with ceo kevin walker. he talks about the politics of conserving confederate heritage icons such as monuments and memorials. until then, more civil war history with our c-span cities tour. when you name a bridge, certain things happen. the first is, you stand a modern marvel with the name of someone who supported white supremacy for decades. he was also a confederate war hero so anyone who goes of his bridge sees the name. the past and the present come together and that the bridge is stamped with the name of a former possible kkk leader. in 193930 andegan of the depression and it was completed in 1940.

they wanted to replace an old dysfunctional bridge that had to be cranked by hand of a ship came through of any height. the linkant to update between the montgomery state capital and the black belt here in dallas county. entry designed to be an point for people living be black belt going into mcgahn right to visit the state capital. so, the significance of the connection of the bridge is that many people would come to the capital to secure political favor or make a political speech or seek political capital to improve planting conditions for the black belt or white planters attempt to restrict and control black labor more strictly. the bridge was very much a modern marvel for this part of alabama. he replaced an older when

structure and in its stead came this magical piece of steel. mid-20toped a type of h century engineering. it is simply a series of steady beams but it very much connoted a sense of modernity for people coming across the bridge to montgomery or to selma. the bridge was named for edmund pettus almost immediately and there was little surprise about that. inhad been a major figure political history up until his death. alabama, he was born to a rural cotton family in a county up north. he went to a small college in tennessee and return very quickly to study law and became a successful lawyer and judge. , -- whenecame a lawyer

he moved to sell my in the early 1800s, he became a lawyer here and any lawyer who was successful worked with or defended white planters. ranwho owned slaves and we vast tracts of lands they grew cotton. his real success started in the civil war. he joined up and rose through the ranks to become a regular general. by the end of the work, he was commanding multiple regiments and he suffered a near fatal injury toward the end of the war. ended, he became almost automatically a hero. he was a man who had led men in battle in this glorious cause. after the civil war, he comes back to dallas county, settles in selma and arises is a powerful lawyer. he basically runs the democratic state convention for many decades. anybody who wants to go to

washington has to work with him here in town. call to public office in 1897 as a u.s. senator. he served until his death in 1907. there he became a spokesperson, he was like many men of his time in power in alabama a supporter of white supremacy. at least certain records indicate he was a member of the clan in the late 19th century. one record indicates he was the head here in the state. as a u.s. senator, during his , alabama pass the 1901 convention which stripped most blacks and many poor whites of certain basic liberties had one during the civil war. specifically, the polls are largely closed to blacks. disfranchisement became a powerful vehicle for local politicians to manage the black vote. here in dallas county, there was a tremendous black-white ratio.

blacks far outnumbered whites. luckily, the effects of allowing the state constitution to strip blacks of any political power here, it ensure that white democrats would be able to vote amongst themselves and appoint leaders for generations. under his tenure at the senate, a famousass constitution which stands as an example of the way other state governments went to great lengths to re-create a version of the old south during the. of the new south. the life of edmund pettus bridge occupies an important part in american history. it was dedicated as a symbol of white supremacy but within a generation, his history became reversed. it went from becoming a place of racial separation to being a place of racial liberation. in 1965, this became the setting for one of the most important moments of the civil rights movement.

the had decided this was place he would make a pitch for voting rights. was part ofe segregation but also liberation. this was one modern marvel both bequeathed to the memory of white supremacy the became a different thing when king and his supporters cross that bridge to go to montgomery and demand their votes. -- like manyced cities that experienced tremendous violence, someone was grappling with what do you do with the name of the edmund pettus bridge, knowing that pettis himself supported white supremacy and that this bridge became such a powerful and literal passageway from segregation to inspiration. want toand, you don't forget the past, you want to teach it to your children and have that part of the

conversation that many years ago, this place did not welcome african-americans or allow them the same degree of liberty. need to injecte into the title and equally powerful memory of this being a place of revolution, a place where one of king's greatest moments took place. 25,000 people, men and women, black and white came forth to testify to the fullest understanding of american democracy that no matter who you are, you can cross this bridge and demand your right to vote. you balance, how do the dark path -- past? there are many who want to hear both in that. in many ways, the original name is important to keep because it reminds us of how far we come. >> we can't have a revisionist history. the edmund pettus bridge, there is something ironic about the

fact that it is named after a confederate general, a u.s. senator from alabama who was part of the ku klux klan but today this bridge is known all around the world for the courageous fight that took place here for the right to vote and it is known for that. how we arek about going to help to revitalize the city of selma, you can't pay for the marketing of the fact that the whole world knows about the bridge, not because of who it is named after, but because of the great event that took place there. if you asked most folks who grew up in some a -- grew up in selma , we know about the complicated history. war and that civil civil rights live side-by-side here. we can't change that, we have to learn from the history. it is part of american history and the think it is important

that we embrace our history, even the painful parts and tell our own story because it we who are from selma do not tell the history, others will and they may not get it right. they may not see it through the lens of people who grew up in her and understand the complicated nature of its history. we can't change that history, but i think it is important that we learn from it. you can watch this and other programs on the history of communities across the country at c-span.org. this is american history tv only on c-span3. the lincoln memorial was dedicated on may 30, 1922. more than 50,000 people crowded

the grounds for the dedication, including elected officials. seen here in the audience are some of the many civil war veterans from the north and south who attended the ceremony. among the dignitaries were u.s. supreme court chief justice and former president william howard taft. president curran g harding, and robert todd lincoln, abraham lincoln's only surviving son. president harding in a speech broadcast nationwide told a audience, this memorial is less for abraham lincoln than those of us today and for those who follow after. presidentnstitute delivered the keynote address that promote equality among the races. he spoke to a segregated audience and discuss the origins of discrimination by comparing the arrival of the mayflower for religious freedom to the arrival of a slave ship with human cargo.

announcer: interested in american history tv? visit our website, you can view our schedule, preview upcoming programs and watch lectures, museum tours, films and more. american history tv at c-span.org/history. announcer: this weekend on oral histories, the first of our eight part series on women in congress. congresswomancan

susan molinari -- >> it made me a fighter and made me -- it was important to me. isn't that the secret? at least it was back then. we were constantly being so, sometimes and being underestimated is a good thing because you always have the element of surprise. i remember a lot of my debates with the people of his debating did not take me seriously until i got up there and then it was too late and i think the same thing happens when you are negotiating. announcer: in the weeks ahead, we will hear from pat shriver, helen bentley, barbican l.a., nancy johnson, and lynn woolsey. watch oral histories sunday at 10:00 a.m. eastern on american history tv on c-span3. announcer: c-span, were history unfolds daily. in 1979, c-span was created as a

public service by america's cable television companies. and today, we continue to bring you unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court and public policy events in washington, d.c. and around the country. c-span is brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. announcer: we are back live now for the confederate icons conference. battlefieldsvalley foundation ceo kevin walker on the politics of conserving confederate heritage icons.

kevin: i would like to thank you once again for coming and spending the day talking about such a controversial issue, spending the day learning from one another. i am thrilled by the speaking panel we had today. dr. robinson opened this up in true style. not have the body of knowledge about the american civil war that we do today if it were not for dr. roberts. to haveolutely thrilled carolina genie back here in the valley and back in