citizens in the capitol. to replacein 2006 one of theirs with the edison statute. theinute ceremony features house speaker. >> ladies and gentlemen, the the united states house of representatives, the honorable paul ryan. [applause] speaker ryan: oish! that, even from a badger fan. welcome to the united states capitol. exciting day. today we're unveiling the latest the national statutory hall. contributes two statues put on display throughout the capitol and the delegation decided that one of their state statutes, former governor william allen, wasn't the best choice. his place they have decided to put a statue of the thomas elvaor, milan, who was born in ohio, in 1847. i want to congratulate the of ohio for this most excellent choice and i thank all you for coming today, especially those of you from ohio, for joining us in this celebration. thank you, everybody. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of the united states armed forces color guard, the anthem of our national and the retiring of the colors. ♪ ♪ o, say can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ what so proudly we hailed ♪ at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming ♪ and the rocket's red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please standing as the chaplain of the united states house of representatives, father gives thenroy, invocation. pray. us light the universe, the of the world, we give you thanks of life and for the many blessings that life brings. we gather in this hallowed temple to human freedom one of ohio's and america's favorite sons. few american figures have projected such a broad swath of influence on the world's thomas alva, as edison. inquisitive desire and inspired imagination of ourity in the spirit human family. many advances in science, in technology, medicine and physics, which have bettered the lives of millions, were made the presence of artificial light. we give you thanks for thomas edison's long career of and for the numerous contributions to the world, recording, and motion pictures, which most profoundly artistic expression in the modern world. impel us with your spirit to the betterworld for and may our gathering redown to greater honor and glory, amen. >> please be seated. gentlemen, united states representative from the ohio, therict of kepter.e marcie afternoon. father conroy, chaplain black, fellow members of the ohio delegation, senator brown, senator portman, majority leader pelosi,l, leader speaker ryan, and all assembled ise today, what an honor it to celebrate the legacy of edison, a native statue as we unveil his in the united statessical top. buckeyeet me extend a welcome to the ohioans joining us as well as profound things to many dear individuals from many walks of life whose us to this moment. considered one of america's greatest inventors, the life and of thomas edison lives large among us today. areon believed what you will show in what you do. edison was the youngest of seven children. he was born in a small brick a white picket fence in mylan, ohio. a small town then, and still today, in northern ohio that i have had the privilege of my earlying during service. edison's early life was not the story book character you might envision. edison faced early hardships, many of them. his teacher said, and i quote, too stupid to learn anything. a hearinge had problem resulting from a out about with scarlet fever. thus, he was largely home mother, nancy. his firstfailed college entrance exam and became self-taught. hisr, edison was fired from first two jobs for being non-productive. yet, this genius of a human to achieve 1,093 patents to his name. 1,093. edison once observed, missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." so he had a sense of humor. and work he did. companies 14 including general electric, still one of the largest traded companies worldwide. america's greatest inventor world to, as was said earlier, the light bulb, but not just that. power utilities, sound pictures --otion all of which established new industries worldwide. other breakthroughs included the telegraph, and storage batteries. inventions, including the stock ticker, a battery for car, cement, the magnetic irone ore separator. range.n's mind had full thomas edison even invented the the electronicf vote counter for legislative like congress. edison declared, our greatest giving up.es in the most certain way to succeed try just one more time. andinspiring those words actions of thomas edison's remain today. never succeeded by thinking small. by givingver thrived up. thomas alva edison always big, delivered big, and he always tried just one more time. his genius moved america forward. now the oldest democratic republic on the face of the being one of the youngest nations, and we are most the largest and dynamic economy in the world. thank you, thomas alva edison, leading america forward. now let us follow his example. congratulations to all. [applause] united states senator from ohio, the honorable robert portman. [applause] senator portman: wonderful to be here. all theseing distinguished buckeyes in town to celebrate thomas edison. mr. speaker, leader mcconnell, leader pelosi, speaker rosenberger, a surprise guest here today, came all the way from columbus for this occasion, and to my colleagues delegation who i see here in the front row, my senate, it'sthe great to have everyone together on a bipartisan effort here to great ohioan and great american. teabury was unbelievable to -- unable to be here today. he hoped to say a few words. passes along his congratulations and to all of you, his best wishes. to hold up thomas edison as a symbol from ohio is, of course, something we're all proud of today but it was said early, it was the ohio delegation. it really wasn't. vote of the people. so the people of ohio made this decision. a couple of them are here today helped organize it. mark wagner, doug mcdonald, thank you for being here and the years,ork over talking to me about this process and getting us to this point. i know you're happy about it. not an easyt was decision. we had a lot of remarkable ohioans to choose from. to have quite a few ohioans distinguished enough to be in this great hall. we have neil armstrong and 23 other astronauts so that was competition right there. we've had eight presidents to choose from. ofalso have had a couple guys named orville and wilbur who were in the running. easy.s was not we're a state with a lot to be proud of. but i think we got it right. kaptur saidressman it well in terms of his background. thomas edison was not a guy greatness.r he was near deaf. he was the son of a shingle a school teacher. as was said earlier, he didn't do particularly well in school. really had noe formal schooling. he got bad grades. teacher told his mom one day addled, and too stupid to learn anything, because of his disability. there, isn'tesson it? but he had something that other kids didn't have. had an amazing work ethic and he had this determination and perseverance and will to succeed by age 14,school but he was already an entrepreneur, he was doing things, making andgs, selling newspapers concessions on this new fangled railroad system america had put in place. he was sort of ahead of his time. at age 22, he had his first real invention, it was an electronic recorder, which he tried unsuccessfully to sell to the united states congress. you love that? again, he was ahead of his time, he?'t he was a guy who just couldn't stop experimenting and inventing. he often slept in his lab. quote, geniusme, is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. it was about hard work for him and it paid off. by the time he was 31, that nearly deaf kid who struggled in school had invented the phonograph and was making some sound recordings in history. invented theer, he which weent light bulb may see in a moment. but the light bulb is what he's for.famous and we honor him today for all those successes. changed the world and he truly represents ohio in terms of his invention and innovation but i think more important he represents ohio values of hard work, determination, perseverance. i'm sure as folks think about thomas edison and walk by the think about the light bulb but i hope, also, the members of congress who go past visitors who come through this hall, the staff and others who stroll past, will also be inspired by those ohio values that propelled him to greatness. thank you. [applause] united states senator from odio, the honorable shared brown. [applause] ryan,r brown: speaker leader mcconnell, leader pelosi, rosenberger, thank you, and to my friend, rob part man delegation here and alan, congratulations on this wonderful statue. thank you. was on june 1, 1869, that a inventor named thomas alva his first granted patent. edison was born only 50 miles from where i grew up. patent was an electronic vote recorder. he came to washington where he presented his invention to a house committee. inventorst 22-year-old showed the committee how his electronic voting machine worked. it would save time for them and for their colleagues. the committee chairman responded, young man, that is just what we do not want. would destroy the only hope that the minority would have of influencing legislation. as the ruling majority knows, leader, the ruling majority that at some day they may become a minority, they will be as much averse to change as opponents. a dejected edison stomped out of the room, promised himself he never invent anything else that did not have a commercial purpose. 104 years later, speaker ryan -- the house ofer, representatives installed an electronic voting system on edison's invention by1869, and it was installed former cleveland browns quarterback frank ryan who was physicist at stanford university. that's the history of the voting system in the house of representatives. i thought -- i have been looking time to 20 years at a use that story. what better place than right now? [applause] edison, aswn: thomas all of the speakers will say, is such a fitting choice to spirit of ohio. we're a state of inventors, pioneers, dreamers and creators. edison lived the world. vaulted usbrothers into the skies, john glenn reached for the heavens, neil touched the stars. they inspired their state, their country and the world. did our artists and writers. gloria steinem from toledo was a pioneer. jesse owens from cleveland sprinted into our imagination. ohio, more than any state, no offense to wisconsin, california kentucky -- ohio more than any state, makes things. about toveland is install the first offshore wind in northnd fresh water america. self-driving vehicles are coming to columbus. panels in toledo. we have the most efficient steel mill in the world in cleveland, was made by suit union workers 10 miles from my house. thomas inventor, is not frozen in bronze. not frozen in bronze. he lives on in the soul of the people of this state, his legacy will continue. thank you. [applause] christine schultz and sarah mccoy. [applause] ♪ ♪ what a thing, what a thing, live for,ng to mankind, to give for mankind, all he'soys of living, got he's giving, work away, work day, never play, if america needed a king on a mr. edison sits on a own, never quit, a of foil that no fame can spoil. yankees all applaud him, other nations laud him, wears a smile, while, rank and file, edison, there's an o, say, can you see, he gives youthat and me, what a man he is, what a wiz, groping, groping would dark without him we be, it's a light so bright the land ofng, for the free and the land or the sea, oh, you like the way edison ♪s a [applause] >> the democratic leader of the united states house of representatives, the honorable nancy pelosi. .peaker speaker pelosi: i'm honored to speaker, paul ryan, senator mitch mcconnell, leader thehe senate, and distinguished senators and congressmen who are here to new addition to our capitol. today, 85 years after his death. the capitol the statue of one of the greatest ever lived,o has thomas alva edison, the wizard machine row -- monroe park. gave inventory to many of his inventions, senator the workalked about ethic so essential to his success. senator brown talked about the convention between that voting card and a cleveland browns named ryan who was a physicist at stanford who installed the voting card here many years later. so i'll make another california connection. as a californian, i take special delight in the connection between munlow park, new jersey, munlow park, california. the wizard of munlow park. fitting that munlow park, california, named years before the new jersey development made edison's labs, is now home to the wizardry of our own time, silicon valley. the none of that would have happened, though, without thomas edison. again and again, the world was genius.med by edison's the diligence that powered discovery. he was about two things. about invention and he was about discovery, discovery and what doesn't, worthvity, the heroic ethic that brought his ideas to fruition. butnology has marched on edison's achievements still stir touchaginations, still our hearts with pride and wonder. edison, we behold the power of applied science and innovation to illuminate the world. 50 years after the invention of incandescent bulb, at goldn's congressional medal ceremony here in the calvin, president coolidge said, "few men possess degree thetriking blending of the imagination of a dreamer with the practical doer." force of the edison, coolidge proclaimed, represents the finest tradition of our citizenship. indeed, edison embodies the essence of america, not only the invention of things but spirit of innovation at the soul of our national character, innovation, entrepreneurship, discovery, creativity. congress, we have a special responsibility to help america'sd advance leadership in innovation. we must take inventory of the greents -- ingredients needed to foster a new generation of edisons. how could there be a whole generation of edisons, but in of edison, recognizing the importance of respect for science, patience takes, thee it investment in resources to produce breakthroughs, and remembering that, for most innovation begins in the classroom, in this case, the his mother, nancy. statues that-- fill the capitol are more than commemoration, they are inspiration. edison was never consent to rest on his laurels. relentlessly perfecting, always hungry for a new idea. entrepreneurally. let edison's presence this these hallowed halls challenge us to that same determination, dissatisfaction and daring and optimism. let thomas edison's remind us of the invention innovation that keeps america number one. thank you, ohio, for sending us edison to the capitol. [applause] majority leader of the united states senate, the honorable mitch mcconnell. [applause] : i believe itell was par klees who once said whole earthave the has their memorial. i'm not sure about the entire planet but thomas edison has of admirers among our 50 states. theirrsey claims them as wizard of menlo park. michigan has its own connection. and not only does ohio have a solid stake, but the buckeyes just seriously upped the ante larger-than-life bronze statute behind us. so i'm staying out of that. remind everyone of kentucky's own ties to thomas edison. edison was only about 19 when he moved to louisville to work as a telegraph operator. long.n't last edison's interest back then towards the >> when one of his experiments went wrong, that was the last straw. edison was promptly fired. thus the curtain dropped on his time in the bluegrass state, but open to a world of new , and i would like to thank edison's experience in kentucky helped to shape that. here is a guy who was clearly gifted. uninterested in playing by anybody's rules but his own. , but edison'snge focus did. he picked up the pieces and got back to the drawing board. in a few short years, he would earn his first patent. it was for a machine the nays herehe yeas and in congress. many of edison's other inventions did catch on, the phonograph, the libel, the movie camera, and so many others. as the new york times declared, edison has stamped his pattern on our social fabric. how true that headline remains today. just look around. all of this impacted by one inventor's handiwork. edison did give the world so much. he transformed our way of life. andparked revolution, through the trying times, he took away lessons he would need to be the industry changing entrepreneur we know today. the inventor with more than 1000 , thets, the talented son pride today of so many of our 50 states, including kentucky. [applause] >> the speaker of the united states house of representatives, the honorable paul d ryan. [applause] that we wereheard unveiling a statue of edison my first thought is we don't already have one here? state isard which sponsoring the statue, my reaction was he was born in ohio , then i thought that makes absolute perfect sense. ralph waldo emerson once argued that great men don't check their times so much as they reflect their times. they give voice to long simmering frustrations and desires. way take in a funny all the quirks and fellowictions of their foll countrymen. edison was absolutely no exception. born in the middle of the 19th century in the middle of the country, he spent his life in the middle of all the action. in his heyday, america was on the rise. it seemed like we were inventing our way to prosperity. there was the railroad, telephone, the lightbulb, the phonograph, motion pictures. of those inventions would have secured for a person and enduring place in history, yet he had so many of these. and yet for all of his success and fame, he maintained a distinctly american outlook. when the serbian engineer: tesla applied for a job, he replied, i , andhrilled to the marrow begin my education right then and there. edison said, you will shine the issues yourself and you will like it. that is exactly what tesla did. edison had this uniquely american combination. he knew how to self promote and build a great team. he brought together the brightest minds from all over the world to work on him the greatest inventions of their time. and the he assembled famous menlo park in new jersey had many inventions before moving to a bigger laboratory. so edison with his low-key brilliance and his leader driven teambuilding reflect that american contradiction that american tradition, that democratic excellent. just as the people of ohio do. your state has a lot to be proud of, a lot. cream of the crop right here today. it only makes sense that ohio should be the ones to add this statue in our nation's capital. fordedison died, henry urged people to try to capture his dying breath in a test tube. unfortunate you cannot capture something so fleeting, but this does capture a hint of his character, a piece of his legacy, which will serve to inspire the thousands of americans to walk these holes every year for many years to calm. thank you and congratulations. [applause] and now leader mcconnell, leader pelosi to join me for the unveiling. [applause] >> speaker of the ohio house of representatives clifford rosenberger. >> good afternoon. [applause] ohio is truly the heart of it all, so it is great. it is a great honor to be here this afternoon. on behalf of the governor and the general assembly, let me thanks he or ryan, leader pelosi, and leader mcconnell for this great honor. it is a great honor to be here to represent 11.5 million citizens of ohio. of an event that recognizes a man who not only had significant impact on ohio, but also our nation and the entire world. edison forged a legacy and set an example that every american can be proud of. as we observe the statue, i hope you will recognize that its brazilians and simplicity reflects the enduring nature of a man who inspired us to set lofty goals and never settle for failure and blanket our world with the knowledge of so much more. inventions created and contributed to lights, movies, telephones, and records. yet i believe his most important invention was his example of her , determination, and defining success and failure. he understood the inseparable connection between them. he defined them by never giving up, working hard, but most importantly believing in oneself that never allowed him to fail, is reflective of the traditions and guys that has built this country and will continue to make the greatest nation on the face of this earth. statues of fellow pioneers, innovators, and trailblazers, edison will represent ohio probably and the spirit that is so integral that makes ohio so great. this statue will inspire young people to follow their imaginations and live up to edison's example to never settle and success, chase it. it will visitors the opportunity to learn more about our unique history and one that stands firm. one never to be forgotten and one never to be overlooked. i want to commend the ohio national study committee on their selection process and the ohio national statuary commission for the selection. finally, allow me to give sincere thanks to my fellow legislators, the general assembly, our governor, who approved the selection of the statute and cemented in the heart of our nations capital a true ohio hero. thank you very much. [applause] >> chair of the study committee, mark wagner. [applause] legislative leaders and all distinguished guests, today marks the end of a decade-long journey celebrating ohio history. 10 years ago, the general assembly decided to return the governor back home to ohio and select a new representative for our great state in statuary hall. , the firstasy enough state to lay claim to eight presidents, chief justices, military leaders, along with people who have changed the world through social movements, inventions, ideas, to those who broke the bounds of our earth gravity, and so many others. it was not an easy task to pick just one. to select a fitting representative for ohio, we everyone, soliciting nominations from all of ohio, receiving more than 90 nominees. we used our discretion to eliminate one name from , the famedon wolverine head coach. nice try, michigan. [laughter] after that, we visited , traveledhio stadium .o washington courthouse tove been whittled it down 10, and we had a vote of the people. the other finalists were james grant, ulysses s. , harrietcculloch owens, stowe, jesse , albert sabin, harriet taylor upton, and oliver and wilbur wright. we did have an election, a debate. to vote, you had to visit and ohio historical site. we tabulated the result and, won a plurality of the vote. ends.ere the journey in' the chance to see him, and now so will the rest of the country to remind us all of ohio's ability to reinvent the world. you. we have been through a lot. welcome to your new home. make ohio proud. [applause] chair of the ohio statuary commission, douglas mcdonald. [applause] mr. speaker, leader mcconnell, leader pelosi, distinguished members of congress, fellow commissioners, and distinguished guests, today is the final act of a to succeed endeavor the statue which has resided in this hall for 139 years. why? enshrinest matter who the national statuary hall in the united states capital? why does it matter that we have such a whole? why? matters.nspiration this hall is an institution of inspiration. mission, like museums and historic sites around the world endeavor to inspire us to do , and toto aim higher transform for good the national trajectory of our civilization. holes, edison and spires us as an inventor and business person, and with his often repeated words, our greatest weakness lies in giving up. the most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time. capital, there are over 100 statues of people who have altered the national trajectory of our civilization. across this room, one of my biologist,an iowa humanitarian, and nobel laureate whose save one billion lives from starvation. each of them is an inspiration. , the museumsholes and history organizations seek to inspire by lifting up the stories of inspiring people who changed our world for the better. in an era of fascination with personalities and fixation on the dramatic, inspiration matters. investors ine inspiration, investing our energies to tell the great stories of achievement in our nation and invest our resources in institutions of inspiration. hall, like the new national museum of african american history and culture, like all the museums in history organizations across this great nation. why? because inspiration matters. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand as dr. black gives the benediction. >> let us pray. , creator of great you that praise inspiration does indeed matter. we thank you that lives of great that we canemind us and our lives sublime departing leave behind us footprints on the sands of time. you for theise , who is laborers illuminated our world with numerous contributions and inventions. that you brought him from humble beginnings, to leave the world better than he found it. lord, thank you that you permitted edison's setbacks to provide him with the stepping andes to greater usefulness service. we dedicate this statue, give us the wisdom to permit our grasp inexceed our courage, perseverance, and creativity. name, all your great men. please remain in your seats for the departure of the official party. >> on american history tv on battle ofee, the spotsylvania courthouse. the armies fought for a couple of days, came to stalemate, and grant moved left. they had been in spotsylvania for a couple of days, a stalemate, now reports of federals moving left. what do you think that puts in lee's mind? history,tures in america's cold war immigration policy towards refugees. as not defined refugees just political refugees, but as anti-communist, prototypical americans as they fight communist oppression abroad. we have an obligation to let the men because they are anti-communists. and bob dole and nancy kassebaum talk about their years in congress. >> we were in the senate 18 bob wasgether, but leader for six of them. i thought i was leader even after i left. [laughter] >> i saw you both work with your committee chairman, and you made sure that you were working together. think that is what we need to instill again. to the white house rewind, the 1984 presidential debate between ronald reagan and walter mondale. five days before, the explosives were on their way and they were not taken. the terrorists have won each time. the president didn't retaliate. >> we will not simply kill some people to say we got even. we want to know when we retaliate that we are retaliating against those responsible for the terrorist acts. that our own united states capital has been bombed twice. >> for a complete schedule, go to c-span.org. all weekend long, american history tv is joining our cable partners to showcase the history of. he a, illinois. illinois.- of urea, we continue now with our look at the area.y of your ar >> if you look at the county in , it has fluctuated back-and-forth between republican and democrat, but it is a good cross-section of the country. , rural, bign , and good common sense midwestern people. district are a good reflection of that. they love their country. attributes reflect peoria. does not get any richer than that in terms of history. he was the house minority leader for 12 of those years, served under ronald reagan, and four years under george w. bush. ronald reagan spent his life growing up in illinois, there is a great book that talks about the seven homes he lived in. he was born not far from here. ,e lived not far from peoria and was raised index in. he attended eureka college. great college 30 miles from here. went there on a football scholarship. organizationreat there, the ronald reagan foundation, a tribute to his formative years there at the college, a great niece in history over there, so then you couple that with the senate minority leader from just across the river, had a great career, , helped in civil rights to pass that as a republican, so rich history in this district. i am well aware of that and proud of that and love telling people about all these people. i will also mention the fact that my dad served in the seat for 14 years, did a great job. he carved his own path. he took a path of bipartisanship, working with the other side. he focused on constituent service and being an advocate for his district and washington, d.c. ?oes it play in peoria they used the market things here because it represented the midwest part of the country and reflected that if it can play in peoria, it can play anywhere. you look at those men who served in this area. they had a great effect. abraham lincoln is at the top of the list in terms of what he did for this country. we have a beautiful museum in springfield, illinois that reflects that. ronald reagan, the years he spent writing up, those midwestern values and roots, religion played a deep role in his life, particularly with his mother, and you know how that formed him he was later and life, but there is some about the midwest and the agrarian values that are here that i think helps those men and is reflected with people i represent today. this weekend, the history of peoria, illinois with our cable partners. learn more about peoria at citiestour. every four years, the presidential candidates turn from politics to humor. york's historic waldorf-astoria hotel. >> i have traveled the banquet circuit for years. i have never understood dinners like this and how the absence of one individual can cause three of us to not have seats. you said many times in this campaign that you want to give america back to the little guy. mr. vice president, i and that man. it is an honor to be here with the descendent of the great out smith. your grandfather was my favorite kind of governor come the kind who ran for president and lost. >> you are right. a campaign can require a lot of wardrobe changes. blue jeans in the morning perhaps, suits for a lunch fundraiser, sport coat for dinner, but it is nice to relax and to wear what we wear around the house. watch the out smith memorial foundation dinner with hillary lenton and donald trump thursday , and at 9:00 eastern listen at 9:00 p.m. eastern with the c-span radio app. war, chrisivil makowski discusses the battle and spotsylvania courthouse, pitting ulysses s. grant against robert eva lee. he details the movements in military tactics employed by lee and grant and gives attention to the union assault. after two weeks of fighting, the armistice engage without a clear lee your, but tactically failed to stop >> drive south towards richmond. this 45 minute talk was part of a symposium hosted by the emerging civil war blog.