by the time of his death in 1898, blanche k. bruce was a respected and nationally known black leader. bruce was the foremost man of his race in one of the most -- and one of the most remarkable in history, stated the new york times. madelity and high standing him a potent factor in internal republican -- his ability and high standing made him a potent factor in internal republican politics. bruce lived in a country deeply segregated by race and divided by ever shifting political ideologies. his particular set of skills and attributes allow him to bridge the gap between black and white and politics and in society, and he hoped others could follow. with patients, he predicted, the black man will live to rejoice over a nation -- with patience , he predicted, the black man will live to rejoice over a nation in which he can exercise all his rights without hindrance and without danger. bruce sought accommodation for black americans within white society, or as we might term it a colorblind society. as one historian explains, he refused to ad

in that often hostile context, blanche k. bruce insisted the black man should be an integral element of american society. rather than portraying bruce as a leader who achieved the loftiest of goals, i see this mississippi senator as a man who overcame difficult obstacles. when he found himself standing alone in the senate chamber on that fateful day in 1875, he took a bold, solitary step forward to full participation in the united states senate. at the same time, blanche kncht bruce prompted a reluctant nation to take an important step into a better future. thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you, betty. that was wonderful. so, along this continuum of trailblazers, i bring to you today portrait. trail blazing african-americans. he has painted baseball legend hank aaron. see if my -- excuse me for a second. sorry about this. we'll do it this way. so, baseball legend hank aaron. famed author and order frederick douglas. media magnate oprah winfrey. i'm talking about art so it's important we look at art, if you'll bear with me. lieutenan

. >> senator blanche k. bruce was the first african-american centered -- senator to be elected to a full term. after the war, he became a planter in mississippi. up next, the u.s. capitol historic society hosts a panel discussion on senator bruce in honor of black history month. due to technical problems, early remarks are not included. this program runs about 40 minutes. was born intoce slavery in 1841. his experience with slavery was far from typical. the son of an enslaved woman and ast likely her white master, a young boy, he lived in virginia, mississippi, and misery. with his parentage, this light-skinned bruce became a favorite of the master and a servant and

after that, 19th century african american senator blanche k. bruce, followed by the history of the joint committee on taxation. it's often argued our current political parties are the most divisive in history. proffers joann freeman who studies early american politics and brian balogh, who specializes in the 20th century disagree. up next, t

after that, 19th century african-american senator blanche k. bruce. that's followed by the joint committee on taxation. >>> it's argued our current political parties are the most devie svi receive in history. up next on american history

after that, 19th century african-american senator blanche k. bruce. that's followed by the joint committee on taxation. >>> it's argued our current political parties are the most devie svi receive in history. up next on american history tv, they talk about the evolution of political parties and partisanship from the founding era to the 21 century. this was hosted by the national history center. >>> in a few weeks, a united states senator will rise in the senate chamber to read through the entire text of george washington's farewell address. this is a tradition the senate has been performing annually since 1896. other than the senator who is speaking, the only other people who will be in the chamber will be the senator who is the presiding officer, a handful of clerks and a few visiting tourists in the gallery. but the rest of the public can watch this on c-span. if you do watch it, you will hear our first president warn in the most solemn manner against the baneful affects of the spirit of party generally. he goes on to say, this spirit unfortunately

and then the story of blanch k. bruce, first elected senator to serve a full term. he represented mississippi from 1875 to 1881. and later, the history of the joint committee on taxation, which was established in 1926. ♪ ♪ >>> i am a history buff. i do enjoy seeing the fabric of our country and how things, just how they work and how they're made. >> i love american history tv. >> american artifacts, fantastic show. >> i had no idea. >> and with american history tv, it gives that you perspective. >> on the c-span fan. >>> tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span, a conversation on student loan debt. among those we'll hear from, a in, times columnist who talks about the practical implications of defaulting on a student loan. >>> when we have 7 million, 8 million people in default, what does that mean? a blat on their credit record. what does that mean? many landlords do credit checks before they rent. so they are shut out of the housing market. if they want to buy a car to get to work because they are living in neighborhood that's not where the jobs are, they need to drive t