frederick douglass had two sons who were in the 54th. sergeant major lewis douglass was one of them. he was one of the highest ranking african-american soldiers in the 54th. he was known as a very calm and courageous leader. i think you see that there in his stance and in his expression. frederick douglass was someone who very much understood the power of photography and how photography could be used to spread his image across the land. and in spreading his image, helped to spread his ideas and helped convince people of the merit of his ideas. i think that you can see his son here has also inculcated some of that understanding of how useful photography could be to him. look at the way he's standing. he has his arms crossed, look at the way he's standing. he has his arms crossed, standing up very straight, very confidently. look at the way he has angled himself, so that we can see those sergeant major stripes. he is displaying them quite proudly, quite confidently. or look to this photograph of sergeant henry steward. he had been responsi

someone who rivaled frederick douglass and prominence in the 1850s. and along these walls here we have pictures of some of the members of the 54th. we've begun of course with a picture of colonel robert gould shaw. he was offered the commission as colonel of the regimen by governor andrew. that was one of the first things that governor andrew. did he made sure that he had very firm leadership of the 54th. at the time military regulations stipulated that the in the rank and file soldiers could be african-americans, but the officers had to be white. that was the rule at the time and governor andrew knew that it was important to have the leadership of the 54th be men from strong abolitionist families, which shah's family was so he offered the leadership to shaw. shaw was initially hesitant about accepting it. you might have heard or seen the movie glory which came out in the late 1980s starring denzel washington and matthew broderick matthew broderick played shaw and the movie depicts very well shahs in this initial reluctance about accepting the commiss

if you lookk at someone like frederick douglass and then to say i cannot measure up to that makes themthey don't have the individual contribution to make so what is interesting in the book with many case studies of a vibrant civil society and the state encroaching on our lives. those organizations helping to usewi with poverty are get themselves on the right trajectory. and individuals do make a difference. >> tell us more about those. >> and what we try to do in the book is tell stories that provide a guide for people who are looking to contribute to move our country closer to those ideals. the north star if you have a story like frederick douglass you think that goodness for incredible people like him. it will only be exceptional people like douglas that will move the country forward because the history of our country is a history of struggling to address injustices moving us closer to the north star in the social entrepreneurs that have done that, if you are panel of experts. and with the enslaved individual and he finds his gift and finds a way to literally change the course of wor

we do a lot of frederick douglass and happy to see one of his that are not known for poems i would loveo introduce and the poetry is amazing very 19th century for line stanza but and the biography is the most distinctive thing. and that they will experience and then to v drive a vegetable wagon from the newly founded chapel hill. and then began to write poems for students go friends and then to realize he was a poet and became friends with the professor's wife to get the books published and then eventually asks the master if he can live in chapel hill and work on his poems and the slave owner agrees as long as he pays a certain amount of money per day which he does. so he lives and how emancipation off-campus it's just the most amazing story and fortune onto —- unfortunately he is not freed in philadelphia. it is so amazing and then to return to the poems especially at the end of a chronological survey. >> and off campus and off plantation and this is very important but we're talking right now having this conversation about us history. so the major concern right now in the country is th

closer to those ideals we talk about, the northstar and agree with you, you're a star like frederick douglass hume think well, thank goodness for incredible people like him and i think that is right for the wrong thing to concludeis is that it's only gog to be exceptional people i could douglass they're going to move the country for because history of our country is a history of struggling to address injustices the move us closer to the northstar. in the social whor have done that, our people who if you're in a panel of experts group panel experts, tissues, they would never choose the people who turn out to be the social entrepreneurs. so frederick douglass was in enslaved individual yet he finds his gift any finds way to literally change the course of world history. so that is some of the stories we tell the book, the people that are closest to the problems are often those who are best positioned to address them. so youso look at a problem like poverty in the country for instance. we open the book with a story about a group that we work with call the family independence initiative and is an

i know that is taken from an great quote from frederick douglass and charles leno frederick douglass, he's really a great example of the paradigm you are talking about in self-actualization and empowering the individual. >> that is right. ps i write in the book i wrote in the book that he is a role model for social entrepreneurs and not only because he overcame so much and in spite of that of what he had to overcome the accomplish so much. as he described his ah-ha moments, what caused him to do that and so there is a lesson for all of us, not that we are going to be frederick douglass or accomplish what he did but we can learn from bad and if i could just mention a few of them, i think it's important. the first one was when he was eight years old. he learned that he wasn't a slave although he was warned in slavery, he wasn't a slave because he was inferior, he was a slave because he was being kept ignorant and so he was determined to change that and he threw ingenious methods taught himself to read in the next ah-ha moment for him was when he was 16 he got the opportunity to teach su

we do a lot of frederick douglass reading the narrative in several of his speeches. i was happy to see kim spoke, one of his poems is there. he certainly not known for poems. and i love to introduce students to a poet named george horton. as countries amazing and is very 19th century for lines stances but it's also very clear and crisp lettuce experience as an enslaved person in his biography is the most distinctive thing in american lit and i think the students will experience. he is to crime a vegetable wagon from the plantation to the newly founded university of north carolina chapel hill on sundays. and eventually me in writing poems for students girlfriend is to give the girlfriends. and he would talk with them and they realize he was a poet he became friends and professors wife helped him get in first couple of his books published. and he eventually asked his master if he could live in the chapel hill. hogan is poems the slaveowner agrees laws he faced a certain amount of money today which he does. we lived until emancipation off the plantation like off-campus

included are problems by celebrated writers such as walt whitman and frederick douglass as well is the kim roberts is the author of the literary guide to washington dc. walking in the footsteps of american fighters from francis to others and five books of poems. in the most recently, the scientific method. "political af" by campbell, is a hybrid chapbook of poetry in the collection focuses on topics such as race, corruption, gun violence, police brutality confederate monuments and reproductive freedom in the sex harassment and it abusive women. campbell is writer and teacher and fellow and fiction editor. she received her msa from american university and the author of the novel tribulation and three other collections. bicycle, midnight, and cabinet of wrath, adult collection. moderating in the discussion between these three powerful poets, as ethel miller. in award-winning literary activist and author to memoirs and several poetry collections. he hosted w pf morning radio show, with ethelbert miller and house and produces which received at 2020 ward, his latest book, as god invented a

. >> david knows more about frederick douglass been frederick douglass. >> i had a conversationht david spoke and i just listed the rough cut for our documentary aired on hbo, fingers crossed. >> i've got one final question, how can we intimate the black church promote the book into a k-12 curriculum? >> jim and i have talked about this, this is a prelude, my dear friend who needs no introduction to this audience, asked me to work with him on the reconstruction curriculum and the black church and he's a hard man, a hard person to say no to so i would like your input about thato because i did, i want to give a shout out pain when random house in the audience, what i did was found a way to tell black history through the mechanism of the evolution of the black church so like turning a telescope around so instead of pitting the church into history of african-americans freedom, i turned it around and saw black people through the church, the evolution of that denomination. remember i was 20 tell you about the triangular structure. >> yes. >> so richard i already talked about, he was b

last 20 years, it's absurd of course but i grew up no teacher or professor ever said the word frederick douglass or area coming in upperclassman or langston hughes until i was an undergraduate. we do a lot of frederick ot douglass, reading the narrative, reading several of his speeches. i was happy to see in kim's book one of his poems is there because he's certainly not known or poems.i loved to introduce students to a poet named george moses horton. his poetry is amazing. it's very 19th-century, 4 line stanzas but it's also clear and crisp about his experience as an enslaved person . his biography is the most distinctive thing in american lit i think that students will experience. he used it to drive a vegetable wagon from the plantation to the newly founded university of north carolina chapel hill on sundays to fill the masters vegetables. eventually he began writing poems for students girlfriends, unc students to give their girlfriends. he would talk with them and realize he was a poet. the professor's wife helped him to get his first couple of books published. he eventually asked the master

walt whitman and frederick douglass as well as the work of lesser known poets. kim roberts is the author of eight literary guide to washington d.c., walking in the footsteps of american writers from francis scott key and five books of poems. most recently the scientific method, political af arrays collection by campbell is the hybrid chapbook of poetry and prose. the collection focuses on topics such as race, corruption, son violence, police brutality, confederate monuments, reproductive freedom and the sexual harassment of abusive women. he is a writer, teacher, fellow in fiction editor at barrel house. she received her msa from american university and has been moved to the author of the novel and three other collection, derksen bicycle, midnight and cabinet of wrath a collection moderate the discussion between three powerful poets is e ethel berg miller award-winning literary activist and author of two memoirs and several poetry collections. he house the morning radio show, with e ethelbert miller which received 82020 kelly award. his latest book is god invent

i think he would've talk to frederick douglass about it or booker t. washington and all the people who talk about it today. i think he would've looked how do we do this? >> how were the canals financed? there was some speculation in the stock market so explain how this was financed. >> this is one of the interesting stories of american finance when they financed they floated some bonds which were horribly inadequate. for those sections of the canal which in management theory probably not a good idea in today's age you hire one contractor. for the contract out for bid and in the best bidder gets the job. and they send notices out to ireland to say to promise the poor irish guys doing to be a navigator? that's what they called them a navigator digging it by hand. so at first it was an undercapitalized project then they got foreign financing and then to build the canals of course the land-grant system is basically you get the land and you find the money to build it some money was raised for the transcontinental railroad mostly bonds but a lot of foreign i

the narrative of history lessons, as we think of this portrait of charles douglass, frederick douglass' son. after his father sent the call for colored men to arms, this is a way of looking at his try, posing before he entering into the war. but the pose, as he is prepared to fight. prepared to fight with his brother, lewis douglass, who has a number of letters in exchange with his fiance, amelia. and he posed for the photographer in boston, his photograph is in howard university, but he says, i've been in two fights, and i am unhurt. i believe we have another fight tonight. he says, if i survive, i shall write you a long letter, and then he describes the people who were wounded from her city in upstate new york. and then he writes another, my dear girl, while i am away, do not fret yourself to death. i beg of you do not, please. also concerned about her life, her concerns, and his fiance, he talks also about the experience of the welfare of the men in the camp. he talks about the loss of the three who died in ft. wagner. and these are experiences that give light to the images that bre

frederick douglass famously 1978 said there is a right side and a wrong side and no sentiment ought tose us to forget. "armies of deliverance" is meant to help us appreciate the meaning of douglas' famous words and their continued relevance. that was deliberately said there was a right song -- are rising a wrong side in said reconstruction was running aground on the shoulders of racism. insisting the right side won the war that was was not claiming that the union cause was we must as douglas and his life fighting a two-front war against modern slavery and persistent racial discrimination in the north. what he meant was that the civil war was fundamentally a war of ideas between as he put it the old and the new slavery and freedom barbarism and civilization. the conflict was so bitter he took the ideas that drove it were so strongly opposed. one can imagine the 21st century american would readily agree that the right side won the war but we have seen reminders in the recent past that false equivalency the idea that the union and confederacy are equally deserving of honor has made a come

figures like frederick douglass and harriet tubman in the face of adversity had cracked open the doorconfederate ideology by contrast with its defense to slavery and the political supremacy of slaveholders they sought to close the door of freedom. the union caused frederick douglass invoking the war of ideas based upon the broadest and grandest declaration of human rights the world ever heard or read and based upon the denial of all rights. the right side won the war and it falls on us still to fulfill the promise of the victory. thanks. >> hello, everyone. my name is addison and i'm a junior and member of the student advisory council of the institute of american history. i'm honored at the game next to guest this evening will be acknowledging the 2021 guilder lehrman lincoln prize. larry is a businessman and civic leader and getting through college and a member of the guilder lehrman lincoln prize which ultimately determines the prize winners. we are honored to have him with us tonight. please tell us about the 2021 finalists. >> thank you and good evening. it is a privilege to be he

to think about this project and to encourage the project is the research that i've found on frederick douglass his words. so was it was a civil war that inspired douglas to write and speak on photography like many americans. he believed that photographs and pictures greatly contributed to the succession and a war over slavery during the civil war douglas wrote a number of lectures. he also had created this sense of man the sense of commitment to the war and he wrote once you the black man get upon his person the breath letter us. let him get an eagle on his button and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket and there's no power on earth or under earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the united states. finding that quote and i use it often just in terms of in the aspect of the visuality of the experience of being photographed harry may weems is a contemporary artist who is central to my research. so i look she as we think about the missing history of images carrie may weems. creates this self-portraits and an antebellum dress style with with a quilt and

figures like frederick douglass and harriet coming in the face of immense adversity had cracked openhange . confederate ideology by contrast was of the political supremacy of slaveholders flatly rejected the possibility of progress. confederates worthy of our enemies of frchange and they sought toclose that door of freedom and chain shops . they union cause as frederick douglass put it himself invoking the war of ideas was based upon the broadest and grandest declaration of human rights the world ever heard or read and the confederacy was based upon a shocking denial of all rights. the right side won the war but has still to fulfill the promise of that victory. >> my name is i just in your go, a junior and a member of the student advisory council of the institute of american history. i'm honored to introduce our next guest larry d walker who will be acknowledging silence in 2021 lincoln class . larry is a businessman and alum and trustee of gettysburg college and a member of the group that ultimately determines the prizes. we are honored to have him withus today . please tell usabout

and you'll see the image of john brown and frederick douglass. and we have the first edition works of the biography of frederick douglass as well. and behind you one of my favorite artifacts is down here on the bottom of the case. and it is known as the beacher's bible. her father henry beecher was a staunch abolitionist as well. he took sharp rifles, put them into a case and would ship them to kansas in support of the abolitionist movement. this isn't an exact quote but close to it. henry ward beecher said if he can't convince slave owners through the word of god that enslavement of the african people was wrong, perhaps he could convince them by looking down the barrel of a rifle. so he would pack these up, put them on a train, marked them as bibles so you wouldn't be sus -- suspicious as they were transported to kansas. >> he talks about formation of the american bible society which today is still largest in the world, even though there are bible societies in virtually all countries, the american bible society is still the largest and helps fun

we think a portrait, this portrait of charles douglas, frederick douglass who after his father said the call to arms, called to arms that this is a way of looking at his history. he's prepared to fight with his brother. he says i've been in two fights. he describes the people who were wounded in upstate new york. then he writes another. my dear girl, do not fret yourself to death. i beg of you. he's also concerned about her life. her concern. he talks about the experience of the welfare of the men. he talks about the loss of the three who died if fort wagner. these are experience that give life to images. not only the iconic moment and how letter writing were important in creating my story that i'm fascinated with. then her photographs. we begin to see the experience as women of how they envision. he came to take tea with us. it was a religious meeting and he was really excited about the experience of going to a praise house to see it. he was delighted find he was one of the very best and low spirited that he had. he expressed his gratitude. as i mentioned again, we think about this is

and i think that he would've talked to frederick douglass, booker washington, and others all the people that were talking about it today as well. and i think he would've taken a hard look at how we do this. >> how are the canal is financed? can you explain? >> this is an interesting story about american finance. and it floated down, horribly inadequate, what they do is we're going to work private contracts that can hire their own workers and they said probably not a good idea. and they would send notices out to ireland and say okay, they promised these guys and that is what they called them, navigators. and then they have foreign financing. lot of money came into holding these canals and of course the land grant system as well and there was some money raised and again it was mostly bonds, but there was a lot of investing. >> john, with 19 books, what is number 20 going to be about? >> i'm hoping that it will bring about every neighborhood in the country, climate change is the existential threat. well, how do we enjoy nature in the middle of the city. and how do we clean the air and stuf

so news of this hits the black community had frederick douglass goes nuts because they said no.ments is that this is our home. we are not africans we are not going to liberia or sierra leone that was set up for africans captured by the british on ships. and then library of course set up by the colonization society to free the african-americans to go back. they were not from liberia by and large and very few of the ancestors by 25 percent we know because of the amazing database and then 25 percent of the ancestors came from gambia which was heavily muslim and those that came from congo angola into amazing things that i learned that historians argue about the percentage but that is the figure given by he would that about 20 percent were muslims when they got on the boat. >> i did not know that until i read the book. >> i told the story in the book and i interview one of his descendents and he left behind the manuscript and how to find mecca and pray to the east and the first black church and then to argue about the first black church but the first african baptist church in savanna

we have the first addition of the biography of frederick douglass as well.one of my very favorite artifact, down here at the very bottom of the case, it is a rifle, it is known as the beaters a bible. we have talked about harriet beach or stow, her husband -- sorry, her father henry was a staunch abolitionist as well. what he did was, he took these sharp rivals, put them into a case and would ship them to kansas in support of the abolitionist movement. this is an exact quote, but it is close to it henry would beechor would say that if you can't convince the slave owners that the word of god, the enslavement of the african people is wrong, perhaps you can convince them by looking down the barrel of a rifle. he would pack these up, put them on a train, but mark them as bible so you would not be suspicious as they were being transported to kansas. >> this series also talks about the formation of the american bible society, which today is still the largest in the world. the bible societies in portugal countries, the american bible society is one of the largest,

figures like frederick douglass and harriet tubman had cracked open the door to change.derate ideology, by contrast, with its defense of slavery and of the political supremacy ofef slaveholders, flatly rejected the possibility of progress. confederates were the a avowed enemies of change, and they sought to close that door to freedom and chain it shut. .. the right side won the war and fell to us still to fulfill the promise of that victory. thank you. >> hello, everyone. my name is agatha, i am a junior at madison high school and a member of the student advisory council of the institute of american history. i'm honored to introduce our next guest this evening, larry d.al walker, who will be acknowledging the finalists. larry is a businessman and civic leader, an alum and trustee of gettysburg college and a member of the group which ultimately determines the prize winners. we're honored to have him with us tonight. larry, please tell us about the 2021 finalists. tonight on the t ever online lincoln prize event. in the year marked by national crisis and division, scholars

. >> abraham lincoln and frederick douglass knew each other well, tell us how their relationship impactedincoln's values and policiesow. >> modern, i think that would happen in front, lincoln was the first president who welcomed douglas into the white house. douglas was an accomplished thinker, speaker, abolitionist, he wrote two autobiographies. he's amazing, he opens up the whole issue of slavery and economic quality of what we need to do, probably no better person if you want to understand to read frederick douglass. douglas was very critical of lincoln in the early here's even though theyer talked, a fairly negative as a basis. lincoln welcomed him in, douglas didn't think we can was doing enough to end slavery, emancipation proclamation didn't and slavery in totality it was an incomplete declaration that freed slaves to fight through the side so that is one interpretation. all the pieces that needed to fall, equal education and funding infrastructure for every community would come later but douglas lived in the 1880s and pretty much was advocating for equal rights, at the 1893 positi

and then, of course, frederick douglass. we have the -- the first edition works of the biography of frederick douglass, as well. and behind you, one of my very favorite artifacts is down here, in the very bottom of the case. and it's known -- it's a sharp's rival but it's known as the beacher's bible. and now, we have talked about harriet beecher stowe. her husband -- i'm sorry, her father, henry beecher was a staunch abolitionist, as well. and what he did is he took these sharp rifles and he put them into a case or crates and he would ship them to kansas in support of the abolitionist movement and this isn't an exact quote but it's close to it. henry ward beecher said that if he can't convince the slave owners, through the word of god, that the enslavement of the african people was wrong, perhaps he can convince them by looking down the barrel of a rifle. and so, he would pack these up, put them on a train but he marked them as bibles so you wouldn't be suspicious as they were being transported to kansas. >> also, talks abo

included our poems by celebratedit writers such as francis scott key, walt whitman and frederick douglass as well as the work of lesser-known poets. kim roberts is the author of a literary guide to washington dc walking inlk the footsteps of american writers from francis scott key and five books of poems most recently the scientific method political af the hybrid book of poetry and prose focusing on topics such as race, corruption, gun violence police brutality reproductive freedom in sexual harassment and abuse of women. campbell is a writer, teacher, fellow and fiction editor receiving her msa from american university and the author of the novel of three other collections and cabinet of wrath. moderating the discussion between these three powerful poetss is an award-winning literary activist and author of two memoirs and several poetry collections he host the morning radio show and host and produces on tv which has the 2020 award. his latest book is god invented baseball awarded the 2019 literary award for poetry by the black caucus of the american library association. as a turn it over

i think it would discussed in an talk to frederick douglass about it and he lived he would've talk tothe people are talking about it today. and even think that he would've taken a hard look at this. >> , canals finance, publicly privately and also the railroad. in others a lot of speculation. can you explain how this whole process was financed predict. john: this is one ofd the interesting stories of american finance. example of the state of illinois financed and if loaded dunbar which were horribly inadequate to pay for this and when it did is they said okay we will work the contracts to private contractors and hire their own workers to build small sections of the canal. the management was probably thinking probably not a good idea. today's a to hire one a contracr for the contract out for bid in the best bidder gets the job well anyway,y, they would send noticesob out to ireland and otr countries and say you want to be a navigator on the canal, they call them navigators and are digging this thing by hand. so first it was this really undercapitalized project that he got foreign finan

effect for the most famous african-american leaders in the 19th century really of all times, frederick douglass gave several speeches we spoke about african-americans might find land of peace in the west and how the states should support this endeavor financially. but to support this appeal, douglas immigrated native americans so it is speech to the american enterprise the city of 1869, douglas estes. negro is like a white man in the indian and the taste and tendencies in this position to accept civilization. the union rejects our civilization and it is not filled with the negro coming he remains with you under all circumstances and slavery and it freedom. now here we can see the clear dichotomy be made between african-americans and white americans in one hand and native americans on the other hand in the first native americans are on the bedside the uncivilized side. and really joining african-american goals behavior with the white people are civilizations heard in another earlier speech, for the landless. and the people of the national domain was an enterprising and intelligent and race of im

figures like frederick douglass and harriet tubman who faced immense divert -- immense adversity openr change. with its defense of and the political supremacy of slaveholders flat -- flatly rejected it. they sought to close that door and chain it shut. the union as frederick douglass called himself invoking the war of ideas is based upon the separation of human rights in the confederacy of the space upon denial of all rights. the right side won the war and its its first up is still the promise of that history. thanks. >> hello everyone. my name is agatha and i met jr. and a member of the senior ouadvisory council of the gilded lamb institute of history but i'm honored to introduce our next guest this evening terry walker who would give the lincoln prize. he's an alum and trustee and member of the gilder lehrman lincoln high school. we are honored to have him with us tonight. larry please tell us about the 2021 finalists. >> thank you agatha. it is a privilege to be here with you my first ever on a velincoln event. the year marks a national crisis. it reminds us that unity is possible

in his attempts to convince black men to enlist in the war, frederick douglass declared that, quote, you are however not only a man but an american citizen. and you have hitherto expressed in various ways not only your willingness but desire to fulfill any and every obligation which the relation of citizenship imposes. military service in particular was a hallmark of civic virtue or the manner in which someone supported the broader interest of the republic. douglass spent decades thinking through the political ideology of the country's revolution and understood that civic virtue qualified people for membership and participation in the affairses of of the republic. nothing quite captured personal sacrifice for the greater good of the country than military service. and douglass believed the arrow would ignite an important debate about citizenship with black soldiers in mind. indeed singleton, charlie, william and samuel williams understood the myriad of ways service might alter the social status of enslaved people without ever hearing a word of douglass eloquent words or lieber's argum

. >> oya, so then news of this the black community, frederick douglass does not., we are not going to sierra which had been set up for read africans by the british on ships africa slave trade was banned to the british colonies in 1807 and 1808 and by the area was set up by the american colonization 1826. read african-americans to go back, they were from liberia and by and large, very few ancestors from what is liberia. 25% of ancestors, an amazing database which you could look up right now or you could look it up under the slave trade database about 25% of ancestors came from gambia of the muslim and about 25% came from angola. one of the amazing things that i've learned was about 20%, these stories argue about this, i settled on 20% and not by linden and great friends of brian and jim. 20% of our enslaved ancestors were practicing muslim make on the books i did not know that until i got on the book. >> i tell the story of mohammed and i interviewed one and he left behind a manuscript in arab, instructions on this and the first black churches, there are about four

but then news of this hits the black community in frederick douglass goes nuts because douglas says no no. this is our home. a we are not africans anymore were not going to sierra leone which was set up to free africans that were captured by the british on the ships with the slave trade to the british colonies in 18 oh seven and 18 oh eight in liberia set up by the american colonization society 1826 to free the african-americans to go back they weren't from liberia by a large very few ancestors were from what is now liberia that 25 percent of ancestors we know because of the amazing database that you can look up right now or look it up under the trans-atlantic database 25 percent come from gambia which is heavily muslim and 25 percent come from angola. one of the amazing things one of the facts that i have learned is that about 20 percent, and that is a figure about 20 percent were muslims when they got on the boat. >> i did not know that until i read the book. >> i told the story in the book and in the film and i interview one of his descendents and he left behind the manuscript in ar

he at one point even meets a delegation led by frederick douglass, who remember, has met lincoln, has been received politely by lincoln. johnson meets him, and he calls him the darky delegation, right? when they leave, his secretary recalls this nowadays we have hot mics that catch people say, you know, politicians sometimes are caught saying things that are really crude and awful. sometimes they just say it openly, but his secretary recorded this. and johnson said about this black delegation that had come to plead with him for black rights, the right to vote, et cetera, led by the great frederick douglass, these are his exact words and i pardon my french because he's a pretty crude guy. one of the crudest american presidents, actually. he says those damn sons of bitches thought they had me in a truth. i know that damned douglass, he's just like any, quote, nigger, and he would sooner cut a white man's throat than not. this is the president of the united states talking about a black delegation headed by frederick douglass coming to him. rarely have we seen presidents talk in that mann