shepard's footprints, because today you can't go to north carolina central university without knowing who he is. can't really go in that area of north carolina without the name james shepard, nd he's transitions out since 1947, for a young historian like didn't know anything about him, until i picked up that book years ago to who stand the decision of he was, it's very, very owerful, to take him out of just being a black college president, and making him, understanding his role as really uplifter, from about 1890 to 1947. >> thank you for telling us your story. thanks for having me. >> this weekend, american history tv is joining our cable partners to showcase the history of

springfield, illinois. the cities e about on our current tour visit c-span.org/citiestour. we continue with a look at the springfield. >> we're in the old state capitol. we call at this time old state in springfield capitols. two company >> some of the well known events that occurred in this building were abraham lincoln's house he givers inh that 1858, and after lincoln's 1965, nation, in lincoln's body lies here in state for nearly 75,000 people through this building in a 22-hour time period to pay their respects to the fallen president. as spring evidence becomes the state capitol in 1839, the illinois is starting to move northward. when springfield is established, town of about e 1,500 is actually larger than a

lake michigan n called chicago. and so springfield becomes the city as it's a central location in illinois. as the population starts to northward, then the ideas of slavery begin to change. to this building in 1840, as a representative. terms ncoln served four as a state representative, but he served his last and final 1840 etween the years of and 1841 in this building. so here on the main historic old state capital we have the state library, and his is where abraham lincoln started to hone his political career. it was in the state library, surrounded always with information and knowledge as well.of people lincoln's friends actually say lincoln is a very competitive player in the state library. it was here in this room where debates the ln house divided speech before he

gives it, in the middle of june 1865. in the biography about lincoln he says they sat around a longcy here inountry cal table the state bleyer and debated that. because interesting, herman says he was the only one that supported abraham lincoln's say, if his friends you say these radical things chances are he probably won't election. his friends were right. he goes on to lose that election. but these ideas, about what does freedom mean, and how do we today, started for abraham lincoln even here in room, uilding, in this possibly even around this very table. is ehind me representative -- in 1840 there were not assigned seats as there today's state capitol in illinois. but back then, the democrats sat the left-hand side, and the wigs later to become the epublican party, sat on the right. and abraham lincoln, a creature

of habit like many of us, most the second row back, the third seat in. this m lincoln sat in place mostly, i think to be around people that were like as people sat closer to the middle of the aisle, this became what you moderates, and those people who were radical sat out on the far either left because they couldn't get along with the other political party but it was the people who were closer to the minded hat had like ideas. abraham lincoln gives his house 1858.d speech here in as the newspaper said, he took gasstage by the glow of the lamps to a packed house, in the 1858. of june, so the house divided speech was in lincoln was giving response to being nominated as the next u.s. senator from illinois. now, steven douglas, his main political rival, was also u.s. senate that seat so these two gentlemen

would give speeches in kick entative hall to start their campaign for the u.s. senate seat. now, at that time, the u.s. was elected by the legislators, and so these entlemen had nine different debates throughout central illinois, and those debates, spark interest in men contacting their legislators and their representatives, so would then turn and vote for lincoln our douglas. douglas, bleaching in popular sovereignty and states should have the rights to choose they should have slaves or not but abraham lincoln outlined an idea that the united mandate that every single person in the united states is free. having that freedom to choose whether they should have slaves or not. abraham lincoln in his house divided speech, references a a passage bible and hat says, that a house divided against itself can't stand. this nation, abraham lincoln

half cannot endure being slave and half free. he goes on to say it will all become one thing. lincoln outlines the ideas that this nation should be a completely free nation, and that the united states overnment should deem that everyone in the united states is free. not to be subject to the tierney slavery. in 1858, when abraham lincoln gives the house divided speech with large upted applause afterwards, because of the fact that abraham lincoln as surrounded by all of those people of the same political party. and his ideas definitely were radical, but he would feel confident that he could go on steven douglas, debate him nine different times in central illinois and go on to win. douglas, however, being a very, very good orator, would go on to election. after abraham lincoln loses the senate seat lincoln does not political office until that of the presidency.

when he runs for the president 1860, even utilizing this building for his campaign headquarters. some gentlemen came to abraham lincoln's house one evening, and would you him, consider running for president of the united states? lincoln actually said, i think i'll have to think about that. lincoln gives his response that he would run for president of the united states. this room was the governor's reception room. the governor's office is right door. this is where the governor would during the , and 1860 campaign for president, utilizes this as his campaign headquarters, or office, if you will. we actually have an original newspaper, for an artist that this room, when lincoln had his reception here. up as it would ave been in 1860, when brain

hamlin con would have known what this room was like. one of the most unusual things large woodenis the chain that hangs in the corner. we don't really know a lot about that wooden chain but it shows up in the original newspaper reproducedn so we've that chain to place it here. we do know it was given to by one of the well-wishers in 1860, that came from wisconsin. and that gentlemen said that he carved that out of a single wood. of now, some lincoln scholars have put on their lincoln thinking caps, if you will, and thought about the significance maybe behind that chain. now, abraham lincoln will go off to become president in 1861, slavery, he chains of so maybe there is some significance about a chain there. however, it wasn't until the civil war, when we started united states e as a singular noun.

it was prior to the civil war talked about these united states, with the emphasis being put on the individuality of the state. after the civil war, the emphasis.n is the the united states. wood e, this one piece of carved into many different links ay have more significance than that man from wisconsin might want to lead on about. blah h lincoln is elected in the 1860 a couple of short months later in 1861 lincoln is making the journey to washington giving his farewell address to springfield, from the train depot here. to ys planning on returning springfield, but lincoln never does. nly his body comes back here after his assassination, in 1865, does it lie in state here building in representative hall. all of the furniture was completely cleared out of this of the cluding both podiums. a black canopy was set up

underneath which lincoln's open was placed, and people came through this room about 75,000 mourners, to pay their respects to the fallen president. town of springfield was about 15,000 at the time. no 876, this building is longer the state capitol. but it was just shortly after 1868, when theby legislator completely outgrows his building and they start to look for other locations. so by that year, 1868, they tart construction on what we call the new and the current state capitol. he most important thing about preserving old buildings, may not necessarily be for the architectural value that they have. don't get me wrong. it does have architectural value that's important to it's field's history but because of the people that worked here, that this building is important. nd so when people come to springfield and they can visit these places, they can get a sense of not only what it was worked the people that here, but the people themselves

who worked here, to make a our rence in our state and nation's history. >> our city's tour staff recently traveled to springfield, illinois, to learn history, learn you are watching american weekend everyl weekend, on c-span three. producedm greaves dozens of films about african-american history. career spanned more than 50 years. washington booker t. , produced in 1986 for the national park service. shot at several historic locations, the film uses reenactments and interviews with actors pretraining washington and his contemporaries