♪ >> and so mrs. brown and most people want to make rationing work. there are still a few who get what they want anyway they can who will pay any price on the black market. wait a minute? what's going on here? >> give me a nice, small sirloin. about that thick. >> that thick? >> you heard me. that thick. >> we are here to serve you. that would run three pounds. you don't have enough ration stamps for that. i could let you have a stake for half that size. >> what do you think i am, pigeon? >> maybe i can fix you up after all. it will cost you $.80 a pound. >> $.80?

that's ridiculous. >> that's what i keep saying. do we take it or leave it? >> we take it. i guess you have to pay to get which you want these days. i have to go downstairs to get it. ♪ >> you know who i am. i'm your conscience. you can get away from me. there is no use running. that's right, margaret. come back. come on. >> what you want? >> tell me, my dear, what you doing in this black market? >> i only wanted a piece of red

meat. you know how i get when i don't have any for a while. >> you? [laughuing] don't make me laugh. what if you do get a bit faint. >> i feel it coming on every afternoon about 4:00. >> you feel it coming on? how about the 10 million american soldiers, sailors marines. would you rather have them feeling faint? now, maggie gives, you know all the answers. the real answers. don't you? tell them to me. come clean. purge yourself before it's too late. >> i knew it was a black market. i know what we have sorted his best shortages and where the food is going. i know how the black market operates. >> you are doing well, margaret.

>> by buying in the black market and showing dishonest butchers i will pay anything, i'm contribute into it. >> very good. >> you know something else? i never feel faint. i'm healthy as a horse. only i like steak. >> you are a good girl, margaret gives, a good girl. >> even rationing isn't any good unless we make it work. it's still up to us. there are on off a lot of people in the world depending on us. guadalcanal, can he see it. to fight, they need twice as much food as when they were civilians. do they get that steak or don't they? it's a very simple proposition. if we do, they don't. remember what the farmer said,

it's up to you. ♪ >> ♪ it's up to you, mr. what he is say? it's up to you mister what do you say? it's up to you it's up to you to do it it's up to you to win the war it's up to you to stretch it and to make it go around yes, it's up to you get it done get it done it's up to you ♪ >> conservative pollster and author of the selfie vote on the trends and technology, the millennial generation, and how

the political parties are vying for this and increasingly crucial voting block. >> take a look where people's eyeballs are going these days. they used to be focused on television. then political advertising became focused on ads. technology has changed. now if you walk into a room, what are they looking at? they're looking at their phones. for people in the political world who want to reach into the future and understand what the future of political advertising will look like, whatever the latest game is -- kandi crush may be fading in popularity, but there's always something new. finding a way to get your message in front of people where they are paying attention is really important. >> tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern and pacific on c-span's q&a. >> this year, c-span touring cities across the country. exploring american history.

next, a recent visit to omaha, nebraska. you're watching america history tv, all we can, every weekend on c-span3. ♪ >> we are in the command post of the strategic air command 10 mile south of omaha, nebraska. from this location, some for stories underground, the endless activities are precisely monitored and controlled every second of every day. the controllers who man this facility provides a link between the president through the joint chiefs of staff and the commander-in-chief of the strategic air command, and the link between the sac commander and the strongest and most ready military force ever conceived. >> here at the strategic airspace museum, our museum -- purpose is to commemorate the history and heritage of strategic air command and its

legacy going back to world war ii, but also to inspire and educate our community and the next and ration about space science, technology, engineering, and math. omaha's early's connection goes all the way back into the late 1800s as the calvary and the u.s. army developed for crook as an outpost -- fort crook as an outpost to combat aggressions by native americans, protect pioneers, as you have the different trails heading west. it developed into a ballooning training facility in the early 1900s. in 1924, the field at fort crook was renamed the after the

first omaha aviator who died after world war i. from that point on, it was used by the signal corps, the air corps, all the way up into the 1930's and going up to 1940. then you have a big leap into military support and military activity. the support is driven by the creation of the martin company at fort crook. the secretary of war deemed for new bomber plants, aircraft plants, needed to be built in the interior of the country. a lot of this was to protect against enemy bombing or sabotage. the u.s. government realize that there was a good chance we would enter into world war ii, and also supporting our allies. 1940, glynn l martin company was

commissioned to build a plant specifically at the field at fort crook. by june, 1942, the plant was in full production. cap production continued with the b 26. the plant was built -- built over 1500 medium-sized bombers to contribute to the war effort in all theaters of the war. after that production assembly for the b-29 was put into place. how this fits into the war history, the b 29 became the iconic bomber of the war in the pacific. >> designed to carry more destruction and carry it higher faster, and farther than any bomber before, the b 25 is pointed at japan. >> those particular airplanes were manufactured at the martin

brusca bomber plant where colonel tibbetts pursley came and chose his bomber that would be named after his mother, the enola gay. the first b-29 to drop an atomic bomb. to tell you a little bit about our b-29, it was produced in wichita, kansas and did not get to see action in world war ii but was delivered to the army air force and use primarily for training navigators, radar systems, and also used to pilot drones for targeting. when it was dropped in 1959 from the air force inventory, it was transferred the sac museum. the role that omaha place from

going from world war ii to the cold war, which many historians tell you overlap each other -- the soviet union realizing that the united states has something greater than they are revealing and being caught up in that. how they fall into this history is going from the martin bomber plant, testing of aircraft, to then becoming a national air force base in 1947. with that, strategic air command , which was stood up in 1946 was looking for a new home. they were placed in control of the strategic bombers and primarily atomic bombs. it was a big challenge, should we have to launch an atomic attack somewhere to obtain the bombs from one government agency

and transfer them over to a command. so, the department of defense created a system to control all of that. as strategic air command group they gained more bombers, more support, and ventured into greater weapons, and ultimately pursued ballistic missiles and station those around the country, controlling all nuclear weapons, becoming the nuclear deterrent during the cold war. in addition to the b-29 here at the museum, we have a variety of aircraft arranged from world war ii all the way up to the end of the cold war. we have a b-52, the first one operational for strategic air command and the air force. at the 36, which is one of the first intercontinental bombers that could fly from the united states to the soviet union and back. we have one of four left. the ec 135, looking glass

command-and-control aircraft that mirrors the control that strategic air command headquarters had overall nuclear weapons should the headquarters be taken out. from 1961-1990, this aircraft was in the air 24 hours a day seven days a week. we have the aircraft that flew the last mission. why do we have these aircraft here? mainly for preserving the heritage and history behind strategic air command, cold war, and all those that were part of that. >> find out where c-span cities tour is going next online at c-span.org/cities tour. your are watching american history tv all weekend, every weekend, on c-span3. >> next week in on c-span's road

to the white house, two major political agents from iowa, and we are the only place were you can watch or listen to these in their entirety. friday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern, live in cedar rapids for the hall of fame dinner. all five democratic presidential candidates share the same stage. all day saturday beginning 11:00 a.m. eastern, or live for the family leadership summit, where nine leading republican candidates are scheduled to speak. on c-span, c-span radio, and c-span.org. c-span's road to the white house, 2016, we take you there. >> each week, american history tv's real america brings you archival films that help tell the story of the 20th century. >> a circus parade. ♪ >> this was a spectacular, today

you would call it a commercial to let everyone know that the big top was being a raise. the everyday world would be transformed into a field with exotic animals. pretty girls in pretty costumes, and that oh so daring young man on the flying for mps -- flying trapeze. it was a wonderful world. i started my show business career in the circus. i wasn't aerialists, one of five. unfortunately, there hasn't been one of the circus parade for more years than some of his care to remember. it was natural for the joseph schlitz brewing company, which it big gun of a series of communitywide celebrations, to re-create this wonderful bit of america on a for milwaukee's celebration of the fourth of july. >> here comes the columbia

bandwagon, built in 1897. this is the first circus wagon brought to the museum from outside the state of wisconsin. built in 1903, this originally was a steam wagon. now it carries a electrically operated telephon musical instrument. our old girlfriends are joined by some lovely live ones. another disney donation, the wagon, not the girls. the girls are from schlitz, he said with gusto. as the last passes, a notion of people falls in line to march.

then home for a picnic dinner and the lakefront for a gigantic display to in this day, a truly special day, our country's birthday. ♪ as the last of the rockets red glare fades into the night sky the city looks for to next year. it celebrates a date in old milwaukee and becomes again america's fourth of july capital. ♪ >> next, brooklyn college professor benjamin carp talked about some of the advantages and disadvantages to the british and american fortis forces in the american revolution. this class is about one hour and 15 minutes. prof. carp: hi, everybody. my name is benjamin carp. we are here at brooklyn