C-SPAN is a public service.

We are a non-profit created in 1979 by a then-new industry called cable television, and today we remain true to our founding principles, providing gavel-to-gavel coverage of the workings of the U.S. Congress, both the House and Senate, all without editing, commentary or analysis.

Over the years, we've grown to be so much more – on TV, online, on radio, through podcasts and on social platforms (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram). We supplement live coverage of the Capitol with ideologically balanced programming concerning all manner of public policy and politics. In so doing, we promote open and transparent dialogue between the public and their elected and appointed officials – and those campaigning for office.

Underpinning this impartial, balanced coverage is the fact that no government or taxpayer dollars support C-SPAN, as we continue to be funded as a public service from your cable or satellite provider.

C-SPAN began with only four employees: Brian Lamb, Jana Dabrowski Fay, Don Houle and Brian Lockman. Those four transmitted the first television feed from the U.S. House of Representatives to C-SPAN viewers on March 19, 1979, the first day the House allowed television coverage of its floor debates. That televised congressional session began with a one-minute speech by then-Congressman Al Gore and reached just 3 million American cable and satellite homes.

For C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb and the nascent network's cable system affiliates that provide its funding, the televised House feed was only the beginning. C-SPAN added what became its signature call-in programs the following year to provide a direct conduit between the American public and the nation's political leaders. That direct viewer-to-leader dialogue and discussion of current events continues each day on Washington Journal.

In 1982, the network expanded from eight to 16, and then 24 hours, enabling it to add a wider variety of public affairs programming to viewers while maintaining its commitment to carry the proceedings of the U.S. House, live and gavel-to-gavel.

In 1986, the U.S. Senate voted to televise its debates, and C-SPAN launched a second channel, C-SPAN2, to provide unfiltered, gavel-to-gavel access to that body.

When the House and Senate are in session, C-SPAN commits to covering both bodies live and in their entirety. This is a voluntary commitment; there is no contract with Congress to carry its proceedings.

In 2001, C-SPAN3 was launched to provide access to additional public affairs events, particularly live coverage of key congressional hearings.

On weekends, ever since 1998, C-SPAN2 becomes Book TV, which covers non-fiction book and author events; and C-SPAN3 becomes American History TV, created in 2011, to offer historical lectures, oral histories and special history series.

C-SPAN also extensively covers the president and the executive branch, including regular coverage of the daily White House and Department of State briefings. Coverage of the Supreme Court has been more challenging. Beginning in 1988, with a letter to then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist, C-SPAN has consistently called for the Supreme Court to allow cameras to cover its approximately 75 hours of annual oral arguments. To date, the court has refused this request. The network has televised more than 100 oral arguments before federal courts, which do allow cameras, as well as many state supreme courts.

In 1993, C-SPAN created the C-SPAN Bus, a 45-foot interactive learning center to travel across the nation visiting schools and community events in partnership with C-SPAN's cable providers. Bus visitors engage with C-SPAN representatives and interactive tools to learn about our unique public affairs programming and online resources. Most recently, we rolled out the C-SPAN 'Cities Tour,' which explores the American story through weeklong visits to U.S. communities to record local history and authors.

In 1997, we added C-SPAN Radio, available in the Washington, D.C., area and via a mobile app.

In 2010, C-SPAN launched the Video Library. All C-SPAN content, since 1987, is archived on our website and is free for public use – now with nearly a quarter million hours of primary source video and growing every day.

Our deep multi-platform presence – television, audio, social platforms and our website – makes C-SPAN the go-to resource for political journalists, Capitol Hill staff, members of Congress and the interested public. In the current media marketplace, there's no other place quite like C-SPAN, and perhaps none more trusted. C-SPAN’s highly motivated viewers know they are getting a unique product, one with a special place in the news media.

C-SPAN is the recipient of dozens of national awards and citations, including three George Foster Peabody Awards: one for institutional excellence in 1993, one in the historical documentary category for its 1999 American Presidents series, and one in 2011 for the C-SPAN online Video Library.

Forty years ago, C-SPAN first put the U.S. House of Representatives on television, opening a window for viewers to get an unfiltered view of government. While Washington may have changed, we haven't. Our unblinking eye on Congress and public debate continues. The window is still open, giving the world a front-row-seat to democracy – allowing you to make up your own mind.

History students at Hope cultivate a deeper understanding of the past through rigorous courses with first-rate teachers. You can expect your professors to know you by name, and you can develop the best learning experience for you — whether working one-on-one with faculty on a research project based on your interests or gaining valuable workplace skills through a local internship.

We prepare our scholars for leadership and service in a global society through on-campus mentorship opportunities and complementary off-campus study programs.

Within our two major and two minor programs we:

• Offer courses that cover a wide range of time periods, regions and themes
• Make writing a significant component of all coursework
• Emphasize the critical analysis of primary sources as part of historical research
• Engage students in collaborative research experiences with faculty members
• Cultivate a diverse scholarly community

Students can join Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society, apply for scholarships and attend monthly department colloquia. Every year we support student presentations at the Celebration for Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance and honor students through various departmental awards.

Recent student summer scholarship

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The Smithsonian Institution was established with funds from James Smithson (1765–1829), a British scientist who left his estate to the United States to found “at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” On August 10, 1846, the U.S. Senate passed the act organizing the Smithsonian Institution, which was signed into law by President James K. Polk.

Congress authorized acceptance of the Smithson bequest on July 1, 1836, but it took another ten years of debate before the Smithsonian was founded. Once established, the Smithsonian became part of the process of developing an American national identity—an identity rooted in exploration, innovation, and a unique American style. That process continues today as the Smithsonian looks toward the future.

James Smithson and the Founding of the Smithsonian

Smithson, the illegitimate child of a wealthy Englishman, had traveled much during his life, but had never once set foot on American soil. Why, then, would he decide to provide the entirety of his sizable estate—which totaled half a million dollars, or 1/66 of the United States' entire federal budget at the time—to a country that was foreign to him?

Some speculate it was because he was denied his father's legacy. Others argue that he was inspired by the United States' experiment with democracy. Some attribute his philanthropy to ideals inspired by such organizations as the Royal Institution, which was dedicated to using scientific knowledge to Improve human conditions. Smithson never wrote about or discussed his bequest with friends or colleagues, so we are left to speculate on the ideals and motivations of a gift that has had such significant impact on the arts, humanities, and sciences in the United States.

Visitors can pay homage to Smithson with a visit to his crypt, located on the first floor of the Smithsonian Castle.

Learn more about James Smithson »

Smithsonian Institution General History

Smithson died in 1829, and six years later, President Andrew Jackson announced the bequest to Congress. On July 1, 1836, Congress accepted the legacy bequeathed to the nation and pledged the faith of the United States to the charitable trust. In September 1838, Smithson's legacy, which amounted to more than 100,000 gold sovereigns, was delivered to the mint at Philadelphia. Recoined in U.S. currency, the gift amounted to more than $500,000.

After eight years of sometimes heated debate, an Act of Congress signed by President James K. Polk on Aug. 10, 1846, established the Smithsonian Institution as a trust to be administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary of the Smithsonian. Since its founding, more than 175 years ago, the Smithsonian has become the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums, the National Zoo, and nine research facilities.

Learn more about our history from Smithsonian Institution Archives »

Architectural History & Historic Preservation Division »