important factor may have been the person who makes it possible for him to take full advantage and jesse benton fremont his wife to make a few choices for themselves jesse found a way to chart their own course the daughter of a senator to provide her previously unknown husband entrÉe to the highest levels of government it is no coincidence a few months after they eloped 28 and 17. i thought as many others did that jesse benton fremont was the better man of the two. she helped to write those famous reports serving as secretary in ghostwriter and to amplify the talents to working with news editors to publicize the journeys and then to promote friends and lash out at enemies and carrying on was senators twice her age and then you want a political force in her own right. and her timing was as perfect as her husband's and pushing the boundaries of women's assigned roles just as they were beginning to demand a larger place in national life. and those four voting rights and slavery. and then to fight the expansion of slavery to capture some of their energy. in 1856 the republicans for the first time n

jesse benton never, never made it up with jackson, but benton was a friend of jackson in washington andbecame a friend of polk. >> you have another story in there about sam houston and the congressman and when there was a caning outside of the house. >> thats right. >> very violent. >> at that time, houston was living with the indians, and houston was accused by this member of congress of using it for financial gain. and houston tries to attack him on the floor. hes a former member of congress. but then waits for him with a -- what else? a hickory cane, and canes him, almost kills him, and he is tried before the house. james k. polk defends sam houston and they give him a slap on the wrist. ill tell you, everybody -- anybody who was anybody in history intersects with the life of james k. polk. >> let me do this quickly, because we are running out of time. go back to north carolina. did you go to mecklenburg county? >> i did not. >> you did not. >> i did not. >> but just go quickly through james k. polks life, up to the time he became president so we can get it on the record. >> he was b

and jesse benton -- there was a dual and jesse benton really offended jackson by serving as a second in that duel and they attacked jackson one day in a building on the street in nashville and they run him through and almost kill him -- shoot him and almost kill him. the bentons shortly thereafter left for missouri, where benton -- where thomas hard benton became a senator. he goes to washington and then befriends andrew jackson. and they become close friends. jesse benton never -- never made it up with jackson, but benton was a friend of jackson in washington and became a friend of pope. >> you have another story in there about sam houston and the congressman when there was a caning outside of the house. >> at that time, houston was living with the indians and houston was accused of -- by this member of congress of using it for financial gain. and houston tries to attack him tonight floor. he's a former member of congress but then waits for him with a what else, a hickory cane and canes him, almost kills him, and is tried before the house. james k. polk defends sam houston and they

and jesse benton, there was a dual and jesse benton really offended by serving in that dual. and they attacked jackson one day in a building on the streets of nashville and they run him through, shoot him and almost kill him. and they left for missouri and goes to washington and then the friends andrew jackson, they become close friends. jes stpge bnten never made it up with jackson, but he was a friend in washington and became a friend of polk. >> you have another story about sam houston and a congressman and when there was a caning outside the house. >> that's right. at that time houston was living with the indians. and houston was accused by this member of congress of using it for financial gain. and houston tried to attack him on the floor. he's a former member of congress, but then waits for him with what else, a hickory cane and canes him, almost killed him. and he is tried before the house. james k. polk defends houston and they give him a tap on the wrist. i'll tell you if anybody was anybody in history -- >> let me do this quickly because we are running out of time g

it was before the bentons went to missouri, and jesse benton -- there was a duel, and jesse benton really offended jackson by sort of serving as a second in that duel, and they -- and they attacked jackson one day in a building on the street in nashville, and they run him through. brian: hit him. john: and almost kill him, shoot him and run him through -- almost kill him. and the bentons shortly thereafter left for missouri, where benton, thomas hart benton was -- became a senator, goes to washington and then befriends andrew jackson. washington and became a friend of polk. john: you have another story in he went to -- he went to sort of seasonal schools. when he was 8, his grandfather has moved to middleton, tennessee and founded really, a paradise, and so sam, his father, and sarah, his mother, go over the mountains and settle in the middle tennessee, and there he goes up. again, very sickly child. so sickly that he's not able to do all the work in the fields that other children are expected to do. at one point, his father wants to make him a merchant, young boy, puts him in a store. it

i thought, as many others did, that jesse benton fremont was the better man of the two.he helped to write the famous reports and some of the letters serving as secretary, editor, writing partner and occasional ghost writer. she amplified talent for self-promotion working with news editors to publicize the journey. she became political adviser. she attracted talented young men to the circle and promoted from and flashed out at enemies. she carry on conversations with senators twice her age, offered opinions even when they didn't agree with her and was gradually recognized. the timing was perfect. she was pushing the boundaries of the rules just as women were beginning to demand a larger place in the national life. >>> we take a look at the altar programs about technology next on booktv, programs from the archives that focus on technology. you can watch them in their entirety by visiting the website

the person who made it possible for him to take full advantage of both his talent and the times, jesse benton fremont, his wife. born when women were allowed to make few choices for themselves, jesse found a way to chart her own course. the daughter of a senator who was deeply involved in the west, she provided her previously unknown husband with entree to the highest levels of the government and media. it was no coincidence that his career began to soar a few months after they eloped, when he was 28 and she was 17. i thought as many others did, said one of their critics, that jesse benton fremont was the better man of the two. she helped to write his famous reports and some of his letters, serving as secretary, editor, writing partner and occasional ghost writer. she amplified his talent for self-promotion, working with news editors to publicize his journeys. she became his political advisor. she attracted talented young men to his circle, promoted friends and lashed out at enemies. she carried on conversations with senators twice her age, offered her opinions to presidents even when they di

epigraph of this book which i will flip two to make sure i get it exactly correct is a vote for jesse bentonfremont that it would hardly do to tell the whole truth about everything. [laughter] one of the ways. [laughter] one of the ways she shaped her husband's image why suppressing embarrassing and promotion information but promoting things that were positive and she wrote the same way there is a wonderful memoir of hers which describes that ends here in san francisco and i command that as it was then she finally gets there and describes it as a collection of shacks rapidly growing up the hills it is a nightmare city. people finally got there on the ship they go down and they finally see san francisco it so horrifying they don't want to get off the ship. [laughter] but the beginning of the book is filled with references to her depression, her despair, the nightmares she was havin having, steeply provocative material but if you just pick up the book and didn't know much about her you would not know what she was saying because she left something out that just days before the story began, her

i thought as many others did that jesse benton fremont was the better man of the two and how to write the famous reports with the writing partner and occasional ghostwriter. and then became the political advisor and attracted talented young men to the circle and lashed out at enemies. to carry on conversations with senators twice her age to offer her opinion to presidents even when they did not agree with her and was gradually recognized but the timing was as perfect as her husband's and was pushing the boundaries just as women were beginning to demand a larger place a national life. in the 18 forties and fifties and then to campaign against slavery. the republican party was founded and it capture their energy in 1856 the republicans for the first time nominated a presidential candidate seeking someone heroic and then to bind the party together to nominate john charles fremont the first nominee ever to run for president on the republican party ticket. when john was nominated for president, jesse became part of the campaign it had songs of praise for jesse . . . . steve: this is three