in the early days, they had productive farms, and they want to get back to life as normal, and i think that is why they got out of town. .efferson stayed on a while most of them go. they get out of town. what --r: probably the most well-known president to stay, what was different about him? well, he took a job at a prominent law firm. his health was such that he was not able to function. he went to the office several times but had to come home. bad, and mrs. wilson was his second wife, whom he married in the white house after the death of his first wife, and she was from washington, not originally, but she spent her whole mature life in washington, and she knew people.

their friends got together and bought them a house which was , a very, veryold nice street, and that is where he lived his last years, and that is where he died. announcer: talk about those years. how long was it, and what was he doing at that time? le: he died in 1924, and he mainly took care of himself. he was in terrible physical shape after the stroke he suffered, and many went to see him, as much as she would allow, because his doctor did not want him over taxed with visitors, and he was a very excited type man about affairs of state and what he had accomplished, so people were admitted, and pretty much he stayed at home. he would go out for a drive, but he was a very sick man. , edither: so his wife

wilson, lived for a while after him, so what happened to the house after he died? did she stay in washington? sheseale: she stayed, and was just before the bridge dedicated. it was absolutely intact, and the national trust has maintained it as a house museum, sort of based on smith's famous book "when the cheering stopped," and they have maintained it with all of the things symbolic of his life. announcer: i know former president taft, his experience was a bit unique after he left office. president taft

moved to connecticut and taught constitutional law at yale. he was a great mind. and then president harding appointed him chief justice of the supreme court, which was his dream in life, far more than the presidency, and he came to washington. he built the supreme court building, and he died in washington as chief justice of the supreme court. that is when he came back. 1921. the taft lived until 1940's, a prominent figure in washington. announcer: harding appointed him. what was he like as a former president and chief justice with harding and coolidge? he was chief justice. he never presented himself as a former president, if that is

what you mean, john. taft had what he wanted. he was chief justice to them. that was his relationship with them. he never took the position of ex-president. announcer: to the public allow him to be just chief justice? did the press ever asking questions about his experience and commenting on issues both as chief justice and as former president? he was very restricted. he restricted himself very much from anything like that, and his ideas were always welcome, and the public love taft. -- loved taft. he was just not considered strong enough. he was never like roosevelt or even coolidge. he was a receiving sort of individual, and intellectual, and i think he was a very popular chief justice.

president obama is going to move into the kalorama neighborhood, also the neighborhood where president wilson lived. presidentsre former moved to. eale: it is a very wealthy and delete neighborhood. neighborhood, 1920's and later. house, but theg president is renting or leasing until his daughter finishes , and it is a perfectly beautiful neighborhood. he is on a slope down from , and it ists avenue

a beautifully landscaped area with beautiful trees. his life there, where they are used to buy now, but they are under the constant surveillance of secret service. secret service, by its very character, is intrusive. down to theet to go 7-eleven by yourself. it does not happen. so they have got that's a face the rest of their lives. of course, their children will not. but this will all be fixed up for secret service protection by the time of the inauguration day of the next president, and the secret service is as unobtrusive as they can be, but they are always there, and i know mrs. a feeling ofressed sort of being in a prison at times. she made a remark about being in

the north hall, and someone asked her, i believe in reporter, what could you have if you could have anything on earth, and i am paraphrasing, but she is to walk out that door and not walk back -- and not look back. , butwill have more freedom terribly busy. the old days of going into quiet retirement are over for the presidency. announcer: you spoke about president obama sticking around for his youngest daughter, sasha, finishing up school. have they said what they will do after? move back to chicago? ale: i do not know. i know the library will be built in chicago, and he has an academic nature, and i imagine he will like it there and will

always be needed there for his papers. speeches, there are special missions for the then president. he will be a very busy man. and i would imagine it will center in chicago at the library. of course, they have a very lovely home in chicago. obamas arewhen the in d.c., in this 24-hour news he will beou think allowed to be a quiet, former president, or he will be drawn into some of the political debates that are happening? it will be less so than in the white house, and he will be able to pick and choose. he has tote house, sometimes encounter -- but he will not have that so much, and he will have time, but still, time will be precious.

relaxing time will be very precious for president obama and mrs. obama, too. they are both popular public figures. .eople listen to what they say announcer: well, we will end it there, william seale. seale: thank you, john. announcer: and you are watching american history tv on c-span3. announcer: a live conference on reconstruction and the legacy of the civil war. topics include refugee camps, career after the civil war, and reconstruction in the north. about theso hear return of the confederate veteran and the origins of the lost cause. it is hosted by the civil war institute from gettysburg, pennsylvania, coverage beginning at 1:00 p.m. eastern time.

reconstruction and the legacy of the civil war, only on american history tv here on c-span3. announcer: exploring the history of the united states through objects. up next, we visit capitol hill and ak to a historian curator about the history of african americans in congress in the 19th mr. wasniewski: the story is not one everybody is familiar with. we had 22 african-americans served between 1870 and 1901. 20 in the house, two in the senate. it has to do with the role of congress during the civil war, and in the decade after. during the civil war, there was a group of radicals in congress, radicals because they believed in the equality of

african-americans, and wanted to create a society in the south after the war that was a multiracial society. these were radicals in the house like thaddeus stevens, the chairman of the ways and means committee. a very powerful leader. also people like henry winter davis, eliza washburn. in the senate, people like charles sumner and benjamin wade. and they really drove the agenda and pushed the lincoln administration not only to prosecute the war more vigorously, but to have a reconstruction after a war that was not so lenient toward southern states and was going to ensure that political rights were extended to african-americans. ms. elloitt: the war ends in 1865. i have you get to be first african-american members of congress? it does not happen right that day.