1900 would also move out to the community and are actually four local churches that originated at freed man's village, and we are busy developing relationships and working with descendents of the enslaved people here at arlington to get their story, to do more research, and to include their per perspectives in the interpretation of this site. we at arlington house are very excited that our recent donation and our ability to restore the mansion and create new exhibits is not only possible, but that it coincides with the centennial of the national park service. it gives us an opportunity to examine and re-examine what this place meant over the last several decades since the national park service first took

it over in 1933, and what it means moving into the future, because as a country, we always need to examine and re-examine our history in order to decide where we want to go forward. and arlington house is an amazing place to be able to do that. so, we can examine the meaning of the civil war. we can examine the meaning of the life of robert e. lee, his family, the impact his decision made on history, the lives of the enslaved people here, the consequences of that war. surrounding this mansion, arlington cemetery was created both as a means to honor the dead, but, again, as a way of gaining revenge or justice perhaps if you want to call it that against robert e. lee. but how do we as a country view the events of that war and its

after effects? the period of reconstruction. well, arlington house is determined in the national park service and it is determined to seize the opportunity and move forward and perhaps lead the nation here. and to make more of it and something of it that can help us move as a nation and as a culture in the future. the theme here is division and reunion. division, perhaps, is easier to define. reunion, what does it mean? we know the country was united north and south but culturally and mainly the way this country

remains divided? what can be learned here? the robert e. lee memorial that'll help americans and people from other parts of the world, too. to examine that, examine their believes and see what they can make of it moving in the future. you can watch this and other american artifacts program by visiting your website at cspan.org/histo cspan.org/history. 100 years ago, president woodrow wilson signed to create this national park service. the most visited historic home in the park system. next, we talk to chris after the civil war to help free slaves

transitioned into independent lives. this is american history tv. i am craig syphax of the black heritage museum. we have a website and we are a virtual museum and one of our focuses is to enrich the story of freeing the village. we have worked with the park easter vis and the university and the simthsonians. it is an entity that was formed in 1863 to combat of an outbreak of the small papox because of t

emancipation. during this outbreak, the army contacted the american military association which is a group of women who were nurses that cared for injured soldiers. they ask them what was the best way to contain the smallpox and they came up with the idea to put them in one area and of containment and contained it that way and that created freedman's village. the residents of freedman were emancipated slaves. they came this way because there were jobs in the washington dc. area. they were building the washington monument and federal buildings and things of that sort of. washington dc was building of, there were construction jobs in this area and everyone heard about it so they migrated into this area. as far as we know that park service told us that henderson

hall is the actual 17 acres that's located where freedman's village is. henderson is a base on fort myers today and that's where they told us of the 17 acres of freedman's village. there is a marker across the street as you cannot put a marker on the installation and have people come see it. there is a marker and a plaquer telling the information of freedman's village. when they establish freedman's village, they put in schools and post office and directed their own churches and they also had homes for senior citizens and homes. they had their own marketplace zefrg. most of the people went outside of freedman's village to work on neighbor farms and brought the money back and survived. the main plan was to teach these

people how to read and write and how to survive on their own and work and how to create a family and just living the american way out the american dreams. 1898 or '99. they had to dispand freedman's village. they were bringing in the direction of the house. freedman's village was in between where they started the grave all the way through the house. this was in between. they say you have to dispand and go some where else. when freedman's village disup and downed, the citizens created the african-american

. that's where the slaves that were here during arlington house day before freedsman's village where people that died were buried as well. the graves are marked. if it is after emancipation your

gravestones sit. some of them said slaves and some did not. american history tells about slavery and the freedsman's village model that was here on this site and on the cemetery. this was the first design, the first one they had and they improved on it through the south as time went they did not deport anyone. they had to work with people. they needed people to work and farm things. they had a system in place or people here. they just wanted them to blend in together and everyone working

together. in the slaves quarter, there were a model of the original freedman's village that howard university, the architecture students did after arlington. we had it commissioned to begun and our chairman at the time was doctor williams who was the leader in making that happen. during the troop we found out that freedman's village -- when she was here, she told stories of the under ground railroad. how people were empowered to get out of slavery and go north where they could be free. she was an abolitionist and someone who'll teach how to read and write and teach other slaves how to read and writewrite.

my grandfather, shelter had kids and one of his kids were archie syphax who's my father. when i walk down the streets, i feel that i am in the shoes of those who where here before me. i feel empowered and i feel new strengths to want to carry on with the work that i am doing. american history tv is marking this centennial of the national park service. now, from earlier this evening, we look back to a century of staurtship as it embarrasses on now conservation and

preservation challenges. 100 yaears ago, president woodrow wilson signed the law. this was a uniquely american idea of the concept's of the nation's beautiful. it is their right to visit these spaces. places like the grand canyon and yellow stone and the statue of liberty, they became familiar to us and many are known around the world. president obama on a visit to yosemite water falls told the crowd it is like the spirit of america itself is right here. today there are 84 million acres and 410 sites including 59 national parks and 128 historical parks and 10 nationals seashores.