American History

<p>American history is in Gayle Jessup White’s blood. A direct descendant of both Thomas Jefferson and those enslaved at his famous Monticello estate, her story is a real-life version of <i>Roots</i> – a 40-year struggle to prove that her family’s belief about its links to the author of the Declaration of Independence were true. Along the way, she unearthed not only a fascinating family saga, but sharp and searing insights into America’s conflicted past and the unsettled future.

<p>Mark K. Updegrove is an author, historian, and the president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation. He previously served as the inaugural CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum, to be built along the Charleston harbor in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, and as the director of the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas from 2009 through February 2017.</p><p>Updegrove’s accomplishments as the LBJ Library director include supervising a $11 million redesign of the library’s core exhibits, which resulted in significant increases in the library’s visitorship.

<p>Richard Norton Smith is a celebrated historian and author, and ABC News' presidential historian. His numerous books have received critical acclaim, with his 1997 biography, "The Colonel: The Life and Legend of Robert R. McCormick," winning the prestigious Goldsmith Prize from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.</p>