The Promise of the Declaration of Independence

Should November 19 Be Our Real July 4th? Guest: Matthew Mason, Professor, History, Brigham Young University When Abraham Lincoln stood to give the Gettysburg address on November 19, 1863, he reminded the nation of the principles on which it was founded to inspire a national rebirth of the principles of liberty and government, "of the people, by the people, for the people." Martin Luther King, Jr. Guest: Clayborne Carson, Martin Luther King, Jr. Centennial Professor, American History, and Director, Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, Stanford University Martin Luther King, Jr.,'s early years reveal that might not have become an activist. Professor Carson calls him "almost an accidental civil rights leader," but he was always bound to help the poor.  You Never Forget Your First Guest: Alexis Coe, author, "You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington" A conversation with the first woman biographer to write about George Washington in 40 years. She wonders why her male counterparts have been obsessed with Washington's thighs. More significantly, she also tackles Washington's conflicted attitude toward slavery. And she reminds us that Washington was raised by a single mother. And he fought for the British . . . If he'd been more satisfied with his appointment there, we may not have had an American Revolution.