Journey through the 20th century with archival films on public affairs.

Covering American History C-SPAN style: with event coverage, eyewitness accounts, and discussions with authors, historians and teachers. Every weekend from 8am ET Saturday to 8am ET Monday on C-SPAN3.

In January, 2011, C-SPAN expanded its programming offerings with a new history-based service airing weekends on C-SPAN3. American History TV (AHTV) features programming geared toward history lovers with 48 hours every weekend of people and events that document the American story.

C-SPAN began C-SPAN3 operations in January 2001 as a digital service. C-SPAN3 is currently available in 49 million digital cable TV households and is streamed live online at C-SPAN.org.

At the time of the launch of American History TV, C-SPAN co-president Susan Swain said: "We’re hoping American History TV does for history enthusiasts what Book TV has done for non-fiction book lovers."

Most Recent Reel America Videos

April 27, 2019
Valley of the Tennessee

This 1944 film was made by the U.S. Office of War Information’s Overseas Motion Picture Bureau. It details the history of the…
October 19, 2019
Hell-Bent for Election

This United Auto Workers animated campaign film for President Franklin Roosevelt was directed by Chuck Jones, who helped create Bugs Bunny and other…
April 5, 2020
Preventing the Spread of Diseases

This 1940 educational film shows how communities and individuals can prevent the spread of disease through safe…

April 11, 2020
Victory Garden

This 1942 U.S. Department of Agriculture film promotes Victory Gardens and provides instructions to help citizens grow…
May 16, 2020
The Fight Against the Communicable Diseases

This film describes the work of the Communicable Disease Center (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, which was founded in 1946. The…
December 5, 2020
A Special Report on Polio

This June 1955 broadcast by the radio and television networks in cooperation with the U.S. Public Health Service hoped to dispel fears…