very positive. he says chavez has great potential, great energy, something very positive about quote as the legend has become. >> from the c-span archives, tonight on c-span seri "bookshat shapedan's new america," in cooperatth the library of congress on monday, september 18 on c-span,n now, or online at c-span.org. >> the book "my nhan tinea," written by wi cather, shaped america. a bronze statue of author willa cather was unveiled in the u.s. capitol earlier this year.

[cheers and applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the speaker of the house of representatives, governor of nebraska james pillen, hakeem jeffries, adrian smith, and nora london black. [applause] please be seated. ladies and gentlemen, the honorable kevin mccarthy, speaker of the united states house of representatives.

[applause] >> i know you are excited, but i am more excited. this is the first statue i get to do as being speaker. if you followed it, it took me a while to get there. this is special. good morning and thank you for joining us for this you know, every state since two statues, extraordinary citizens at the u.s. capitol are represented in washington. by law, the statues have to be made of ron's or marble. but make -- bronze or marble. but make no mistake, these men and women are present our national memory, patriotism, and our shared american greed -- creed, e pluribus unum, out of

many, one. as we welcome willa cather to the capitol, i also want to welcome several special guests in the audience. first, we are honored to be joined by members of the cather family. i also want to welcome the nebraska governor and the secretary of state, bob, and who represents the pride all the cather's have for the town's legacy. finally, the artist who created cather's statue. not only is he the first african-american artist to have a sculpture in the capitol, he grew up a few blocks from the capital as well. we are grateful that all of you are here to join us to unveil this new statue and celebrate it in the people's house. let's begin.

>> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of the colors by the united states capitol police ceremonial unit, the singing of the national anthem by the united states chorus, and the retiring of the colors. >> forward march.

>> ♪ oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight over the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh, say, does that star-spangled

banner yet wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please

remain standing for the indication, delivered by the chaplain of the united states house of representatives. >> would you pray with me? holy god, the author of our lives, we pause to give you thanks for viewing your creative spirit on then celebrated -- the celebrated nebraskan author willa cather. thank you for endowing ms. cather with the ability to tell the story of nebraska, giving context and color to the frontier and pioneer life, in her writing, she brought to life your creative beauty. she gave names to the faces of unsung american heroes and celebrated the rich legacy of the prairies and planes that spanned these united states. even now, as this pulitzer prize winner's statue stands proudly among our most notable luminaries, we ask that you draw the eyes of each visitor not

just to willa cather's supreme example of literary excellence, but also to her strength and courage. her commitment to civil rights and her careful telling of a complex history of our republic. in this may we each be inspired to serve this nation with the best of who you have made us to be, with all the gifts you have graced us to use. with the passion and compassion to which you have called up, like willa cather, to share. it is in your generous name we pray as we ask your blessing on this ceremony. amen. >> please be seated. ladies and gentlemen, the honorable kevin mccarthy, speaker of the united states house of representatives.

ladies and gentlemen, please welcome speaker kevin mccarthy. >> it is my first time. who did they say? now, it is my privilege -- i need to invite up in a brash -- the nebraska congressional delegation and all of our special guests to join us for the unveiling. we changed this part so you can see it while we talk about it. come on. you come too. [inaudible]

[laughter] >> ready, ok. 3, 2, 1. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable james pillen, governor

of nebraska. [applause] >> good morning morning. extraordinary, extraordinary privilege to be before you as the governor of nebraska. is it a great day to be nebraskan? [laughter] -- [applause] speaker mccarthy and leader jeffries, as i have a couple of special privileges, i consider you nebraskans. enjoy our day. i want to share a couple of experiences that are relevant for today. there will be lots of extraordinary remarks about willa cather and her writing for nebraska. i had the privilege yesterday to be on the university of nebraska

campus in willa cather hall, speaking to 300 young ladies in girls state. it was rather remarkable, i almost felt like willa cather was a part of our conversation. the first thing we talked about, what an extraordinary day yesterday was. to make sure that every generation remembers the sacrifices and the bloodshed so that we can have this, be a part of the greatest nation that civilization has ever known, with the 79th anniversary of d-day. we tried, like willa cather would, to bring it alive. we talked about, can you imagine. can you imagine that at your age, your brother, got off a higgins boat that was made in columbus, nebraska, my hometown, and young men, 17, 18, 19 years of age, gave their lives so that

we could save the planet from people. it was extraordinary to watch the eyes and the faces of the young ladies. then, we talked about something that was really, really cool. we talked about, what is your why? why? why are you here. why are we here? that is something willa cather would be really, really proud of, because it is a great message for all of us. no matter what role as public servants, what is our why? what is our why? it's important for all of us to do some self-examination. our country depends on every single one of us to have the right why. and to examine it. another thing i would like to share, because of the

extraordinary chief standing bear -- i have a replica in the office of the governor of nebraska -- a couple of weeks ago, the united states postal service had a stamp commemorating standing bear, and i got to listen to the great, great grandson of chief standing bear speak. it was extraordinary. what kind of man and his life and his legacy, maybe the thing i want to leave you with, as your governor, i was in south sioux city 69 days ago and met with the four tribal leaders. i hope everybody will really, really think about this. one tribal leader said, mr. governor, i want you to know that when i was young, my grandfather said, my grandfather said when we sit around the room

to make things better, it's really, really important and it's really serious. every minute matters because what we do has an impact for seven generations. seven generations. i have thought about that a lot. let me tell you -- it is so true. willa cather, almost 150 years ago, born, and just think of the impact seven generations plus -- i got to talk to some younger ladies yesterday that all of us and nebraska would bet the farm on for the future, and the impact still held for generations. think of the impact these two folks have had on the great state of nebraska and on the

incredible nation that we live in. i just want to finish with a couple of willa cather quotes from her writings. one is "there are some things you learn best in calm and some in storm." "some things you learn best in calm and some things you learn best in storm." another one that i think mother theresa took from willa cather, "where there is great love, there is always miracles." the last one is really cool. she said "i only want impossible things. the others don't interest me." kudos to our artist, littleton

ashton. thank you for representing. [cheers and applause] >> your work inspires us and hopefully, this experience can inspire all of us in this room to go home and do a little more than we ever thought we could. our generations seven times from now depend on it. godspeed. thank you for having me here today. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable adrian smith, united states representative from the third district of nebraska. [applause] >> thank you, mr. speaker, governor pillen, senator fischer

and the willa cather committee. mr. speaker, this is a great place for both of the nebraskan statues. [laughter] >> i am so grateful to be here. willa cather's formative years in red cloud, nebraska introduced her to the planes and those who -- plains and those who made them their home. well decorated and praised by many of her acclaimed contemporaries, cather was a trailblazer in the literary world. even after moving from nebraska, her experiences stayed with her and testified to the spirit of nebraska in many of her timeless works of literature. cather earned a lasting place among the great american writers. it is fitting she will be enshrined in our nation's

capital, giving visitors an opportunity to reflect on her greatness. thank you again to all of those who worked so hard, littleton, fantastic work. thank you for not just sharing your talents with america and nebraska, but the world. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable deb fischer, united states senator from nebraska. [applause] >> littleton, she is beautiful. willa is stepping forward, just like you told us she would. thank you.

when we are here in statuary hall, i like to remind people that we are not alone. if you look above the door that leads into the rotunda, you will see a figure. it is clio, the muse of history. she served as a constant reminder that our words and actions, the good and the bad, will be judged by time and leave a lasting mark on this nation. today, clio welcomes one of nebraska's finest literary artists, willa cather. let your fiction grow out of the land beneath your feet. this quote, attributed to cather, is an acid -- assumation of her work.

her works truly feel like they grew from the soil of nebraska. cather herself drew from that land. her family settled in red cloud while she was still a child, and her imaginative mind put its roots down there in webster county. for decades until her death in 1947, cather was unable to shake her spirit away from its home on the open plains of the heartland. the unveiling of cather's statue is especially poignant for me, because cather's fiction is not the only art to grow out of the lands beneath her feet. in 2006, my sister-in-law was

selected as part of the annual willa cather conference that is organized by the cather foundation. i am a nebraska painter, and my feet stand on the same prairie grasses that cather's nadine's impressionistic paintings, there are one. their blend and imaginative representation of cather with nadine's own personal experience on our family's ranch in the nebraska sandhills. four of the paintings, longing, isolation, pioneering the way and way ahead, draw out of [video clip] cather -- social work. each creating an expression. nadine's art illustrates the profound -- of the writings for

those of us who call nebraska home. that residence, that talent, that imagination of organize -- immortalized in cather's what endows her with the significance to be placed here in the united states capital. as representation of nebraska's past. i will end with the words from cather's song. words that strike a sense of understanding into the heart of any nebraskan who has read her work. what was any art that imprisoned for a moment, the shining, elusive element, which is life itself. thank you. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, laura, reader. >> selections from my aunt -- i first heard of it on what seemed to be a journey across the great midland plane of north america. i was 10 years old. i had lost both my father and mother within a year and my virginia relatives were sending me out to my grandparents who lived in nebraska. i traveled in the mountain void. jake, one of the hands on my father's old farm under the blue ridge who is now going west to work for my grandfather. we went all the way in day coaches, becoming more sticky and grimy with each stage of the journey. beyond chicago we were under the protection of a friendly

passenger conductor who knew all about the country to which we were going, and gave us a great deal of advice in exchange for our confidence. once when he shot -- sat down to chat, he told us in the immigrant car ahead there was a family from across the water whose destination was the same as ours. i do not remember crossing the missouri river or anything about the long day's journey through nebraska. probably by that time i had crossed so many rivers that i was told to them. the only thing very[noticeable about nebraska was that it was still, all day long, nebraska. -- we stumbled down to the train where men were running about with lanterns. i could not see any town or even distant light. we were surrounded by utter darkness. and the red glow from the

firebox a group of people stood huddled together on the platform, encumbered by boxes. i knew this must be the immigrant family the conductor had told us about. the woman wore a fringed shawl tight over her head and she carried a little tin strong in her arms, hugging it as if it were a baby. there was an old man, tall and stooped, to have grown boys, and a little girl clung to her mother's skirt. presently, a man with a lantern approach them and begin to talk, shouting and exclaiming, i pricked up my ears for it was positively the first time i had ever heard a foreign tongue. another lantern came along. a voice called out, hello, are you mr. burns folks, if you are, it's me you are looking for. i'm auto, the hired man and i'm

here to drive you. he led us to a hitching bar where too far wagons were tied and i saw the family crowding into one of them. the other was for us. jake got on the front seat with otto and i rode on the adam of the water box covered in the buffalo hide. the immigrants rumbled off into the empty darkness and we followed them. i tried to go to sleep, but the jolting made me bite my tongue and i soon begin to ache all over. cautiously i slipped from under the buffalo hide, got on my knees and peered over the wagon. there seemed to be nothing to see, no fences, no creeks, no trees, no hill in the fields. if there was a road, i could not make it out in the faint starlight. there was nothing but land. not a country at all, but the material out of which countries are made. i had the feeling that the world was left behind, that we had got

over the edge of it and were outside man's jurisdiction. i had never before looked up at the sky when there was not a familiar mountain ridge against it. but this was the complete dome of heaven. all there was of it. the wagon jolted on carrying me, i knew not whither. i don't think i was homesick, and if we didn't arrive anywhere, it did not matter. between the earth and the sky i felt erased, blotted out. i did not say my plate -- my prayers at night. here i thought what would be would be. i do not remember our arrival at my grandfather's farm sometime before daybreak after a drive of nearly 20 miles with a heavy work -- work horses. the roads in the post office came directly by our door,

crossed the barnyard and curved around this pond, beyond which climbed the gentle swell of the prairie to the west. there along the western skyline it spurted a great cornfield, much larger than any field i had ever seen. i'd almost forgotten that i had a grandmother, and when she came out, her sun bonnet on her head, a grain sack in my head and asked me if i did not want to dig the potatoes in the garden for dinner. the garden was a quarter of a mile from house and the way to it led by a shallow, pass. i can remember exactly how the country looked to me as i walked beside my grandmother along the faint wagon tracks on that early saturday morning. perhaps the glide of long travel was still with me. more than anything else, i felt motion in the landscape in the fresh, easy blowing morning wind. and in the earth itself, as if

the shaggy grass were loose hide and herds of wild buffalo were gathering -- galloping. galloping. alone i should never have found the garden and i felt very little interest in it when i got there. i wanted to walk straight off to the red grass and over the edge of the world, which could not be very far away. the pitchfork we found standing, i pick them up and out of the soft brown earth and put them in the bag. when grandmother was ready to go i said, i would like to stay there a while. i sat down in the middle of the garden where snakes could approach unseen. i leaned my back against a warm yellow pumpkin. the earth was warm under me and warm as i crumbled it through my fingers. i kept as still as i could. nothing happened. i did not expect anything to happen.

i was something that lay under the sun and felt it like the pumpkins and i did not want to be anything more. i was entirely happy. perhaps we feel like that when we die and become part of something entire. whether it is son and heir or goodness and knowledge. at any rate, that is happiness. to be dissolved into something complete and great. when it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the omaha conservatory of music string quartet.

♪

♪ [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable hakeem jeffries, democratic leader of the united states house of representatives. [applause] >> speaker mccarthy, speaker merits of pelosi, senator fischer, distinguished members of the nebraska delegation, all those assembled. governor, i'm from brooklyn, but we are all nebraskans today. [applause] it's my deepest honor and privilege to offer a congratulatory -- to the people of nebraska on behalf of house democrats. to commit -- to commemorate will it cath or in this historic -- willa cather in this historic

moment. today they become the first african-american artist to have created a sculpture in this historic collection. [applause] thank you, sir. for capturing this american hero's impact on dish nation and on a literary canon with such dignity and honor. our nation's heroes are memorialized here in marble and bronze. and today, willa cather, a nebraska novelist and national icon, joins them. she becomes the first bullets are prize winner in 12 woman represented in the national statutory hall collection. willa cather's novels of

nostalgia of 19th century life, and of the nuances of adventure and uncertainty, our key to understanding the death of americana, nebraska in life, and the pioneer spirit. the stories are the stories of people who risk everything. she captured, in such a powerful way, the story of america and our country's. willa cather's literary genius has been a key part of bringing the american journey to life. and in the honoring willa cather and her work, we also profess the telling of our history. willa cather joins papa chief standing bear as the two sculptures from the state capturing the heart and soul of the great state of nebraska. in her novel, she wrote that we

come and go, but the land is always here. and the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it for a little while. willa will not just come and go, her legacy and her purpose lives on right here. her impact will be forever memorialized. in this moment and in this great space, willa cather's words in her wisdom and her contributions will endure much longer then a little while. congratulations. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the

honorable kevin mccarthy, speaker of the united states house of representatives. [applause] speaker mccarthy: it was a pretty unique day. you think about the hall which we sit. this was where congress actually served. this is where pioneers debated whether we stay together as a union. you go to the back of the room, that's for abraham lincoln sat for one term. a lot of history was made in this room. history is being made today. former speaker pelosi, correct me if i'm wrong, i don't know any other time when a statute from a state -- both statues from this state stood right next to one another. in its the insurance to the chambers. so as anyone walks, they will see these two today. it's also historic that a pioneering artist made history

today, but he is making history by bringing a new pioneer, pioneering woman into these chambers as well, congratulations. [applause] 76 years ago, one of americans greatest authors passed away from cancer. reflecting on it, the new york times wrote that no american novelist was more purely an artist then willa cather. ladies and gentlemen, what an understatement, the subject to her work is known to us. she was the daughter of red clad nebraska who gave a voice to the people she knew. the pioneers of the american frontier. her characters and settings were

written with such depth and emotion, that they still captivate readers to this day. as the nobel prize winning writer sinclair lewis later said, the united states knows nebraska because of willa cather 's books. and today, congress will always know her because of the statue as well. that is the legacy worth celebrating. one that reminds us that america is a nation of pioneers. that in although short stories she portrayed, a band of pioneers on the nebraska planes who took responsibility for their lives and lives in their own future. as she wrote in one of her novels, there was nothing but land, not a country at all, but the material out of which countries are made. cather knew that pioneers see these materials and they build

on them. pioneers have a vision of a better life beyond the immediate world it currently lives. pioneers are risktakers who have the courage to brave the unknown, to reach new goals. pioneers use independent judgment. and come up with new ideas and innovation that often make the world a better place for the rest of us. never askins are lucky to call cather one of their own, but ultimately, her work belongs here because it is american to the core. her authenticity, emotions, artistry, america's fundamental values, ultimately it reminds us that this is a land of opportunity. willis statue stands today as a monument to her incredible legacy and our peoples incredible spirit.

today we should celebrate the progress that america continues to make as a land of opportunity. but it's equally important that we follow in the footsteps of her pioneers. let us strive to continue to become a more perfect union in which every american chooses personal responsibility over passiveness. risk-taking over risk aversion, and opportunity over oppression. her words will live in a book, but her legacy and her teaching will create new generations that strive to be a more perfect union in the pioneering spirit that she saw in nebraska. to not only make america, but to make the world a better place to live in. thank you. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the benediction delivered by reverend daniel hendrix m of the society of jesus. 25th president of creighton university. >> i'm humbled and grateful to offer a simple prayer on this significant occasion. the jesuit university of nebraska creighton university is very honored that our own professor was chosen to commemorate nebraska's acclaimed willa cather in this hallowed hall. in her legacy of articulating the duty of the heartland and sharing those discoveries with the world continue to inspire future generations to cherish every corner of our common home. so let us pray. lord, god, we gather today in celebration and in all of the historical significance that surround us. we stand in reverence to the magnificent gifts you have bestowed upon the sculptors, and

those transformational individuals whom they have created. we are humbly aware of the meaningful realities and aspirations each represents. today we especially thank you for the creativity of -- whose artistic talents have red heart and soul into the beauty and grant sculpture of willa cather we are dedicating today. let us take this occasion to reflect upon the thoughtful, far-reaching literary contributions of miss cather, whose visions on the american frontier and other aspects of american life were enlightened when she wrote them and continue to be instructive today across successive generations. we are grateful her memories and experiences of nebraska inspired much of her writings, showcasing the vibrance of hard work, respect for the land and resilient spirit so that the world would forever be informed about the greatness that can be

found in the heartland of america. we ask you to bless those who visit statuary hall from all points across a great nation and even the world, allow them to hear the voices and prayers of the artisan esteemed women and men here represented. may our future generations to come to this place continue to be energized just as littleton alton was when he visited as a child. they they find the courage and support to realize their dreams and pursue their destinies. finally, bless our elected officials both here in washington, d.c. and in the home states as they govern and lead our cities, states, territories and country, navigating to territories to shepherd us into a brighter tomorrow where we can find purpose and prominence. we ask this so we may carry on the lessons of tremendous women. -- tremendous women we recognize today. we offer these prayers in every sense represented. amen.

>> ladies and gentlemen, please remain at your seat for the departure of the official party. thank you for joining us today. ♪ >> starting monday, september 18, watch c-span's new s books that shaped america, which feature 10 folks that have

won award lead to significant sohaes and are still abo today. ahead of its premier we are using the c-span archives to gain more insight into each book and its author. tonight at 9:00 eastern. investment analyst tells us about the life of economist milton friedman and his contributions to the study of the free market. >> in 1954, there were a lot of economists who said the great depression is just around the corner, it could have a lot of -- a lot of marxists were saying it. a lot of people thought we would be in trouble. they represented the lecture that the american economy is depression proof and he gave four reasons why. number one, fdic insurance. he said bank collapses, its history, we won't see that again. we won't see runs on banks because of fdic insurance. number two, we've gone off the gold standard, and the gold

standard was severe discipline, a lot of people, if you are on the gold standard, were forced into a depression from time to time. if you go off the gold standard you can rate your money, you can do a lot of things to protect yourself against the great depression. and number three is, big government. he argued the argument that government is big and provides a lot of built in stabilizers. in other words, during a great depression get unemployment insurance, you get welfare, that keeps the economy going and pumping money into the system and so forth. so it's a built-in stabilizer. and last but not least, he said the fed has learned its lesson to inject liquidity if there is ever a crisis in a -- and a collapse in the economy. >> at 10:20 p.m. lillian talks about her biography on cesar chavez and his rise as the labor union leader. >> was an importantly --

important community organizer and ran a group which was almost exclusively in california and it was really the first part of the mexican american civil rights movement. in 1952 he went to san jose, he started doing what he did when he came to a new place, just to hold house meetings where you invite a few people over, talk to them about what other concerns, what are their needs and try to get people engaged in collective community organizing. and he meets cesar chavez at a meeting at the house and here's where we can tie into the legend nicely because part of the legend has always been that fred ross wrote in his journal that night, i think i found the guy i'm looking for. and that, you can find that quote in lots of books and in lots of scholarly work. but that's made up. and i found the actual entry in the journal from that night in which he said something very positive. he said, chavez great potential,

great energy, something very positive about caeut not the quote as the legend has me. >> from the c-span archives t on c-span. be sure to watch c-span's series, books that shaped america in partnership with the library or congress starting monday, september 18th, l 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, c-span now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. quick sunday night on q&a, the presidential historian shares his biography of president gerald ford titled, an ordinary man. he talks about ford's peonal life, antiestablishment politics in his efforts to heal the country following the watergate scandal and his controversial decision to pardon richard nixon. >> fellow americans, a long

national nightmare is over. >> the irony about the whole thing, whoever wrote it is, for didn't want to use it. ford thought -- it was kicking the man when he was down, don't you think that's a little hard. and he made the case, in effect, you don't understand, mr. vice president, people need to hear this, they need to hear it from you. the final surprise, of course is that he was responsible. >> richard with this book in ordinary man sunday night 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span's q&a. you can listen to q&a on all of our podcast on our free c-span now at. >> c-span is your unfiltered

view of government. funded by these television companies and more, including charter communications. >> charter is proud to be recognized as one of the best internet providers, and we are just getting started, building 100,000 miles of new infrastructure to reach those who need it most. >> charter communications supports c-span as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> next, a forum on the middle east where participants discussed iran's government, the tactics and ideology of the regime, islamic radicalism and the need for u.s. western allies to take the threat of iran seriously. this is 30 minutes. >> hello, and good evening. welcome to the latest of the middle east forum. my name is jonathan and