>> that all happens tonight on c-span2's booktv, 48 hours of nonfiction authors and books every weekend. television for serious readers. reminder that this weekends full schedule is available on our website, booktv.org. >> good afternoon. delighted to see you all here this afternoon at the history stage of the 2018 national book festival. welcome. my name is becky brasington clark, i'm the director at the library congress. library of congress. before we welcome our next speaker like to ask you to take a moment and spend with the device in your pocket or on your wrist, whether it is your vote for your watch on your camera,

anything that makes noise. if you can just a commitment ask it to be silent, that would be terrific for all of us here. thank you. so you may not know that the manuscript division of the library of congress has the official papers of 23 euros president and andrew jackson collection alone includes more than 26,000 items dating from 1767-1874, including 13 volumes of his military papers. researchers and writers who dip into such primary source material often discovered little-known facts for new dimension in historical events. these discoveries, whether shared in books, documents, podcast or movies, keep us connected history that continues to shape our nation today. history really comes alive in the works of talented storytellers like brian kilmeade, fellow best selling author jon meacham speaks of his gift for narrative and intuitive

feel for great stories. indeed, ryan's latest book "andrew jackson and the miracle of new orleans" has received heaps of praise from a long list of literary luminaries. j winick describes as the tour de force douglas brinkley calls it a riveting introduction to one of the seminal battles in u.s. history. and brad meltzer calls it a wild page turning his one of america's most fascinating battles. but nothing speaks as powerfully to an authors success in telling a good story as to comments from readers like you. of the more than 800 reviews i saw online online for this book, most at five stars. one reader wrote, if more history related in this matter, it would be more history buffs. another said, it almost reads like an action novel. in fact, by the time i got to the battle i couldn't put it

down. another said this is a wonderful and fast read for history buffs with an interest in old hickory. and finally, this action story is a well researched page turner, and it's true. now, you're going to get a special treat today because brian is going to take questions following his remarks so if you please hold your questions to the end of the talk that would be great. please join in getting the one welcome to fashion student of american history and a gifted storyteller, brian kilmeade. [applause] >> just want to warn you, i talk fast. hey, thanks much for coming here. i know there's a lot of great attractions. i'm thrilled you guys decide to spend some quality time with me. we had some audiovisual portions of this presentation because i'm a tv guy with the radio show. i also like to tell stories to

give you an idea of what's coming from direction. so before the book launches, fox news, "fox and friends" that put together a three minute piece to give people an idea of what they're going to get and i will roll that for you. when i first started saying to myself i love to do books, i did the gains because at a sports background. i started as a sports guy. i thought if you didn't go pro, did was a waste of time? if i can become joe montana, am i waste my time when i could be doing other things? internet most of us don't become professional athletes so why do we do it? i wanted to show people that came to count, doctor 73 people about what they didn't accomplish in sports over to try to what paid off later gambling. then they came out with how you play the game. i wanted to weaken people with history from teddy roosevelt today brent lincoln, what they did in sports believe it or not a paid up for what they became, from steve young and the vent hole if you have and i didn't go pro, and to prove it doesn't

matter that life is what your experience, how you handle it. you might be sent back but you never down and let you decide that is it. and what you learn from failure or not getting success, to come at it from another direction. go at it again and don't give up. after that i was done. and then i started understanding the reason, when we were born in this country we really had a lot of. were not a perfect country but man come we are pretty great. even though we don't come when we do make mistakes, for the most part we are on the path to getting better. the reason why people misinterpret what we're doing in this country is because we have our fights in public if we let it out but we all unify behind dispensable of understanding that there's no country like america. after reading great history books them david mccullough like john adams, and seeing him bringing to life when he talks with john adams can continue and he's completely but he's rude and in a rush, wait a second,

they still are. i thought while malcolm history and today, if i could bring some humanity to this story, i can't do it david mccullough does. i can't capture a famous person like adams or jon meacham when he does bush 41 or andy jackson. i don't close up look and said i could do better. i'm not that arrogant. i don't close grant and say that was okay. i think it's great. what i thought i would like to do is point out things in america's past that shows you you or i i what makes america. as much as we love the founding fathers they live up to the hype but the people behind the founding fathers made our country what it is. that's why i came up and i looked at this for 20 years. i got it george washington secret six. the spy ring the safety revolution. that's what washington said. to see a farmer, a bartender, a printer which is like a journalist from a grocery store

owner and a socialite combined forces in three and half years to bring down the british and infiltrate their headquarters and do it in a way that helps us win the battle of yorktown, allowed the french to land in america without being confronted by the british wild outing benedict arnold before he could turn over west point, i thought they lived and died in anonymity. if i could highlight their struggle and what they did and credit they didn't get can maybe i could tell a story that america could relate to. and so-called average everyday americans turned on average everyday americans because the fact is, without us there is no america as much as would we loe men on mount rushmore, the people that made america are everybody else around mount rushmore. so george washington secret six opened up but i thought was a venue. take the founding fathers, let the geniuses like meacham and brinkley and churn out tell that

story. but what if i bring it other elements? sigh came up with thomas jefferson and the triplet pirates. my problem with jeff is in his the a copy so much can we argue focus? every time since 9/11 they tell the story, they say this isn't the first time we had about with radical islamists and the refer back to jefferson. it can treat me and great people at the jefferson blythe and others open up the books and show me how we took on for muslim nations that were stealing our ships from capturing our sailors and capturing the cargo and demanding ransom in return. we want to take on this fight. your problem was we had the army. we had no navy. sigh came up with "thomas jefferson and the tripoli pirates" because the so-called passes presents the dissolution secretary of state did declaration of independence author never really talk much about how he took on this unpopular battle but in the end

was praised by the pope of his time and gave america international prestige so here's a look right now of "thomas jefferson and the tripoli pirates" ." >> in the aftermath of the revolutionary war america had won independence from the british and that meant no more royal navy to keep its interstate at sea. the united states became multiple to a vicious new enemy whose extremist ideology we still face today, islamic radical pirates. the year 1783, the united states was free but buried in war debt. they need to build an economy from scratch using the greatest assets, trait. the most important passage welcome the mediterranean sea. danger broke off the north african coast. a new enemy would await, hybrids from four islamic nations. morocco, algiers, tunis,

tripoli. without a navy for protection its merchants were helpless and vulnerable at sea. pirates capture our ships, plundered our cargo and turns the crew into their slaves. helper ransom that no nation could afford to pay. with that trade america's economy would surely collapse. congress passed two to preach present to come up with a given john adams and thomas jefferson. they met ambassador in london face-to-face. the antacid was charming but uncover my singer demanded money for passage. according to the koran it was their god-given right. both adams and jefferson left the meeting shaken. they didn't have a deal on the prisoners and it didn't have a deal on safe passage for ships. back in the "thomas jefferson and the tripoli pirates" waited for a recommendation and that's were added and jefferson split. said you can't fight them and let you want to fight him forever. for jefferson he said you can't pay for peace. he sensed that the attacks would start and the price would only go up. in this case jefferson was 100% correct.

the united states with kate to the pirates, borrowing money that would cause them up to 20% of the national budget, get some of the attacks continue. witt our first president took office you continue to make the payments but he was would also commissioned the building of ships including this very welcome the uss constitution. what was it like? copper bottoms, solid oak sides. they were fast, strong and it would build to fight. it wouldn't be ready for the washington administration. adams would choose not to use them during his years in office for jefferson he knew exactly what he was going to do. he was going to take on the barbary nation and the first want to declare war on us, cripple them. without congressional approval all thomas jefferson snake would be permitted to do would be to provide security for the merchant ships and blockade the tripoli harbor. the hope was to stop all commerce coming in and out, triplet economy, have a quick end to the conversation. the blockade was ineffective. the tripoli pirates knew how to

get to. therefore, a quick end to this clash would go by the boards. that would all change with this captain. the training we get intense and the confrontation would begin. they were brave and brash. they confronted the pirates, harassed the ships and took them back. even blew up an american ship, the u.s. as that the pilots once claimed as their prize. soon a navy seal the harbor. that can't withstand the coast. in making it a more powerful force vote on water and on land. enter william eaton and a handful of fearless u.s. marines. they launched the land were recruiting mercenaries. after the track they took the city into a half hours. his success surprised even jefferson of the ultimate his

victories victory would be stymied by surprising source an american diplomat named tobias lee. he would cut a premature peace deal with tripoli. in the end of the another ten years and another president before we won this war but in the end, the message was sent. america was a naval power that would fight for liberty and shirts of as a world leader that still holds true today. >> so that was the battle with tunisia, algeria, morocco and tripoli which is libya, at the same time we have coverage with libby, the overthrow of gadhafi has happened since weekend your terms like tripoli again and benghazi again in the confrontation again. but even look at portugal, spain, england, the one thing in common. they wanted no part of this battle. but our country a couple years old was in the confrontation. we had to wait for a president. we had the articles of confederation and once we have the president he did not want to act.

the next president said we can't fight these guys because i seem to look in the eye. they don't represent the most people. these people, , most people were oppressed by horrible leaders. they are great people. our ambassadors loved the people of these nations but the hated the leaders because they were corrupt and oppressive. william eaton, you know jefferson pick you might know edward preble from when eaton here's a guy who is self educate and put himself through college and became this warrior and then kept pitching to president jefferson, hey, mr. president, i can go get a handful of marines, i'll go get some listeners and i'll take these countries. i don't mix them up. we will take no. jefferson said call down. i cut got the ships, will be o. just as he was not going to do. finally he gets them about 1000 muskets, a little bit of money can since an indigent. he gets a land force together with presley o'bannon and to do something that all those other nations couldn't do. they took on the muslim

terrorists and overthrow them. you know what they said? guys, i'm not a leader. do what you want. open up shops. i'm not going to oppress you. but we pulled up early again leading the people back to the old leadership. and then took madison to go back because he started taking our guys again to settle everything. in case you think this is an american author thinking that america's great, let me type of pope pius said at the time. by the way, pope pius for i thought three pope pius was enough but had to go back to put my skin. the americans with a small force and in a short space of time have done more for the cause of christianity and the most powerful nation of christians and dumb have done for ages. so we acted the next thing you know it in the work they can talk but i thought also jefferson, a deep thinker, and intellectual was asked to get aa militia together for the revolution were and said i'm more of a thinker, he knew the rest of the world was watching and jefferson said this.

weakness provokes -- and her interest interest to punish persons insult because insult unpunished is the parent of many others. that is why he said we had to fight. adams had a great argument. we didn't have much of a navy. were not experienced. guess what america did come started off strong, got it wrong, rotated out our admirals can get the right guys in there, got better coordination and set the message. and i would without the message we don't have this much naval success in the war of 1812. so the book seems to resonate and i hope this will be announcing a three-part series on the history channel shortly. keep your fingers crossed if you can because i think it's an important story that has to be told. then i thought what would be great to talk about next i don't know if anyone here is toward the white house. have you toward it? i had a chance to tour it and it showed me the archway where they

burn the white house to the ground individual planes are still there right by the bowling alley. if you ever get a chance check it up because it won't hurt america to remember how close they came to all coming to an end. when we had social studies class i could not get enough of the were making told her i couldn't understand why we didn't spend much more time on it. it was a draw, they signed a peace treaty, they had the stuff afterwards. some people said was an unnecessary war. the more i studied it the more i realize how close we came to utter extinction and efficient. for the most part the boat was overwhelming, but the northern states didn't want any part of this work. they said if you don't attack us can maybe we'll go back with you. i'm not really into take you guys on and we just want to get our economy going. most of the votes came from the south. when the war started we had very little army of its thought to ourselves, wait a second, let's take on england to rethink their taking our sailors against our

will will take them on. let's send our arm up to canada to fight the doesn't seem like a great idea. wasn't it we left our eastern seaboard wide open. what did the bridge to? terrorize the spirit we losing badly. jackson put his hand early exit i got a militia, i would like get revenge. so please call on me. the virginia they said no, we got this handle. they didn't. sooner or later they had to call on jackson. this is a story that led to the battle that i think is what the most biggest upsets in military history, certainly in american history and can i just say on a partisan basis, i'm glad we won. here is after jackson and the miracle of new orleans. >> the war of 1812, america's second word independence was going terribly for the united states. >> we were so weak. we got just the worst generals, no plan. the british to the world's premier economic and military power thirsty for a second shot

at destroying america after losing the revolution of war 233 years early. the most perilous a bleak time for the united states, the invasion and burning washington including the white house. here at the hermitage major general andrew jackson was seeking and to schedule is losing war badly. america needed a leader without a standing army for patient madison america's at a future hung in the balance. he found his leader in jackson come his greatest challenge of stopping the british forces from taking new orleans. >> we lost new orleans and if the british controlled the great city, you lose the entire mississippi river interludes all of our western frontier that we acquired through the purchased we would never able to do western expansion. >> the plan, though the welcome they get could conoco vote with water and wait for a british charge. this protection, this wall was built in the matter of weeks miles long to protect predict r

jackson and the american troops. over there where thousands of british troops. what they wanted, that was new orleans but what's at stake? the future of the country. >> is ms. nash of troops to come in, but choctaw indians, they're not going to go out and engage the british jackson knows that would be suicide. >> in expiratory jackson's acting army would need a miracle to stop the british from spinning christmas on bourbon street and jackson knew just where to go to ask for it. >> i'm trying to kill the battle of new orleans because this isn't just any kind the. this is a home of the ursuline nuns that dates back hundreds of years. they prayed for jackson success and among the people think that these nuns locked taught in a miraculous victory can major general andrew jackson himself. >> it's a miracle. it's praying for a miracle. the catholic church and the battle of new orleans. i mean, that is where we know

that there was divine intervention. >> and that divine intervention would reveal itself in the final fight genuine eight, 1850. >> this becomes a bloodbath here. now it is green grass. it was the beginning of the end of britain and in many ways the birth of modern america. >> jackson's forceful leadership would help record what is most decisive instant upset victory in military history. >> when andrew jackson left his estate for the war of 1812 he was known locally. when he was done when the battle of new orleans he became a national start, maybe the most famous person in america more important his wind sent a message of the rest the world that we would fight relentlessly and furiously for freedom. asser jackson he would ride the two terms in white is in good and one of those consequential and financial americans in our history. >> and that's the hard backed the came up here, "andrew jackson and the miracle of new

orleans" for if you think about the army that just had beaten the polling, wellingtons invincible scope they get together in the same let's just wipe out america. let's stop america from growing past mississippi river. we are going to stay and we're going to stop this growth. a sauce is arrival, they saw the potential we could have and they thought they had it. in case you thought i'm overestimating that, here's what the british foreign secretary said while you try to negotiate the treaty of ghent. i expect at this moment that most of the large seaport towns america only to ashes. their imposition of new orleans. the americans are now little better than prisoners in their own country. so what stop that from happening? andrew jackson, this instinctive military leadership. he didn't come from the academy. like i was brought up outside the so-called virginia base, or the boston powerbase.

either one of these can he was the first outsider to actually rise to prominence. what did he go through? i didn't realize this until after researching it. what he went to was the ultimate and maybe the first rags to riches story. his parents come here from scotland. his dad dies before he was born. his mom races three kids by just basically being a a housekeeper for other people doing whatever she can to get through rates at times in the tennessee/south carolina three. then when it's time for the were the oldest item they knew one thing, they didn't like the british because their scottish. he goes to fight. he dies of heatstroke so that two of the voice robert and interest on the county couriers in revolutionary war. they get caught, followed back to a house and a british soldier says clean my boots to both brothers and develop say no. up comes the sword, down goes the sword right to the brothers had come a direct hit. and andrew puts his hand. he would have this scarf for the

rest of his life when he was able to stop the flow. he went to prison. they spent a couple of years there but you know what stopped and? the mom was relentless to get that out. by the time they got back to their house, they were so sick that robert died and it's just andrew and his mom. so they need money. so she goes to a cousin to earn money. a trope in seven on the doorstep of andrew jackson's house. it's his moms stuff. he did know how she died. he is alone at 14. a war veteran you could say. he was raised by his town. he was raised by his village. he was raised by his country. therefore, he bled red, white and blue. he became a self-taught lawyer, a judge, a congressman, a senator, and major general. and then when the war of 1812 happened what is he thinking? revenge. put me in, coach.

they didn't. you are a backwoods men. you really don't know what you're doing. you didn't go to west point. but he could lead. he couldn't get through. with all the other guys failed, he got through and all he did was rolled up battle went after battle when, letting you ever going to go for new orleans. but he didn't have enough guys so we had to get free men of color, cages, make a deal with local pirates, have tennessee riflemen, kentucky riflemen. he put them together three weeks. he got a whole had to dig a ditch. just case walked into new orleans and felt as though it were not all income he let them know. if you don't fight with me, i'm burning this down to the ground. turns out they were all in after that. then he said, the british to land here. what do i do? stop here. what happens if they get to a first line? dig another line. told them there's a substitute for winning. they knew by the time this

battle started they couldn't mr. do you know what they better? they had better riflemen, there were more determined because the british were not fighting for their freedom. they were fighting to stop growth of the free nation can many of which one to stand it if staying here. so listen to these numbers. in under 45 minutes we have 13 dead. they had to hug 91. we we have 5300 fighters. they have 10,000. we have 39 wounded. they have 1262. 484 are missing which means essentially they were blown apart. we took up the regions can seven kudos concept the officers. so why is it that after jackson was able to do what napoleon couldn't? because i believe on some level america was meant for something special to be the beacon of freedom for the world, it doesn't look perfect but it means we are like the other. enemies with responsibility to do so.

and for those who say the battle did not have to be fought because that's what the taught in school, this is what jackson said. if general packing and which by the way with the brother-in-law of wellington, wellington was like i thought already, i'm not into going to america. but you might brother-in-law also take the arm and two. you can sit davidic covenant. it will be easy. it was a if they could of an eyelid milo army he would've captioned organs and centered all the cut territory to technically the war was over, great britain would have abrogated the treaty of ghent, would've ignored jefferson's transaction with upholding. that means no louisiana purchase. purchase. it means the country, our country would not have doubled in size but it means our washington was burned, our president was on his own. our records were scattered out throughout the country. we were overcome finish, we were through. if not for this 14-year-old fund

found a way, way to get out of prison thanks to a relentless mom who was determined to beat back his country and pay back the british. i did not know when i dove into this that i would come up with this. i did not know i would be talked about i thought was one of the original american success stories, the private sector has come that he could do whatever you can, if you believe in yourself and you were determined to be successful you will have the opportunity to pursue happiness/success. that's what he was trying to say. when he was up through the ranks he wasn't representing the rich, famous, the powerful. he was representing the so-called average everyday americans doing extraordinary things to keep our country life. was he perfect? no. i'm not debating his presidency. as for jon meacham. he's really smart with better hair. i wanted to grasp the month in which he emerged at fortysomething years old as the most famous man in america. now, when donald trump puts his picture in the oval office he becomes a story. in the paperback that comes out in two months, i decided asthma

excerpt to not debate andrew jackson, what kind of president he was and what he did, because back in the people now are revisiting our history and think they know more, i think were coming off as a very, very good generations back and says how could they? no one defends slavery, no one ever will. no one defends fighting the civil war and saying obama, , te south was right. no one ever will. but understand these people that were monuments in the time put up by people in the day for a reason, and when you look at jackson, we are revisiting it. so i thought i would revisit him with this. lincoln, fdr, teddy roosevelt, harry truman, ronald reagan. one asks who did look to most in times of trouble after setting out an agenda. those men looked at batman. did you look at him because he was perfect? no. did they look at him because he was a self-made american success

story that defined leadership in its own way? he knew how to consult it out and get things done. you get more about the everyday people that he did about political power, and prestige. and once he left office he had a lot of power afterwards. so when harry truman took office he had a a figurine of jacksonn his desk. before world war ii fdr in all his pain locked in his braces and walked up the steps to go to the hermitage before you put our nation again at work. when ronald reagan chose to give a speech after being elected he did it in front of the jackson statute. when they could want to keep our country together he looks back at jackson papers because jackson said to secretary duncan you want to leave? you've got about one week because you can decide to leave i'm cindy trypsin to make sure you stick stay because going tp the union together. exactly like lincoln did, no but do something to learn. so i thought teddy roosevelt and had to do a biography, he chose

andrew jackson. so i chose to take one passage of where andrew jackson emerged and the victory that people still can't make sense of, they still teach about in war colleges. my next project which i hope you are enthusiastic about which i can't get enough of a new and what's hang out with me because he can't stop talking vatican to give a gift that when you're in the middle of a book or research, all you do is think and talk about that? on very simple. pretty much think in one track all the time. i'm doing sent just in avenging the alamo. and the link to sam houston and jackson to see sam houston fighting in the creek war before jackson competing with jackson walked over to the six basic idea book i did finish them off. he gets up and fight again, get shotmaking. they send it back to washington to heal. it's burnt to the ground. they think is going to die. he lives. jackson would mentor him. so i thought it would be a perfect next up and see what

texas has done a fascinating. i always thought you to be from texas to study texas because they get resentful for a new yorker to do it. but i'm finding nothing but open arms and cannot wait to tell a story and hope you'll like it. what i try to do my books i don't try compression with vocabulary. i don't try to get you caught up in the background and the smell in the air. and some people don't like that what i i try to do is tell a sy that's accurate and concise, and make you want to study more. i don't think i can do the definitive biography even by myself but i think i could grab a slice of what made these men and women great and tell you the story because really the supporting cast matters so much. we are the supporting cast. we are not on mount rushmore but we matter. that's what i try to do with the books and people have been kind enough to get there. i just love telling the story. i never thought history would be so under attack as it is today i never thought there would be so much news but things in the past, but it's here.

i'm still going to say america is not perfect but man, we're special and i will always believe that and i believe all of us, even if you are the biggest critic of this country, we hit lotto when we are born here. everyday we are allowed to thrive and we all insuperable. so with that i would like you to come to the microphone until the hell i am wrong or gently what you like or asking questions about the book or the radio show or fox in the morning, whatever you want. so unless you're really a shy cuckoo which i understand you are not, because i can't even get in elevator shoes are doing is allowed and delivered, but i appreciate it. yes? >> i'm not shy. i think you give a great speech and i think it's very important that we recognize the humanity of people in history, both the good and the bad, but are willing need to push back on your view on the monuments that were erected to them.

most of those civil war monuments were erected after some way after the civil war, as a way of putting blacks in their place. [applause] and reminding them of their history in a negative way. i am not for getting rid of the minute, but i am for putting history in context. >> let's talk about this. great point. and if you read grant, it really comes home. because reconstruction is so underappreciated, and reported it as a white guy whose family wasn't even in a a look at the time, i'm horrified at a country this great could rationalists labor. i don't know which is about it at lot of what people in america you the exact same way. but i interviewed jim brown. i did a show within five years.

i interviewed him tuesday, and he said yeah, we came from slavery but look how far we've come. and he says, when it comes to back then no one ever justified slavery, what in 2018, he says if a white person in manhasset didn't pay for my school with that of newcomb i wouldn't have become the running back from searches. he said a lot of white people died because slavery with someone and want to fix it. so i'm not going to -- douglas brickley said it best said we can take the confederate statues and put a separate from past. for example, if you are a confederate general and you ought to keep slave in fact, if i'm black and a look at that everyday i would have a problem with that. but if you look at jefferson, washington, madison, monroe i believe, everyone except atoms i think in our first eight presidents that slaves.

i can't rationalize that. i can say they were geniuses above for them to make sense of that i can't do it. but, i don't know your name, i'm sorry -- [inaudible] but i would say this. i would love them i thought the 60 minutes special was great. can we put a black next to the statues that says they also had 26 slaves are rationally slavery or some output that along with it? but i think to take down jefferson and washington and madison and monroe and jackson, i think to diminish in as great leaders, acknowledge that slavery was wrong but diminishing investment leaders i think we're in danger of losing her history. >> and maybe you did to me. that's exactly what i said. i said it needs to be placed in the context. and i think that along some of those civil war leaders and

generals we need to put up a statue to harriet tubman, the first woman black or white to have let a regiment of soldier into combat. [applause] we need to knowledge that it was african slaves that shared the cure for smallpox. we would've lost the american revolution had we not had the smallpox injection. >> i know that. >> soldiers were dying of that. but women and blacks and mexicans have become hidden figures in american history, and when we unveil those hidden figures along with the people we accept, then we have the whole picture of what makes america great and continues to make a great. [applause] >> thank you.

i hate to follow that. that was beautiful, so thank you. i'm just concerned with jackson's wife. i don't know if she had been married prior but there's a big scandal renter and the romans come at a just wanted no if you didn't in research on the? >> not have with either way, that life size things at the hermitage of the way. she was like 4'9" and he was 6'3". the we understand it, they had a abusive marriage. she got out of it. the paperwork wasn't imperfectly and she got made. try to pin descant on. those of the good old days in terms of scandal. it's more of a paperwork thing, they try to soldier who they became but when i see and hear about ronald and nancy reagan and read about those two, rachel and andrew jackson, it makes, they had such a great marriage.

they had such great marriage is the really got their strength from each other at a think the women are so underappreciated. >> i guess that was my point, was a think she went to a lot of -- >> she had a heart attack. >> right, because of her situation i just want to know if you information about her and her life. >> a couple things. she did not want to go to washington but when out to pick address for the inauguration and basically had a heart attack but after so he ends up going to washington with his niece and nephew and they were his confidants. because we got to washington when one can do. they didn't like him there. they thought he wasn't worthy of the office. john quincy adams wasn't even there to transfer the power per kilo early when jackson got there, no security. direct the place like it was a frat house so they had to protect jackson from his own so-called friend can everyday people. some of the similarities with trump and jackson were true and

that he is despised by washington d.c. he was despised by virginia and boston. so there's some similarities between the two in that respect. >> thank you for for the inforn about the wife. thank you. >> any other questions? step up. will i want to know, what was te existing diplomatic structure between the great powers in the barbary pirates? why was been a portugal, they were clearly paying them off and trade has been going to the better training for thousands of years. what really made the u.s., sparked it to go against the grain? >> first, it wasn't right away. national the beginning of 1789 we start having our first clashes. 1783, excuse me. m.d. 95. 1789 we get a president a

president to make a decision. we really had no ambassadors there. we start putting ambassadors, when the ambassadors into debt being a guy who is captive years. he went back when we had an embassy. we tried rationalizing but the whole meeting, i don't know if i characterize the critically but i do in the book. so jefferson is in france. adams is in england and adam says i had a great conversation with the ambassador of tripoli. you've got to come over here. let's just lock this deal up. they realize they're charging three times whatever else has been charged because they believed like the rest of your community coming people think this is the hands of brain behind them to say charge these guys to hilt, they will not get the pay and let's start taking the ships can destroy their economy for the get repeat anything. i've spent adams and jefferson get into office they do in the path ambassadors. one was given two weeks to get out of town. he just left.

one of the things i will add, when you start to declare war on you and it was tripoli that did it, the chopped down your flagpole. when tripoli went to do it they couldn't get it down. after like two hours the ceremony kind of ended and the internet been against like the next day or two. but we tried to rationalize, we tried to make payments. we relate on everything. it made it stressful for the impostors. when jefferson took over he said all payments stop. let's see what happens. what happens is they declare war. jefferson goes now i've got no choice. i got to go in with my ships. he basically baited them into declaring war on us because when the payments stopped. >> thank you. >> yes, hello. where to start? >> i only have a couple of minutes and want to get to other questions. one minute.

>> of what is it real quick no one is attacking history. when you look back at the things and we tried to point out discrepancies and people that were there and also did great things and were not included in remembered in the same way, that's the attacking history can okay? so that's the first thing. the second thing is for you to speedy no, you, just a second. >> canopy? >> just a second. you said we. you represent you. >> i understand that. you represent you. >> right. >> okay. >> so when you say we are attacking history, who are you representing? >> you said there is an arrogance now of people that are coming out and attacking history. >> yes. >> okay, and i'm saying that's incorrect. >> okay. tell me real quick. done what you think. >> okay. like i just said, from the woman the first game up to point out that the monuments of the

recruiter after the civil war that were put up by white softeners to -- >> okay. what you think should happen to mount vernon? what you think should have to monticello? >> excuse me, those are different things. >> different if there's a difference can okay. >> for welcome i didn't say all federal money was to be torn down. there can be museums. personal, you had a war fought, the sidelines. what on the comp number one? but aside from any of that -- [applause] my other thing is, for you to -- appreciate your history and appreciate the book to britain. the stories you tell her very important. but for you to draw lines like you did in your videos, like you mentioning jefferson at the tripoli pirates and you draw a direct line saying muslim nations to isis now, that is outrageous, okay? >> okay. [applause] >> in the second the as well, when you're mentioning how

nobody can explain half the battle was won and so the answer is divine intervention, that's a little ahistorical also. >> that your option to allow to get one or question in. on that i said, just to be clear, the leaders of those muslim nations who are oppressing their own people. what are ambassadors came back and said i love these people, will you mean especially loved the muslim people. he had muzzled as mercenaries come back and take the town of tuna. without them they don't win. yes, sir. >> you've written several books with don jacob how does the collaborative process would be 22? >> we met in sports and he said let's do another sports book and i said i can't bear for 20 i've been studying this spy ring and it should all these pages can be show pages. he goes back, , he says, taken? aye there is over the copy.

he takes them, , comes back, it was thanksgiving three and half weeks and he said i think we do more. i said we can't do this investment project like a news story. so we went out to port washington. we went out to stony brook. we were able to capture that and i was able to take a lot of this oral history, put all the experts together in a holiday inn and they catered it. i didn't get someone. i went to regular daily and that all these historians and they said first off, who is 355? ever had different three. second, robert townsend, did he ever meet washington? coded event across the sagamore hill? how do we know? can you point to anything? when able applicable to all our think. he's the one who pushed me to do it, but he's the one who is organizing, economizer of course. i pump stuff out. he will give it to me. i do people do it but he did it

in tallahassee and estate in new york. we only saw each other three times a a year but the magic of back-and-forth come back and forth back and forth. while he's doing a biography, while he's doing walter payton and all these other things. so he wanted to sport a little bit. i'm at at the sports because at parts i can't do sports anymore. that's why they had fox sports. it was kind of a thing. i never thought i could do it don didn't push me. after that they never thought to myself, i could do it because if i i just capture one element and try to dominate it for two years and move forward, and i make sure that jon meacham and douglas brinkley, look at a completed. if if you are comfortable with e let me know. they said to me, it works, it checks out and they go i will go on the back of the book. that's what i i feel good about doing it. i'm still in awe everybody speaking of the anybody like that but what i tried to do is tell a story that hopefully will give other people and understanding of america.

>> thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much. [applause] >> booktv tapes hundreds of other programs throughout the country. here's a look at some of the events we will be covering this week.

>> that's a look at some of what booktv will be coming this week. many of these events are open to the public. look for them to air in the near future on booktv on c-span2. >> c-span's launched a booktv 20 years ago on c-span2, and since then we discovered thousands of authors and book festival totaling more than 54,000 hours of programming. the late phyllis schlafly authored many books and appeared on booktv dozens of times. here she is in 2003 on our in-depth program. >> i grew up believing that a a wire to be educated and trained so that i would always be able to support myself, that's why worked my way through college and got a masters in which to work and develop a little career

on my own. i never said anything about marrying but it is a fact that married people are better and to better economically and the children are better off. >> you can watch this and many other booktv programs from the past 20 years online at booktv.org. ..

>> next on book tvs "after words", obama administration education secretary arne duncan discusses the successes and failures of schools in america. he is interviewed by kaya henderson, former chancellor of district of columbia public schools. "after words" is an interview program with guest hosts interviewing nonfiction authors about their latest work . >> host: i'm excited to be here with former secretary arne duncan who is not just one of the most influential us secretary of education in our time buti've also become a good friend, welcome . >> guest:it's been a little while. got the band back together . >> host: you have a new book out and tell me about what was the impetus for you writing this book and who were you writing for? >> guest: i was trying to reflect on a long journey and the successes and failures and what worked and what i learned along the way and a little less policy then maybe i would like to have done,