his longtime nemesis steven douglas was at his side. held his hat which had fallen off because it was so windy. this is how most americans saw the inaugural address. this is from "harper's weekly" which was the most popular magazine in the country. you can think of "harper's weekly" as the forerunner of "time" magazine or "life" magazine of the 20th century. most americans interpreted and understood "harper's" as authentic representation of reality. here is the portico here. the capital was unfinished. wonderfully symbolizing the unfinished nature of the united states. herman melville and his collection of civil war poetry. battle pieces and aspigot aspects, convictions in which he describes the iron dome. he says and the iron dome stronger for stress or strain thwart the main. the founder's dream shall flee. for melville and many northerners and after the war certainly southerners the power of the federal government threatened to fling a shadow across the main streets of america and impose unprecedented dominion on communities and town

steven douglas had done something similar in 1860 in the crisis of the nation, trying to take a campaign swing through the south and parts of the north and revitalize the democratic party. for the most part, after 1860, american presidential candidates sat on their front porch and other people campaigned for them and bryan went out there and campaigned at every whistle stop town in illinois and ohio and virginia and pennsylvania, new york. traveled all over america, bringing his campaign to the people. >> we want to hear from you on c-span. 202-737- 202-737-0030 in the eastern time zone, and 202-737-0020 in pacific and mountain time zones. we're in lincoln, nebraska, home referred to as fairview. he served two terms and he was born in salem, illinois. walk us through the early years of william jennings bryan and how he ends up here in nebraska. >> he was born in 1860, into a world being transformed. the railroad growth, the civil war that followed, 1860-1865. too young to serve in the civil war, and that actually came back to again and again in his public life. he had not served in the m

clay goes off to rhode island to take the waters, and bill does pass piecemeal under steven douglas. clay that and was supported on this, it will bring peace in his life. it did because he died later. >> he dies in 1852 and buried where? >> in lexington in the cemetery. >> we have some video of his grave site. his funeral was quite an event. a 1,000-mile train. >> his trusted servant charles is still at his side to the very end with the funeral pyre. he's viewed people come from all over. the trains are coming in, and thousands of people in lexington for the funeral. so it's national news. >> i think the thing about that monument, there's monuments to clay. i think he's got more images in the nation's capital than any other individual, atlantic magazine in 2006 was one of the most influential americans of all time. the best to clay is not those things. i think it's the fact that henry clay kept a divided nation together. one nation united and still a working democracy and still trying hard to live up to the spirit of henry clay. >> we've time for a very quick call from bowling green,

clay goes off to rhode island to take the waters, and bill does pass piecemeal under steven douglas. clay that and was support upped this, it will he's viewed people come from all over. the trains are coming in, and thousands of people in lexington for the funeral. so it's national news. >> i think the thing about that monument, there's monuments to clay. i think he's got more images in the nation's capital than any other individual, atlantic magazine in 2006 was one of the most influential americans of all time. the best to clay is not those things. i think it's the fact that henry clay kept a divided nation together. one nation united and still a working democracy and still trying hard to live up to the spirit of henry clay. >> we've time for a very quick call from bowling green, kentucky. do you have a quick question for us? >> reporter: why do you suppose henry clay was not interested in a woman's perspective on slavery? the reason i ask that question, european vikctorian woman traveled to america in 1835 and she visited -- >> i'm going to interrupt you. we understand the history

it was he, jesse fell -- the citizen -- who proposed to senator steven a. douglas the lincoln/douglass debates. the response is recorded here. but they came together, lincoln and douglass, the debates, seven of them three hours each focused, essentially, on one subject; the extension of slavery into the territories. it attracted people by the tens of thousands to their politics. they came on foot and by horseback and by wagon. and as jesse fell had hoped and expected, they attracted lincoln to the nation's attention. and then he had to persuade lincoln to run for president. and that took some time. but he did, he succeeded. and lincoln gave him his autobiographical sketch for promotional purposes which is recorded in this book. and it's sublime, it's beautiful. you just can't conceive of it in today's politics. it's the short story of the very humble origins of this great man. and it ends with, i'm paraphrasing, if there's not much of this, much of this, it is because there's very little of me. [laughter] can you imagine mitt romney or -- [laughter] but without jes