lincoln and frederick douglass. now in our next presenter's book, he tells the little known story of how two american heroes moved from strong disagreement to friendship and how that process changes the entire course of history. i am pleased talking to the stage new york times the best-selling author and fox news host mr. brian kilmeade. as much as as much as i enjoy the standing ovation when you start with a standing ovation, you'd only go backwards. so that's what i worry. so i appreciate everybody being here tonight. i've never been invited to a book festival. so to be invited was great to have a book ready to go with fantastic, and i'm so glad everything lined up to be here in a beautiful saturday, and there's no kentucky basketball scrimmage that's keeping all of you busy. that would allow you to show up. but i think we have a few things in common. i don't care about politics. i think we all love the country. we also know where we come from has not been perfect. it's not been a straight line, but we always get

frederick douglass. and he said now pay them the same and when they get caught, treated the same as white guys. he understood where lincoln was coming from. and i thought we could enjoy a quote, a few of them. this is actually the tape. i'll finish up with a few quotes. this is a look at the book that maybe you're all going to get. >> the american civil war, over 600,000 would die over the course of four years. but the united states survived and reunify and become for the first time a nation free for all that would need extraordinary leaders. two emerged above the rest, abraham lincoln, the president, frederick douglass, the freedom fighter. together they would make america a more perfect union. >> america has been blessed to have the right people at the right time. you think back to those days of the civil war where brothers literally fought blood brothers. fathers fought their kids because they wanted the declaration of independence and this notion that all men were created equal to be real. >> in abra

frederick douglass . him recruit, ped frederick douglass.s who told him also and when they call out i want them the same as white guys so he wasn't going to stop until he got everything but he understood where lincoln was coming from and i thought this would be something we could enjoy. i think we're going to see a tape. this is the tape. i'll start with a few quotes. this is a look at the book and maybe you're all going to get . >> the american civil war, over 600,000 died over the course of four years . for the united states to survive and reunify they would need extraordinary leaders. two emerged above the rest. abraham lincoln, the president, frederick douglass the freedom fighter. together they would make .merica a more perfect union >> america has been blessed to have the right people at the right time. think back to those days in the civil war where brothers literally fought , fathers fought their kids. because they want the declaration ofindependence and this notion that all men were created equal to be real . >> and abraham lincoln

they had ambition. >> as the first 14 years were, frederick douglass had it worse. was born a slave and had to escape for his freedom but here wasn't satisfied with that. he would want freedom for himself and freedom for all. >> douglass would continue his self-education and mend word bye abolitionists read, started a newspaper and be a lecturer known around the world. >> he wanted to make his stand here. he never left the slave owners own him. america was coming apart. the north and south were divergent on the issue of slavery. the status quo wouldn't stand for the emergence of the republican party seizing the opportunity. byev the time he arrived in the white house, seven states left the union. secession wasn't an option. hehe took over a divided countr. did he know what he was getting into? >> lincoln knew the constitution backwards and forward so he realized after fort sumter happened he diagnosed to keep the country togetherer and then the abolition of slavery of the civil war. >> lincoln's win was allpe about hope but when he didn't immediately free the slaves

and i told this person about this meeting with frederick douglass. in freeing the slaves in this way. before lincoln's out of office it has nothing to do with winning the war it has nothing to do with military necessity has everything to do with spreading freedom and douglas recognized that in this moment that lincoln's heart was fully in emancipation and then the third meeting very briefly is on march 4th 1865 after lincoln's second inaugural inauguration. they go back to the white house for a party douglas shows up with an african american woman. they try to go in the guards won't let them in finally douglas is able to get in and he realizes that the guards are very quickly taking him to another exit and he demands to be able to see lincoln and lincoln he tells someone go tell the president that frederick douglass is here and lincoln comes over. so there's my friend douglas and lincoln asks douglas. what did you think of my speech and douglas so you don't care what i think and and lincoln says there's no man. who's who's opinion? i'd rather have an

and the essential part that frederick douglass played in that movement. and so here you have a former enslaved african-american frederick douglass. who? has become through the publication of his narrative and through his public speaking has become a well-known figure for the abolitionist movement to establish that enslaved peoples in the united states were able to promote their own freedom to argue for it and most significantly for this document to situate that desire for freedom within the traditions and the ideals of the united states itself. now students may not remember that douglas is giving this speech in rochester new york where he was invited to give a fourth of july a dress by local abolitionists and so in this regard students can think about the audience of douglas's speech and so it's clear that douglas is speaking to a white audience who is celebrating the fourth of july and he is situating that fourth of july within his point of view and from his point of view. the fourth of july is something radically different than it is for that audience.

>> guest: frederick douglass said a man without the ability to fight backha and without pows not a man human natures -- you cannot be free unless you can defend yourself. we see what happens with the george floyd riots. the mayors told the boys to stand down. they have kicked people's doors and in rob demint told the police to stand down. ukraine is another country invaded and they don't have the ability to defend them. it's a natural state of power and this is something that makes me angry and i talkedd about it it's not racism it's blackmail coward. b black men not defending our neighborhoods. shooting killing carjackings smash and grabs selling dope. just acting like a. it takes bravery and strength for a man to get up and go to work everyday and take care of his wife and children. ..t that is important it is it's look like you are moving south strong father. and then had a gun under the seat of his car and setting up in the corner and shotguns happened in the corner of the bedroom. yes, sir. it's true. nobody bothered me, but i was growing up true. nobody my dad was a strong had a

we've seen a couple cases of the statue of lincoln torn down or frederick douglass or grant. that tenor is very troubling. we should be building more statues to those not adequately honored, who have been written out of history from frederick douglass to on and on and on. wrote a whole column on cnn. statues should be placed in context. but i do think they are in a class by themselves. >>> at least six presidents recorded conversations while in office. hear many of those conversations on c-span's new podcast, presidential recordings. >> season one focuses on the presidency of lyndon johnson. you'll hear about the 1964 civil rights act, the 1964 presidential campaign, the gulf of tonkan incident, the march in selma and the war in vietnam. not everyone knew they were being recorded. >> certainly johnson's secretaries knew because they were tasked with transcriing many of those conversations. in fact, they were the ones making sure the conversations were taped as johnson would signal to them through an open door between his office and theirs. >> you'll also hear some blunt talk.

from frederick douglass, to harriet tubman, two -- on and on, i wrote a whole column for this on cnn. i think the statue should be placed in context, but i do think the confederate statues are in a class by themselves. like to welcome you back to the hoover book club where we bring hoover fellows and friends together to discuss their latest writings our guest today is amy and like to welcome you back to the hoover book club, where we bring fellas and friends together to discuss their latest writings. our guest today is amy zegart she is a jean cox noted professor of political science at hoover institution, she is al

the fact that frederick douglass, even in his own time, the most important black man in the most famous african-american in the world, but the fact that he was able to rise from slavery and give voice to a vision of black liberation that ultimately a century and a half later would result in the election of america's first black president shows us that there is an arc to progress in the united states of america that we must all be grateful for and that the inheritance of the american project accrues to black and brown, everybody, as much as it is the property of those who are quite and of european descent in this country. but if you were tracing the outlines of that history, and if you were to ask yourself where does the anger, where does the frustration, where does the outrage that we feel coming from so many people in this country and so many african-americans and others in this country, where does it come from in a day where we have an african american president, where you have black millionaires and billionaires, and expanded black middle-class in the where people of color are invite

you know from from frederick douglass to you know, harry troublin to sojourner truth to on and on and on wrote a whole calm about this on cnn. i think statutes should be placed in context, but but i do think clike to welcome you backe hoover book club where we bring hoover fellows and friends together to discuss their latest writings our guest today is amy ziegart. she's the morris arnold and notaging cox senior fellow here at the hoover institution and professor of political science by courtesy at stanford university. she's also a senior fellow at stanford stream of spoly institute for the national studies chair of stafford's artificial intelligence and international security steering committee and a contributing writer at the atlantic but wait, there's more a

you know from from frederick douglass to you know, harry troublin to sojourner truth to on and on and on wrote a whole calm about this on cnn. i think statutes should be placed in context, but but i do think cand i am so excited to be introducing our amazing first lady michelle obama. well oh.

you know from from frederick douglass to you know, harry troublin to sojourner truth to on and on and on wrote a whole calm about this on cnn. i think statutes should be placed in context, but but i do think confederate statues are in a class by themselves. weekends on c-span 2 are an intellectual feast every saturday american history tv documents america's story and on sundays book tv brings you the latest in nonfiction books and authors funding for c-span 2 comes from these television companies and more including cox. cox is committed to providing eligible families access to affordable internet through the connect to compete program bridging the digital divide one connected and engaged student at a time cox bringing us closer cox along with these television companies support c-span, 2 as a public service. up next on american history tv it's lectures and history with saint vincent college professor timothy kelly who teaches a class on the new deal community of norveldt in pennsylvania built during the great depression to house unemployed minors and provide a model for a new way of li

you know from from frederick douglass to you know, harry troublin to sojourner truth to on and on and on wrote a whole calm about this on cnn. i think statutes should be placed in context, but but i do thintoday's reading would have n on the great depression families face a great depression. so there'd be appropriate for us to talk about the story of norveld, which isn't it's it's a great depression story. about how to deal with the suffering that the great depression brought about and i want to first talk a little bit about that suffering so we can

so held back, but you have this pressure incredible pressure coming in from black folks and frederick douglass who were demanding the right for african americans to be able to join this war and fight for freedom. in the south you had absolute reluctance total reluctance as you can imagine of arming the enslaved for this war to to maintain slavery. so although you have the myth of black confederate soldiers. it's a myth what you really have? is that when you see those pictures, those are the enslaved who were brought with the officers with the white officers. those were the enslaved who were supporting the officers in terms of of their boots and of their equipment and things like that those weren't soldiers and it was only like in march of 1865 when the confederacy is on its last leg gasping for air that they said, okay. finally we can arm the enslaved but by that time it was too late. carol anderson those of us have a certain age. you spoke about photos remember photos of the black panthers in the 60s with arms? what was their role in helping further this or hurting the cause yes, so what we s

on the other hand you and abolitionist like frederick douglass who himself was born as a slave whiche said would basically destroy slavery. he argued free-speech not depend on the color of your skin or the size of your wallet the right of free speech is a very precious one especially to the oppressed. i would say that is another thing that runs through the book i'm staying at a hotel here at lafayette square, very close to it. you will see a plaque showing how 1917 a number of women's rights advocates were burning an effigy of president woodrow wilson they were arrested and fined many of these women were fighting for the right to vote. a memory thinking about that in 2018 was living on the upper west side with my family. i took my son to a museum and went outside tens of thousands of people were protesting, most of them women wearing these pink hats and shouting obscenities the president at the time that they were there to safeguard t their first speech rights the terms are prime or aggressive than those who went before them. i thought that was really a sign of how free-speeched had

and again frederick douglass said it john lewis said it. mandela said it. they all said without free speech as john lewis said the civil rights movement would have been a bird without wings, but i think that that message is being lost. i think we're losing that battle internationally. do you what's your dad? no, i i tend to yeah and maybe especially in democracies. unfortunately, i think that you know in a lot of of states where they face censorship and repression they intuitively get that that you know free speech restrictions will harm the the powerless more more than anyone else, but but i think this this idea is is really unfortunately and and and and i don't know the best way to counter it. hopefully, you know a historical approach and awareness of what went before is part of is part of the solution, but i would also, you know, look at europe, you know free speech restrictions in hungary and poland are actively being used against the lgbt+ community. for instance that that should tell you something and and and and so so and so so and you know look at t

and also i want to bring to attention the whole mob tore down the statue of frederick douglass in rochesteras well as deface the monument to the 54 massachusetts, the first black man to wear the uniform of the united states of america in an organized unit up in boston, massachusetts. so we are talking about the real fascist, real racist this is what we see on the college campus. >> todd: they are obviously misguided and idiots. a bigger picture, your speech is about american exceptionalism. >> correct. >> todd: why do students want to hold onto this notion that america is not exceptional? why do they believe that so much to their core? >> that is part of the cultural marxism to create division and divide amongst us to break down the united states of america and tried to remake it as barack obama said, we are close to fundamentally transforming america. todd, i want you to think about something. 60 years ago i was born in black's only hospital in atlanta, georgia. you look at what this country has enabled me to do. that is why we are an exceptional contrary and i want to talk about buffalo.

you know from from frederick douglass to you know, harry troublin to sojourner truth to on and on and on wrote a whole calm about this on cnn. i think statutes should be placed in context, but but i do think confederate statues are in a class by themselves. weekends on c-span 2 are an intellectual feast every saturday american history tv documents america's story and on sundays book tv brings you the latest in nonfiction books and authors funding for c-span 2 comes from these television companies and more including charter communications. broadband is a force for empowerment. that's why charter has invested billions building infrastructure upgrading technology empowering opportunity in communities big and small charter is connecting us charter communications along with these television companies support c-span, 2 as a public service. and i am so excited to be introducing our amazing first lady michelle obama. well oh. well, hey there. you guys are pretty fired up, right? i like that. i like that. and if people wonder yes, hillary clinton is my friend. she is been a friend to me in bar

gate named after frederick douglass. >> i'm proud of you. >> lots of stuff rubs off. >> why, why, whyng enough for this. >> are we done? >> i am. >> how is this show on the air? don't go away, we will be right back. new gold bond pure moisture lotion. 24-hour hydration. no parabens, dyes, or fragrances. gold bond. champion your skin. before i got aura, twenty-four of my online accounts were hacked! he uses the same password for everything. i didn't want to deal with it. but aura digital security just dealt with it. what were we worried about again? shopping on public wifi is sketchy. but with aura digital security, my devices are protected in like 3 minutes. it's time to protect your life online with aura's all-in-one digital security. try for free today at aura.com what was that password anyway? ew. and it's easier than ever to■ get your projects done right. inside, outside, big or small, angi helps you find the right so for whatever you need done. with angi, you can connect with and see ratings and reviews. just search or scroll to see upf on hundreds of projects. and when you book

an american slave by frederick douglass. currently reading as she mentioned a minute ago the bible the new international version. harlem shuffle colson whitehead's new book the sweet fly paper of life by roy decar carava and langston hughes beaufort delaney and james baldwin through the unusual door. this is edited by stephen wick swing times by zadie smith and the price of the ticket by james baldwin mr. baldwin's name came up three times. on your list cheryl cash and why is that? well, nobody beats james baldwin is a you know 20th century writer for for me. for the power of his language for the truth-telling it would and and his own emotion and passionate would just jump off off the page, you know. i've worked very very hard fifth book. to be a writer and to be a good writer who's i have literary ambitions and you know, i find myself going back to baldwin and he he was also a writer who was engaged with the civil rights movement engaged with the civil rights of his time. i i try to be so he's inspires me on so many levels,

anything anti slavery should pay to get an escaped slave at a slavery so for sake of argument, frederick douglass he was still sought after by his former master. and a group of abolitionists paid his master to free him. and mott saw that as an and principled stand, because she thought no person should be able to see to to be sold. so she never paid for enslaved people to have their freedom. which is kind of a principled stand, but if you are a former slave i don't know if you would've agreed to that principle. certainly douglas did not. yes meghan? >> so by personal relationships, does she mean that it is kind of hard for a woman to go out and protest and reform when her own husband is opposed to the cause? >> yes i think that would be part of it, you had to have a husband who would agree. if you were a true woman, it should have been able to pursue your own moral causes. and that would be an example of what she's talking about, and that is how women can't reach their own sphere until they are let go by the oppression of the household. lindsey? >> my question is referring to what you just said, t

i think that -- you know, frederick douglass encouraged black men to join the civil war on the union side because he was convinced that if they did, their standing in the country would be as regular citizens. and w.e.b.dubois said the same thing in world war i. and neither of them got any credit. in fact, what happened was when they came home in uniform, they were met by white terrorists who said, wear that uniform again, and you will die. and that happened to one of the people that i write about. >> do you want the talk about isaac woodard at this point? >> indeed. let's do. isaac woodard was a -- he went in as a private, came home as a tech sergeant. he was working with a -- an all-black unit in the -- on the pacific -- in the pacific theater. and when he came home, he was on a bus going home to winnsboro south carolina -- north carolina, where his wife was waiting for him. and he -- when they made a stop, he had to go to the bathroom. he told the driver, i need to go to the bathroom. and the driver said, no. and -- in fact he said, no, god damn it. and isaac woodard said, talk the

so for example frederick douglass a famous abolitionist had escaped slavery in maryland and was still sought after by his former master and a group of abolitionists paid. his master to free him and mott saw that as a unprincipled stand because no human should be able to be sold. so she and her her group never used their money to pay for a slaves enslaved people to earn their freedom. which is kind of a a principled stand but if you were a former slave, i'm not sure you would have agreed to that principled stand certainly douglas didn't right. yeah, megan. um, so by personal relationships she mean that? it's kind of hard for a woman to go out and protest and reform when her own husband is opposed to the cause. yes, i think that would be part of it. you know, you had to have a husband who agreed and and if you were a true woman you should have been able to you know, pursue your own moral callings and that would be an example of what she's talking about and about how women can't reach their own sphere until they are let go by you know, but by the oppression of the household, yeah, lindse

between abraham lincoln and frederick douglass. now in our next presenter's book, he tells the little known story of how two american heroes moved from strong disagret

there's a letter to chase from frederick douglass saying, you know, it's a mistake. we are here full stop. and so during the civil war when lincoln still is thinking about colonization chase consistently says no you shouldn't you shouldn't be mentioning it you shouldn't be pushing it. it's just not should not be part of your program. yeah, i'm thinking finally backed away as well. although i think as a 19th century white man. i think he really did wonder worry if the two races. with their background could actually live in harmony. yeah, so and events after lincoln's death suggests that he was right to have those worries. yeah, exactly. i didn't want to say and i'm glad you did. um, what about army? a black citizenry the freed men and arming slaves who may have even freed themselves. certainly. he preceded lincoln has that stanton and even grant in wishing to arm african americans. yes. he he was relatively early in. pressing, you know lincoln to through enlist black regiments and it you know, he he knew some of the folks who were, you know new from his old anti-slave

the nathan and polly johnson house, effect, is the first home of frederick douglass when he escapes, using a seaman's protection paper in order to travel safely to the north, mostly by rail, and overland, but also using some waterborne means as well. he comes to new bedford in 1838, and he tries to find work using a skill that he was trained in, which was as a caulker. he wasn't able to do that because the caulkers of new bedford were not open to the idea of working where the men of color. but within a few years after his arrival, the color line gloat and caulkers were able to find work and new bedford by the 1840s so. this is a seaman's protection paper for israel white. he was born, he gives his birthplace as little creek, delaware, born sometime in 1799. but in 1836 he receives a seaman's protection paper. at the time he was born in delaware, delaware was, of course, a slave holding state. and there was a very strong possibility that he was in fact born to, born into slavery. so, i'll wrap up pretty much there, just reminding us that many of the skills that escaping african americ

so heavily and so, you know, i quote a letter that frederick douglass wrote to washington newspaper after the day after the dedication of the friedman's memorial complaining about its representation of a black man is more like an animal than a man. so so people have been a spotting the issues in a problematic statues since they went up it's just that those voices have been effectively squashed through very concerted campaigns to shape what vision of history gets taught especially to american school children. so in the early 20th century the united daughters of literacy a confederate heritage group would do things like ask school boards to stamp unfair to the south in textbooks that they thought. for example a tributed the war to slavery rather than states rights. so i think what we are seeing now is not suddenly new complaints or new defenses. it's just a change in in perceptions and and sort of coming out into public because one side is not so successfully too much down on all right. and and yeah, so i think i have seen a lot of analysis of statue protests with commentators thinking that