public service by america's cable tv channels. we continue to bring you unfiltered coverage of congress, white house, the supreme court, and public policy events in washington dc and around the country. c-span is brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. the national frontier trails museum is dedicated to telling the history of america's most iconic western trails. we go inside to learn about the connection to independence, missouri. horace greeley was the editor of the new york attributed to was that quote, go west young man. everyone heard tales of going west and a lot of people saw this as an opportunity to to

better their lives. today, you are in independence, missouri, at the national frontier trails museum. here we talk about lewis and california,regon, and santa fe trails, and the mormon pioneer trail. the reason we cover so much here is because independence was the jumping off point for the west. it was the farthest west you could get by boat easily and then disembark and get everything you needed for your journey. independence is established pretty early. there is a county seat hereby 1827. and there was a bustling town here outfitting people for the trails. you could meet with others who were setting off or coming back and learn about what route was best to take. you could join up with other wagons to form a train. this is a map of the united

states in the 1820's. independence was the jumping off point for three of the western trails. the first is the santa fe trail. for all trails we see there are a few different routes that can be taken. the journey was about 900 miles. people made it down and back in about three months. the oregon and california trails are combined for much of their journey. about south pass and then they converge. both of those journeys are about 2000 miles. it took people an average of five months. people went between 10 and 15 miles a day by foot. the other trail that we see on here is the mormon pioneer trail. the mormons are pushed out of independence. they ultimately sell -- subtle in not lou, illinois.

theirioneers started journey here in independence. there were a lot of businesses that could help prepare you for your journey. most people realized it was cheaper to sell their supplies as far as get independents, and then purchase everything they would need for their journey and their new home. so if you came here in the 1840's you would most likely visit a blacksmith shop like this one. this is an image of a blacksmith shop and you can see the and will -- anvil. blacksmiths would do everything from fashion the metal for your the pots and pans he would take with you, the tools and supplies, and getting your shoes for your mule, oxen, or horse. you need to visit a merchant. the journey usually took about five months. so you would really have to supply all of the food and

prepare for any disaster you might hit along the way. the people going to oregon and california were overwhelmingly families. the average family had about 10 people and it. people have larger families and more children. so supplying for the journey took a lot of preparation. you had to have enough food to feed a family of 10 for five months. to also had to get things help you hunt when you ran out of food. you had to bring additional clothing. sometime pregnant women would go or people with infants. just imagine the preparation it took to transport such a large family across the country where you have no resources for five months. werething you see here items brought west by people who traveled on the trail. we see quite simple things. back then, with the limited space he had in your wagon and the hardships you're going to face, you are only taking

essentials. we see some family heirlooms make the journey. this chair was brought back and forth to california several times because it wasn't favorite item. we also see a family bible here. most people were pretty practical and their choices. trumpcare. small trunks have -- small here. was brought to california and returned full of gold. seems like someone found the american dream and california. if we look deeper into the story, they found no gold but were able to acquire quite a bit betting on horse races. here we see a scene of the santa fe plaza. that was the end of the santa fe trail. representing the diversity of cultures as it

would have been in the 1840's. we have american traders coming in with a team of oxen. we also see native american women with their pottery and goods to sell. and we see the mexican people loading up donkeys with goods to bring in and sell. the santa fe trail is unique in a number of ways. most people did not travel the santa fe trail to order a new home. it was all about commerce. it is the one trail that officially goes both ways. although some people turned around halfway on the other trails. it was known as the road to santa fe. it was heavily traveled by traders. so this wagon would have been used on the trail what have been loaded with goods to sell. bit quicker little than people did on the other trails because they won to to get down and back in one season. most people made the journey and

about three months. in order to do that, you would have to take a large team of oxen because the wagons can hold up to six times. this one is relatively small. something that gets forgotten is that the santa fe trail was a two way trail and mexican traders are coming up into missouri with their goods. so we see examples of those here. items thatltural they sold here in the u.s. because this is the new cultural interaction with a lot of americans. they had not seen these mexican goods before. things carved out of gourds. unique items for making mexican hot chocolate. this is a mule harness. you do not see these types very often. they were not the sorts used by americans.

this is the type that the mexicans would have used to harness their meals and pull their wagons up to missouri. as people are coming up the trail, they bring that cultural interaction. mexican traders and native american traders. they did not stay. they would come and trade and go back. but it brings people in the u.s. into contact with other cultural groups that they had been isolated from. we have some items here that were used from the bison. the american bison had a huge presence in the west during the trails era. as the pioneers came through, they use different things for the bison. here are buffalo chips. ice ande dried droppings but people learned that they could be used to start fires. they were great fuel starters. so when you get out on the plans

and you are running out of fuel and the to make your one meal for the day, collecting buffalo chips was an option. all parts of the bison could be used. they learned this from the native americans. you could use the bladder to make canteens. the horns could be hollowed out and use as treating objects. as the pioneers went west, they were not encountering uninhabited land. there were hundreds of tribes of native americans that they came across. overwhelmingly these interactions were peaceful at the beginning. the native americans were happy to help guide them to the best trails and show them how they could utilize local resources like the bison. and in many instances help them cross rivers. as things go on, things get a lot more tense. we have the indian removal act in the 1830's.

this is one of the most negative impacts of western migration, the impact on the native people who are already there. this is the type of emigrant wagon that would be taken by families as they traveled west. this was usually all the space you had. remember, you are taking supplies for a family of 10. this is really not a lot of space. it meant that most people walked. we probably did not good to ride in the wagon unless you were ill. every inch of space would be taken. oxen only go three to five miles per hour. is quite a slow journey. in the diaries, people write about how poor they are starting to get. the california trail to try to strike it rich in the gold rush. some people really did feingold. we see this wedding ring over here. this is from a man who went to

california, made enough money to make this praying for his this praying for his sweetheart i come, and went harm and married her. people did acquire the stream, but because so many people flooded into california, your chance of getting any gold was relatively slim. a lot of people ended up going home penniless. by achair was picked up man who went to california without his family. he was so ashamed to go home empty-handed that on his journey back home he picked up this chair. these stories are incredibly common. made the journey to california on their own helping to send money home to their and to ultimately send for them and set up a new home in california. the consequences of this for women could be incredibly harsh.

here we have the story of an african-american woman whose original letters we have. withgh her correspondence her husband we hear about the desperate situation she has been left in back home in ohio. as a free black woman in the 1850's, she would face extremely difficult circumstances and a time in which it was difficult for everyone. she regularly wrote to her husband saying please send us money. he had been successful in california because he faced less discrimination. but he was never able to get ahead and send money home for his family. once these immigrants reached oregon and california, their hardships that only begun. we see an image here of oregon city.

not a terribly developed town. in the and, a lot of people are able to be successful. it is through their hard work and their communities they have created in their new homes. people visithen the museum's vacancy help how change has happened in american history and that sometimes it is a process. if this through these exceptional moments of rapid change in which the circumstances collide to create the circumstances that we have today. it was never a foregone conclusion. history can always be changed and altered. this really becomes a view into this pivotal point in american history. so much is changing rapidly. it is really the center of this change.

people are preparing for the biggest journey of their life. or returning from a journey that did not go so well. it is all wrapped up in issues of expansion of the united dates and different social and economic issues. it spans all of that. andffects the trails era ultimately what happened in american history. our cities tour staff recently traveled to independence, missouri, to learn about its rich history. learn more about independence and other stops on our tour at our website. all weekend, every weekend, on c-span3. bookshelf, history to mark the martin luther king jr. holiday, gary young talks about his book the speech.

he examines martin luther king jr.'s iconic i have a dream speech delivered during the march on washington in 1963. in a conversation with brooklyn college political science professor and a blogger. this was recorded at the new school in new york this weekend i went to washington, d.c. and i had a couple of extra hours and i went to see the king memorial. it is exceedingly depressing. the original plans for the monument included to honor other martyrs, but they were scrapped for insufficient funds. king towers over us. the sculpture flanked by a granite wall, 14 quotes on the wall, not one uses the word "sm