, you understand that abraham lincoln was a human being. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2020] and other watch this programs on the history of communities across the country on the c-span.org/citiestour. this is american history tv on c-span3. crises than on the front lines as a prominent member of the coronavirus task force. >> when you deal with the interface it in politics, and medicine, the thing i have found to be effective is to be consistent, because the honest, and don't tell people things they think they might want to hear. tell them the truth that is based on evidence. even though politicians, in the administration or the congress, may not happy with you tell them because it disappoints them, they will respect you if after a while it's clear to them that you are telling them the truth based on scientific evidence. >> we will profile dr. anthony of theprofile -- institute of inf

abraham lincoln knew death from an early age. his first encounters have stemmed from much the same source as any other young boy growing up in kentucky and indiana, hunting. his father thomas was an enthusiastic hunter as was his cousin dennis hanks with whom he spent a great deal of time. we all hunted pretty much all of the time, dennis remembered, the country was full of wild game and dense with vegetation and swam swampy. we could track a bear, deer or wolf for miles through the matted vines and we more or less depended on hunting for living. and dennis remembered an incident in the family's first days of indiana after they arrived at pigeon creek, and abraham spotted a flock of turkeys. and he was too little to load and prime a gun himself, so his mother nancy did it. abe cracked the hole through the camp, and accidentally killed one. dennis musingly remembered. but abraham lincoln didn't like hunting and he wrote about the turkey shooting that he had since not killed any game. he did not torture any more animals in the indi

no one recorded though how abraham reacted. to the surely immense stress of his mother's illness and death whether he lashed out in frustration, kept his turmoil buried deep inside, or perhaps exhibited some other form of behavior. but the very silence of the historical record is perhaps itself telling. friends and relatives who later recalled in great detail the circumstances surrounding nancy's illness and death have nothing to say good or bad about her young son's reaction. dennis remembered that at the time, both abraham and his sister sarah, quote, did some work, little jobs,er rands and light work of that sort but neither dennis or anyone else recorded exactly how abraham reacted emotion fally during the ordeal. he seems to have faded into the background. nursing a private grief while his father and other family and friends were preoccupied with easing nancy's final days. lincoln later remembered this time as an exceedingly lonely episode and some historians later theorized that his adult bouts of melancholy stemmed from

this included the young abraham. dennis remembered an incident during the families first days in southern indiana right after they arrived at kitchen creek. abraham spotted a flock of turkeys nearby. thomas lincoln and dennis were away from the camp at the time and abraham was too little to load and prima gotten himself, so his mother nancy had to do it. abe poked the gun through the crack of the cannon and accidentally killed one. dennis amusingly reset, you know what the truth is? lincoln disliked hunting. he later and rather proudly wrote that the turkey shooting that he had quoted, never since pulled a trigger on any larger game. he did not much like killing. killing or torturing the animals that were everywhere in the indiana woods. one neighborhood recalled him writing essays of being behind animals and crawling insects. when his stepfather crushed a turtle against a nearby tree, abraham preached against cruelty to animals contending that and aunts life was to it as sweet as ours to us. as indiana friends and n

. >> that's from the archives of you portraying abraham lincoln. what's the value of understanding history through re-enactment? >> it reaches a population that may not pick up a book but they want to come and have an experience. they're not readers, they don't pick up the written word but they want the experience. >> how many years have you been portraying abraham lincoln? >> 33 this year. started extremely small but i wish i could tell you there was a grand plan, and it's certainly not mine. >> how did it get started? >> i was on the board of the illinois education association. we were going to have the national convention in new orleans and one of the board members came up to this skinny, skinny man with a black beard and said, you know, if you dressed, we could all come on the floor of the convention and they would know illinois had arrived. and i was intrigued. and i said let's try this, and that was the only thing i did in 1986. but then worked at freeport with the debate and such. >> people won't understand the reference to freeport and the

so is abraham lincoln. essay, antique knowledges that the power of abraham lincoln was so much that even somebody like douglas freeman had to acknowledge that at this moment, the historical figure who seems most relevant to what we're doingure is abraham lincoln. >> fdr being overly cautious, if you look at hisdr bei resultt was the same in those states. epeople might vote for segregationist congressman and governors, but they adored fdr. >> i think you are right about that absolutely. one more? yes, i do have one more. >> this was a wonderful talk. nderi always thought fdr embracd jefferson more than lincoln. did he connect the two? i always felt that jefferson was more in the forefront than lincoln. jeffe>> jefferson was definitef important. e jefdr spoke at the dedicationf the jefferson t memorial in the 1930's. 1943. thank you.s noit is not as if jefferson was being overlooked. he does take opportunities to infuse jefferson things he talksk ab about. en htrying to think about momens when he connects the

let's start with abraham lincoln. we are starting with abraham lincoln, i should also say let's start with understanding that i, like many historians, like abraham lincoln and think he is one of the greatest presidents of the united states. i also don't like andrew johnson. i think he is one of the worst presidents of the united states. we should speak biases up front. for the next hour you will see why many revere lincoln and don't take kindly to andrew johnson. understand lincoln and his background with the constitution, there is a couple things that informed his understanding of it. one was nationalism. lincoln, from his earliest days, was a nationalist. we don't have writings from him when he was six or seven years old, talking about nationalism. we can get some sense of this of how important nationalism was from a speech he gave. after being elected president on his trip washington, dc to be inaugurated. he told the crowd, may i be pardoned if i mention way back in my childhood, the earliest days of my being able

the president was franklin roosevelt, not abraham lincoln. the new york herald tribute reprinted fdr's speech under the headline, roosevelt's gettysburg address. the chicago tribune proclaimed, roosevelt dons lincoln armor at gettysburg. it seldom helps to wonder how a statesman of one generation would sur mound the cmount the another. a statesman deals with difficulties, with things that must be done from day to day. not often can he frame conscious patterns for the far off future. fdr acknowledged in his remarks. the fullness of the statue of lincoln's nature and the fundamental conflict which events forced upon his presidency invite us ever to turn to him for help. it's such past in a new deal era context that nina silver examines in her new book. professor silver introduced a new cast of character to the story of civil war memory and explores how americans reinterpreted the civil war to meet their own needs during the great depression and world war ii. since completing her training as a historian at the university of california berkeley -

let's start with abraham lincoln. actually we'll start with abraham lincoln. i should also say let's start with an understanding that i, like many historian, like abraham lincoln, i think he's one of the greatest presidents of the united states. i, like most historians, particularly don't like andrew johnson. i think he's one of the worst presidents of the united states. i should at least state our biases up front. over the next hour you'll see why many historians revere lincoln and don't take as kindly to andrew johnson. to understand lincoln and his background with the constitution, there are a couple of things that form his understanding of it. one, was nationalism. lincoln from his earliest days was a nationalist. and we don't have writings from him when he was 6 or 7 years old or a teenager the talking about nationalism. we can get some sense of this how important nationalism was to him. from a speech he gave. after being elected to president on his trip to washington, d.c. to be inaugurated. he told the crowd, he said may i be pardoned upon this occasion

not so with abraham lincoln. hospitality toward african-americans was well known during his presidency. mary livermore this. bent in special kindness. another white washingtonian said lincolnts of a ram prompted him to receive representatives of every fighting class. -- abraham lincoln. shaking blackve hands. african-americans exhibited great pride in being able to shake abraham lincoln's hand. some believed it had near power.nic mary lincoln gave gifts to african-americans like frederick douglass and seamstress mary keck lee. they cherished these gifts. as sojourner truth explained, it hand that signed the death warrant of slavery. even in 1913, the black poet james weldon johnson celebrated the anniversary of the emancipation proclamation with these words -- since god through struck offeady hand our bonds and made us men. in january 1864, four black men decided to push the boundaries and attend a new year's reception at the white house, the first time black men would go to the white house in a social way, not a

not so with abraham lincoln. in fact, lincoln's hospitality toward african-americans was well known during his presidency. union nurse mary livermore wrote, the tip and colored men and women, he bent and special kindness. another white washingtonian said the good and just heart of abraham lincoln prompted him to receive representatives of every class fighting for the union. no we see above shaking black hands. hands of that color then carried the stars & stripes or used musket or saber in its defense. african-americans took great pride in being able to shake president lincoln's hand. some believed it had near talismanic power. after lincoln was assassinated, mary lincoln dave several gifts to prominent african-americans like frederick douglass and her seamstress mary keckly. they cherished these gifts. as sojourner truth explained, it was the same hand that signed the death warrant of slavery. even 50 years later in 1913, the black poet james weldon johnson the 50th anniversary of the emancipation proclamation wi

and met abraham lincoln. lincoln welcomed his first black guest to the white house in arl arl 1862, a bishop named daniel payne. payne came to discuss emancipation in the district of columbia. they had a long conversation, about 45 minutes in lincoln's office and afterwards, payne wrote about it and these are payne's wors. there was nothing stiff or form alg in the air and manner of his excellency, nothing egotistic. president lincoln received and conversed with me as though i had been one of his intimate acquaintances or one of his friendly neighbors. i left him with the profound sense of his real greatness, and his fitness to rule a nation composed of almost all the races on the face of the globe. the following month in may of 1862, lincoln visited a hospital in washington, d.c., where a white nurse introduced him to three black cooks who were preparing food for the sick and wounded soldiers. at least one of the three cooks was a former slave. lincoln greeted the three african-americans in a kindly tone. ho

this is the burial place of abraham abraham, science [inaudible] the stars of the bible and the most about this places is never been destroyed. subsequent people have, and have claimed it and they say no, no, we, christianity, we are the chosen sons of abraham so we have control but that is on comes and takes over and says no, we are the chosen son of abraham so we could take control and then we come back and say no we are the chosen sons of israel but we want control but there is that tension in the middle east and that is like this place is beautiful but also a place of conflict and friction. pete: the massive structure itself was built over the caves by king herod nearly 2000 years after abraham's burial. >> underneath that corner there's a cave, expert underneath is where the tomb of fathers and mothers live. it's a building of a monument on top of that cave. ♪ pete: father abraham. the father of all monotheistic religions. this is his burial site. the people of the world which is like 3 billion people believe that abraham is therefore father either in body or in faith and they c

the president was fdr not abraham lincoln. the new york herald tribune reprinted that the speech under the headline roosevelt's gettysburg address. the chicago tribune proclaimed roosevelt anza lincoln armor. is -- it's seldom helps to wonder how a statement of one generation would surmount the crisis of another. a statesman deals with difficulties with things that must be done from day to day. not often can he frame conchas patterns for the far-off future fdr acknowledged in his remarks. the stature of lincoln's nature and the usdamental conflict invite to turn to him for help. it is such invocations of the civil war past and a new deal era context that nina silver examines in her new book. silver introduces a the civil warto memory and explores how americans reinterpreted the civil war to meet their own needs during the great depression and world war ii. since completing her training as berkeley,n at uc professor silver has returned to the fertile field of civil war studies to uncover new perspectives with which to engage ci

it is all about abraham lincoln and the team of rivals. george w. bush will tell you, my favorite president is lincoln. all he does is read lincoln books. nixon during the hype of watergate would drink gin and talk to a lincoln portrait in the white house. [laughter] theodore roosevelt, who i wrote about in his love of charles darwin, our great science president. he just has a real cast on the imagination, lincoln, because the civil war in the end is the crucible time in our country's history. but really, washington can be tied with lincoln. those are the big two. edna: to what extent, though, does his assassination factor into his popularity? because he was assassinated, he did not have that opportunity during the second term to make mistakes. what would have happened had he lived? would we think of him in the ame way? brian: as you know, barack obama finished 12 out of the 44. he is the first president since eisenhower, i believe, to get 50% of the vote twice. two terms. what is your assessment of why he was able to do that when everybody else fro

abraham. yes or to be honest i don't think that the issue here is about privatizing the public sector at this issue or not not even a monopoly issue may be at a later stage because even if we sell those assets or dismantle it but there was saying those monopolies eventually they will end up back to the to the political elite who have been really. accumulating their wealth with their with their nepotism to get in as i'm going to lose a net worth and with all their accessories and eventually these these public. sets will end up back into their hands you know because we don't believe that the government or any of this is a pretty good stab decision to have a transparent process and to probe for privatizing those assets nevertheless we cannot sell these assets at the very at their worst time when they're that they were thorough much less than really they are really worth what we believe in is that there should be a kind of serious political reform and really a new blood into this into the situatio

abraham lincoln wins. abraham lincoln, to an extent that is impossible to overstate, is not the southern choice. [laughter] dr. roosevelt: in 10 of the 11 states that are going to secede, lincoln gets zero popular votes. not a single person votes for abraham lincoln. why is that? he is not on the ballot. no one is willing to suffer the threat of violence and social opprobrium from trying to put lincoln on the ballot. in virginia, he is and he gets 1.1% of the popular vote. the south does not like abraham lincoln and the south sees the federal government falling into antislavery forces. they fear the national government is going to end slavery which the republicans , were trying to do. they wanted to do it. they did not think it could do it directly but they had a strategy. seeing that coming, the south secedes. the civil war comes about in part because of a political failure. you can also see it as a consequence of a moral failure, a consequence of the acceptance of slavery, the deal with the devil. abraha

in 1864 john charles fremont against abraham lincoln the more radical version of abraham lincoln andultimately he backed off but not until september 1864 there was a danger he may have split the republican vote causing him to lose reelection this is why they are not as well known today as they might be. nobody is gone up against lincoln and fared well in history. so lincoln douglas. and the fremont's also by that experience it's a fascinating story and it is really amazing there is the in account of the speech that lincoln gave and it is a deeply moving speech which includes the line come to the rescue. >> and what i found fascinating about your talk and answering questions is parallel and wondering are there any more you want to share with us? >> those demographic change are a big one. we are at a time of great demographic change when they see a change in power and younger people and people of color and immigrants we could name a bunch of different kinds of people from one party to the other and then to think confidently they can win elections without compromising so much with conse

now a couple hundred years after abraham lincoln.t's time for us to move toward a more modern motto. >> there's legislation to change that model but correct me if i'm wrong, the va has the ability to do it on its own. it would need an active congress. is that correct? >> it would not. i don't think as a secretary, i did not envision chiseling off the abraham lincoln quote off the concrete of the building. there is a way of honoring history and respect and not changing the dignity of what abraham lincoln gave to us as a country with this commitment towards our veterans. but, abraham lincoln's original quote as it talks about widows and orphans, this is not language we traditionally used in 2019. i think there's a way of honoring the original words of abraham lincoln but talking about the new va in a way that could be done with respect for our history.>> absolutely. completely agree. i'd like to shift a little bit. talking big picture. i'd like to move into your time specifically within the administration as secretary. we've already to

because nobody has ever gone up against abraham lincoln and fared well in history.hink about the people, jefferson davis, not really well-regarded. [laughter] >> you know, lincoln-douglas, kind of remember who that guy douglas was not nearly as much as lincoln and the fremonts were diminished by that experience. and it's a fascinating story and really amazing, if you choose to buy the book, there is in it an account of the speech that lincoln game on behalf of charles fremont in 1856 and it's really a deeply moving speech, which includes the line by lincoln come to the rescue of the great principle of equality. yes, sir, go ahead. >> my name is david. and one of the things that i found fascinating about your talk and your answering some of the questions the parallels between fremont's time and our own and wondering if there are any more you want to share with us. >> oh, my goodness, the demographic change is a big one. we're in a time much great demographic change, which makes people nervous because people see a change in power in that the groups they're growing mor

abraham lincoln touched on this. his second inaugural address when he invited the audience to join him in gratitude for what the united states armies had accomplished. uponprogress of our arms depends" else chiefly he said and he knew the people in the audience understood what saying, is as well known to the public as to myself, he said, "and it is i trust reasonably satisfactory and the keying to all" but clause is "upon which all else depends." decisions on the battlefield powerfully affected virtually aspect of the conflict and i'll give just two examples and i'll use a richmond here we are. in july 1862 george b. mccullins' inexplicable retreat had enormoustory consequences regarding the issue of emancipation. hunkered down along the james river below richmond, decided it would take a harder war to defeat the rebels. in december 1861, the president expressed a wish the war could without degenerating into a violent and remorseless revolutionary struggle. the seven days, he moved closer to abolitionists and demande

saying look, abraham lincoln grew up in a log cabin. he had no money, he had no learning and here we are representing him as a god-like figure. curment savage in his book "monument wars." talks a lot about how do we build monuments and what should we say and he's cite critical of idolizing, almost defying of abraham lincoln. but it's raised up on a podium with the great view of the mall bull also of its association with lincoln and the emancipation proclamation. we saw marin anderson, a great amra singer who sang on the stretches of the libble memorial in 1939 and then we see martin luther king with the march of freedom speech before the hundreds and thousands of people assemble and would now that spot has been marked by an inscription in the stem exactly where he stood. now, if you haven't seen it, it's a little hard to find because it's simply an inscription in the pavement and sometimes if you're there at the lincoln, you'll see tour guides squirting water on the stem and what they're trying to do is put water into the inscription so

welcome back to they guys are a part imax keyser time out at cern to abraham cambridge of the sonics jane's full disclosure i am an advisor to this company abraham welcome back thanks guys came back max i was through doing well and looked around so just to review what you guys did go down there in south africa there are schools and hospitals and other such institutions that need to fill their energy budgets every air so you come in and you say we can help you craft find your energy budget by installing solar panels to meet your budget and then anything that is collected energy wise above the budget we're going to distribute to our crowdfunding population in the form of because i'm the one of the main drivers is to reduce the energy cost to organizations and essential services such as school supermarkets hospitals especially now on account of postcode at $19.00 whoa operating budgets can even further constrained and these kind of organization which we would need to persist moving forwards and beyond the great thing about this is that the decentralization of the energy network means th

himself to be foot forward in the candidate against him for a home lincoln as radical version of abraham lincoln. ultimately he backed off but not until about september of 1864. there was a danger had he stayed in the race, that he might've split the republican vote and cause abraham lincoln blues reelection. i think this is part of the reason that the fremont are not as well-known as the might be because nobody is about to begin his abraham lincoln and fared well in history. think about the people in jefferson davis, not really well-regarded today. [applause]. lincoln douglas, it kind of vaguely remember that guy douglas was but as much is lincoln and a few months also were diminished. by that experience but also the fascinating story is really amazing, if you choose to buy the book, there's an account of a speech that lincoln gave on behalf of charles fremont in 1856 and it's really a deeply moving speech. it includes a line by lincoln, come to the rescue of the great principle of equality. yes or go ahead. guest: one of the things i found fascinating about your talk in your answer to

abraham lincoln touched on this. i will quote from -- again from his second inaugural address when he invited the audience to join him in gratitude for what the united states armies had accomplished. "the progress of our arms upon which all else chiefly depends" he said and he knew the people in the audience understood what he was saying, is as well known to the public as to myself, he said, "and it is i trust reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all" but the key clause in that sentence is "upon which all else chiefly depends." decisions on the battlefield powerfully affected virtually every other aspect of the conflict. and i'll give just two examples , and i'll use a richmond one since here we are. in july 1862, george b. mcclellan's inexplicable retreat after his victory had enormous consequences regarding the issue of emancipation. as mcclellan hunkered down along the james river below richmond, lincoln decided it would take a harder kind of war to defeat the rebels. in december 1861, the president expresse

>> there is a very great difference between abraham lincoln and stephen douglas. there is a problem of expansion and i will start and you can take it from there. in terms of perceptions in the south, they are not the same person. not by any stretch of the imagination. lincoln poses a far greater threat to the slave holding oligarchic's, to use your phrase, of the south to steven a douglas who has a stake in a plantation in the south himself. lincoln and the republicans from the southern point of view are virtually equivalent to abolitionists. steven a douglas is not the equivalent of an abolitionist interview of people in the south. i am not saying that douglas would have had an easy time mending fences in the deep south, but i would take issue with the idea that there is no real difference between abraham lincoln and stephen douglas in terms of what degree of threat they pose to the slave holding south. >> i totally agree with you. i do. and i think that it comes back to reading back in history what you know already happened. that is so powerful. i want to go bac

. >>> next, a civil war scholar edna greene medford talks about abraham lincoln's approach to abolishing slavery and examines views of emancipation in the north and south. this is part of the lincoln forum symposium. >> it is a real honor introducing someone who is kind, classy, and a careful scholar and someone who has been the heart of the lincoln forum for -- since its inception. edna greene medford is now the associate provost of faculty affairs at howard university and of course this places her in the position of having to say "no" to everyone. she is the former chair of history at howard. the former interim dean and the professor of history. her works focus on african-american history and the history of the jacksonian and some works include the emancipation proclamation. three views which is now coming out in paper back. the price of freedom slavery in the civil war, volumes 1 and 2, as well as the historical perspectives of the african burial ground and blacks and e die -- diaspora. she reminds us of the human account of civil war. and perhaps i'm thinking of myself, the world of

april 14, 1865 the youngest actor of the most celebrated actors expressed his unhappiness with abraham lincoln by shooting him in the back of the head. today in congressional hearings, politicians address the cameras and i wish they could hear their children compared to a thaddeus stevenss. on may 26, 1856, congressman brooks of south carolina walked into the senate chamber and beat senator of massachusetts into a bloody pulp on the floor of the senate because sumner alluded to brook's kingsman as someone who embraced, quote, the harlet slavery as his miss tress. there's postering about how in -- tress. there's postering about how in -- and as you heard today, there's talks about virginia going over to join west virginia. he find that vastly amusing. anyway, we hear that kind of talk now. the crucial wording in all these instances is might. california might. texas might. parts of virginia might. in november 1860 after abraham lincoln's election seven deep states actually did break away and between april and june the following year four more joined them and established another republica

so far i haven't mentioned abraham lincoln. where is lincoln?argely off stage presence and abundance of excellent books of his presidency and many many others. but by most historians in a more skillful political manner with a contemporaries but in 1861 he was no more prepared for war that were most americans and considerably less so than some numbers or many members of congress actually and for much of the war tyranny was a work in progress. although he governed more than any other predecessor he depended on the republicans in congress who often read him more often and followed him and vigorously insisted the power to shift resided on capitol hill are not in the white house. so toward the conclusion, i have a strong suspicion that one or several of you may wonder does this book have anything to say about today's congress or politics? just a wild guess. [laughter] the answer is yes and no. this is a book of history and the civil war, the time span is primarily 1861 through 65. is not about the present day united states although it often says hist

john wilkes booth shot abraham lincoln in order to kill abraham lincoln. lee harvey oswald shot john kennedy in order to kill john kennedy. the other man killed william mckinley in order to kill william mckinley. what charles guiteau was trying to do, he had nothing personal against james garfield. he liked the man. he had met his wife. what he was trying to do was reverse the election of 1880. it would not so much trying to get garfield out of office as to put someone else in office. he was trying to make chester alan arthur and his circle of friends the president and the ruling circle in the united states. it was a regime change. and that's a very scary thought when you think about it. and he was successful in doing it. john: and getting back to andrew johnson, i am going to steal a question that susan asked earlier at the event. abraham lincoln is of course number one. james buchanan, who preceeded, and andrew johnson, who came after, are consistently ranked to the last. >> he is historical kryptonite and you don't want to be close to him. he had the gr

photograph abrahams on the tour who as shockingly quiet. rollerskating through a crowded johannesburg is nothing more than a distant memory for earl abrahams now the. city is wrapped in an eerie silence no one is allowed outside except for grocery shopping while buying medicine. the kind of cereal. thing because i've never experienced something like this before basically having to stay on lockdown without being able to leave the space so this is very different and very new for me but not everyone can add here to the rules many homeless people simply have no way to go. i don't know what to expect when it comes to my career. i don't know what export to expect when it comes to. countries going to and what's going to happen to people that don't have a kind of a source of income to fend for themselves so i'm really anxious that all major highways a few police cars are patrolling the city but there's no sign of the army this once bustling neighborhood now resembles a ghost town. crazy like many waiters and shopkeepers who used to work here abraha