Saigon was alive as everyone prepared for the lunar new year. For the people of vietnam, it is a joyous and sacred time of year. This was to be the first spring of the secular public of vietnam. The troops opposed by the north vietnamese seemed to promise people a safe holiday, free from the anxiety of war. At the temples, people gathered to pay respects to their ancestors. On the eve of the new year, thousands of families prayed before the altars of their ancestors. They prayed peace might be restored. This year, the traditional firecrackers became the fireworks of war. The viet cong taking advantage of the celebration launched a savage attack on saigon, violating the truce they had proposed. Areas of the city became a blazing inferno. Columns of smoke rose skyward as block after block burned with the fires of viet cong treachery. As frightened people fled, many fell victim to enemy gunfire. Government soldiers reacted quickly to counter the communist offensive and to protect civilian life and property. At the saigon radio, at strategic intersections are out the city throughout the city, wherever the enemy appeared, south vietnamese troops went into action. [gunfire] many of the terrorists attempted to hide. Soldiers found them. And they brought them out. In a few areas, the enemies held and seized told buildings. Tanks were deployed to these areas to help dislodge the viet cong. The enemy uses troops to attempt to capture the saigon radio station. Unable to seize his objective, the enemy set fire to the building. The vietnamese Airborne Troops were quickly on the scene, along with firefighters, who put out the blaze. These bodies are evidence of the miscalculation of north vietnamese general. He was credited with having planned the tet offensive. Its the same officer who was retort victorious in 1954. Times have changed. The loss of thousands of men have taught the general a grim lesson. This carefully planned attack by the north vietnamese has been described as theyre all or their all or nothing go for broke effort. It ended in failure. 10 communists dead for each alive soldier is proof of the price they paid for their attempt. Sidebyside with combat soldiers, they enter the dangerous areas. They called on the people to remain calm. Everywhere in the city, there are fearful civilians depending on the soldiers to protect them. The soldiers led them out of the combat area to safety. Doctors and nurses came to the aid of civilian wounded in the city. Military and civilian ambulances speeded the evacuation of the seriously wounded. Among the real heroes were the firefighting squads. Throughout the city, the viet cong set fire to heavily Populated Areas to cover their retreat. Each time, they had to be on hand to put up a fire and keep put out the fire and keep them from spreading. The firemen raved the flames and enemy guns to perform their vital roles in saving saigon. Braved the flames and enemy guns to perform their vital roles in saving saigon. Wherever the fighting was the heaviest, psychological warfare and civic action teams were on hand. The teams used their loudspeakers to tell troops about the attacks and how they could evacuate to safer areas. The teams use their loudspeakers continually to appeal to their enemy to surrender. Many viet cong responded to surrender. Entire squads surrendered as a unit. These prisoners proved an excellent source of information. They told up the lack of morale they told of the lack of morale and spirit in their ranks. Some had been forced to fight. When their leaders were killed, they willingly surrendered to government soldiers. As the battle progressed, bodies of southern viet cong littered the street. Piles of weapons were taken from the defeated communist troops. This elderly man, a lifelong resident of saigon, showed the soldiers the best way to surround the area of the communists had infiltrated. Communist violence quickly turned large sections of the city into a a inferno filled with panicked residents trying to save themselves. And the few possessions they could carry with them. Hours, the of homeless numbered in the tens of thousands. On the fourth day, the heaviest populated section, house to house fighting lasted four days. Most of the bloodiest firefights occurred at the highway, not far from downtown saigon. Here, the army succeeded in the chance to prevent the commonest from using women and children as human shields. Once civilians were evacuated, the army saturated the area with a lethal display of firepower. At the ammo dump, the entire battalion of entrenched viet cong proved no match for the third airborne battalion. They quickly surrendered. They quickly circled the enemy and annihilated him. Many of these dead north vietnamese were forced from their farms and sent to saigon to face certain death. Hundreds of wounded and bleeding were abandoned on the streets of saigon by the viet cong. They were provided medical care by both civilians and military medical teams. Many of the victims were sick and undernourished even before the sevenday battle of saigon. They were given medical care and food. Here are some of the viet cong prisoners being interviewed by military correspondents. All the weapons captured are from russia and red china. Thousands of families were burned out of their homes in the attack. The government launched a program to set up refugee camps in the stricken areas of the city. When the fire subsided, the residents returned to the ashes of their homes and shuffled through the ruins to salvage what they could. Many of these people had been born in these houses and had reared their children there. Now, there was nothing left but ashes and memories. The homeless stand around dazed, confused and helpless. While the paratroopers and marines were flushing out the last of the communists from the city, others were busy relocating the homeless to the Refugee Centers where they could receive food and medical attention. Their fathers and husbands are dead. Here they are, helpless and their homes destroyed, possessions burned. The government has the responsibility of caring for these orphans and windows as best they can while trying to prevent the communists from launching another devastating attack. Civic action teams began a Disease Prevention Campaign for the citizens, especially the refugees. Religious and civic action organizations from all over the world responded to the request for aid, food, medical supplies, and clothing. It all poured into the refugee camps and was distributed. Truck after truck carried water from outlying areas to help the area get back on its feet. The food in the camps was simple but nourishing. Children are children, even in refugee camps. As a health measure, the Army Engineer corps began to collect the mounds of garbage and debris that piled up in the streets during the fighting and its aftermath. Tons of refuse were loaded into army trucks and hauled away in an effort to help the residents get their neighborhood back to normal. The people of saigon have cleaned up the city and begun to rebuild. Barbed wire and barricades have given way to the traffic and activity typical of the city. Life is returning to normal. Yet the citizens of saigon will never forget how the communists shattered it with such devastation and violence. Allen we are take announcer we are taking it back at the surprise attack on the vietnamese new years holiday tet. Give us your facebook your feedback on facebook. Com cspan history and on twitter at cspan history. This year, cspan is touring cities across the area, exploring American History. A look at our recent visit to newport, rhode island. Youre watching the American History tv all weekend every weekend on cspan3. We are fortunate to have a wealth of information about the battle of rhode island, the battle for rhode island, and the revolutionary period in general. It has been a number of different ways. Mostost helpful, to the elaborate. They all tell a story and you are able to read them. We can start with this one, a of the firstflag rhode island regiment. This was the first integrated regiment of the american revolution, certainly one of the most famous and american militarys history. This was a piece of a flag this is a piece of the flag they carried. We know that because this particular note, which was written in 1878, almost exactly 100 years after the battle. A piece carried by the regiment rhode island,of october 29, 1778. Humble, it tells an extraordinary story about a group of people fighting for their freedom in a war in the name of that freedom. Of the have perhaps one pieces of evidence about the worst side of the conflict, the violence. This is a cannonball, a solid shot found on the field not very far from here. This is solid iron, which can cause an extraordinary amount of damage. While it is attributed to the battle of rhode island, we are not positive it actually was a part of the battle. It is large, it comes from the kind of gannon americans do not have, even though the americans engaged in a massive dumbarton of the city bombardment of the city to cover their retreat. This is the kind of canon on americans type that need to support their land operations. Damage a reminder of the that can be done to people and structures. Ofget to a more refined side the conflict. Sentimentality, we get some real beauty from real fabric. This is a piece that is meant for conflict, a sword. It is extraordinary in terms of its beauty and mystery. What we know about it is it is a french sword made in the 1760s. In the northwest corner of france. Piercing is basket extraordinary in almost any 18th century revivalist. We pick up the story in the 1880s, where rhode island uses it as the centerpiece of the rhode island pavilion at the world columbian exhibition in chicago. As being a sword given today in of newport. It is certainly possible this is the kind of thing that lafayette would value. It certainly is the kind of thing he would use to reflect an important personal relationship. To danielword given lineman right here at the lineman hazard house after the reading of the declaration of independence in order to show the important contribution throughineman has made facilitating the communication between the two. This is one of our prized possessions. It is from the most mundane, to the most elegant. Both tell powerful stories about relationships that made the american revolution. Are cities tour staff recently traveled to newport, rhode island to learn about its rich history. Learn more about newport and other stops on a tour at cspan. Org cities tour. Youre watching American History tv, all weekend, every weekend on cspan3. Next weekend, cspan cities tour takes you to phase fayetteville, arkansas. With help of our cable partners, we explore the literary scene in history of fayetteville. Watch cspans cities tour, of fayetteville arkansas a day at noon eastern on cspan2 bus book tv. P. M. In sunday at 2 00 American History tv on cspan3. Working with our cable affiliates as we explore america. Next on American History tv, representatives from Thomas Jeffersons monticello, James Monroes highland, and James Madisons montpelier describe how they interpret slavery for visitors to the president ial plantations, and the challenging questions on the public they try from the public they try to answer. This is about an hour and a half, recorded at the American Historical Association annual meeting held recently in washington, d. C. Good afternoon, everybody. I want to welcome everyone to this afternoons panel, public history and public memory. Talking about slavery at president ial plantations. I am a professor of history at New York University where i work on colonial history of enslaved people. Im very excited to be a part of this afternoons conversation. My role here is primarily to facilitate and learn. The presenters have often spent their careers work in a public history, and have been at the