one thing about the purview of the book, the insane race between henry clay and the other steam shipped on the hudson, it lasts all day. amazingly while grace. they are just basically throwing people off the boat that their stops and barely pausing to take them on because they are racing each other and at the end henry clay plause--'s boiler exploded and killed 150 people outside of younkers. this is basic commuter transportation at the time. like rebels laboi trains are racing each other. >> that is very true not only that but it was a spectator sport. it really matter to people that they were on the fastest buck. >> many of them or panic and hanging on for dear life would cheering on their steamboat. >> there were two sets of passengers, the ones who were serious about with-- woman speak in your book, but that's, all of that was sort of in a kind of consciously we worked and a sense of honor. that was okay, but then all these people end up really respecting the commodore for fighting him to the death, steamship lines and rail lines, but then you get down to jay gould and big jim fisk

i think henry clay never wanted to turn his back on any of his enemies or friends. he became synonymous with compromise. he was able to keep control over the senate. people charged him with being a dictator. he said he was not a dictator. he was just a senator. he knew that he was the dictator. whenever john c. calhoun came into the chamber, there would be a buzz in the gallery because he was a dramatic man. he resigned from the vice presidency to become a senator. it started -- he started out as a nationalist and ended up as a section lost. -- sectionalist. he had to sit and listen as another the center red for him. his life was absorbed in the united states capitol in one way or another. while it evokes the history of webster m. calhoun, it became a shrine to current members. it is an important space in the united states capitol. they remember those great centers of the 19th century. -- centers of the 19th century. -- senators of the 19th century. >> with the north and south wings done in 1819, work finally began in earnest to build the center part of the capitol.

i think henry clay never wanted to turn his back on any of his enemies or friends. he became synonymous with compromise. he was able to keep control over the senate. people charged him with being a dictator. he said he was not a dictator. he was just a senator. he knew that he was the dictator. whenever john c. calhoun came into the chamber, there would be a buzz in the gallery because he was a dramatic man. he resigned from the vice presidency to become a senator. it started -- he started out as a nationalist and ended up as a section lost. -- section lialist. he had to sit and listen as another the center red for him. his life was absorbed in the united states capitol in one way or another. while it evokes the history of webster m. calhoun, it became a shrine to current members. it is an important space in the united states capitol. they remember those great centers of the 19th century. -- centers of the 19th century. -- senators of the 19th century. >> with the north and south wings done in 1819, work finally began in earnest to build the center part of the capit

henry clay the kentucky senator and some time opponent of monroe put him you have made me prouder of my country than i ever was before. now, some of you i know are wondering about the slavery issue. and monroe like washington and other virginia planters owned slaves. but consider slavery in laurel. but saw no way to end the practice without a blood bath. but i will use one myself. the first thing to remember is that slavery was not in america's institution. it was british, french and spanish. america's inherited after it was 200-years-old. virginians have actually voted to ban slavery in the early 1700's. but the british government of good clean overruled the act largely because the royal treasury depended on revenues from british slave traders. in the decades that followed under the three king george's virginians petitioned time after time to end slavery importation. the georges all refused to and during their brains or africans crossed the atlantic to america than europeans and voluntarily of course. ironically the increase in the number of slaves was more of a burden than benefit

the whig party in congress, headed by henry clay, is extremely upset. they tried to prevent thomas -- they try to prevent tyler from becoming president and almost established a parliamentary system in congress. tyler would not allow that, making it clear that he is president and congress will accept that. you also had the difficulty with lincoln and andrew johnson. lincoln -- again, an assumption made here because of our thoughts about lincoln and now -- it is assumed that he was exceedingly popular in the north. but this is not true in 1864. it was seen as a very close election, lincol takes a democrat unionist, andrew johnson of tennessee, to help him get the presidency. when johnson becomes president, you have a dreadful conflict between the johnson and the congress, because his policies are not republican. the republicans are dominating congress at this point. you have the first impeachment. i am not sure it would be a good idea to have the president and vice-president from different parties. i think the 12th amendment and it changed in the electora