a cemetery at gettysburg. you can't take the gettysburg address and do anything with it. the state trooper pulls you over on the turnpike for exceeding the speed limit, you cannot quote the gettysburg address to him. this emancipation proclamation is different. changes the legal status of approximately 3 million human beings and it sounds legalistic because it has legal work to do. this is a document that can be taken to court and had effect. so, yes, is it legalistic, very legalistic, why, it has legal heavy lifting to do. why and this is connected to it, why then at the same time is the emancipation proclamation full of exceptions? well, largely because lincoln issues emancipation proclamation and says right at the beginning of the proclamation, on the strength of role as commander in chief of the armed forces of the united states. in other words, he's exercising his war powers. you can't exercise war powers against the border states which were loyal to the union. they were not at war with the united states.

because the gettysburg address is that we can composed at gettysburg you cannot take the gettysburg addresso a court of lawr and do anything with it and then to pull you over on the turnpike and then you cannot quote the gettysburg address but the emancipation proclamation is different that changes the legal status of approximately 3 million humanox beings. and ifli it sounds legalistic is because it has beagle work to do itke can be taken into court. so yes is legalistic? very because it has legal do.y lifting to so why at the same time is emancipation proclamation full of exceptions? and to say on the strength of his role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the united states and exercising his war powers. >> you cannot exercise were powershe against the border states which are loyal to the union they remain within the union and states that still legalize slavery but they were not at war with the union is lincoln would emancipate the slaves on the strength of the emancipation proclamation you could be sure at 9:00 o'clock the next morning slaveowners would have been at the federal

and there, you know there are some how do we say not as stirring as the gettysburg address but still stirring speeches that he gives during the war. i'm thinking for example of the speech that he gives on the night after lincoln issues the emancipation proclamation, which he says that he loves the emancipation proclamation. he says that it was absolutely necessary and then he goes on to say that he hopes that the time has passed for divisions and disagreements that you know, each of us should just do our work whatever that is in the cabinet or the white house or the trenches. so he prior biographers have said that he was a terrible speaker. i don't i disagree with that. i think he was a very decent stump speaker. you had to be in those days in order to win elections and and also to help other people win elections. let's have a little bit of a speed answer here a number of issues. i would just want to get something okay from you in these things. what did he feel? now how lincoln used him and the cabinet was he happy with his used during those years. no, he believed that lincoln should

well i got problems with gettysburg. i got a lot of problems with gettysburg. but do we need more films on civil war absolutely, do we need more films on things that make us uncomfortable? i think we see in the united states right now. we are really wrestling and half for a long time with things that make us uncomfortable and whether or not we can see these films or talk about these things in our classrooms. yeah. i want to see films on the civil war, but i want to see more things that aren't necessarily about battles on the field but battles between people and the institutions that might hold them captive so forth. so certainly something we can always revisit. thank you. you have follow-up or you good. now you're good. okay, you have a gentleman coming down the aisle over here. yes, sir. yeah. growing up. i had a lot of italian friends and a lot of them were upset, but not all of them with the godfather and i'm surprised you haven't mentioned that but at all. because that certainly showed you know a certain side of a certain community that upset them. but then

if you're going to read on gettysburg, it really helps the gettysburg battlefield, and one of the things i took advantage was that local, we have great historians in our country, and they're working on these sites, and they're a storehouse of knowledge. so if you're going to get a park ranger to take you around gettysburg, you can ask that person any question and they'll answer it. i mean, anything you want about it, but you got to come in a little prepared, you know, when was gettysburg, and why did it matter and all, in order to ask the right questions. i love local historians all across the country that are running museums and state parks and houses. they're always accommodating, and i think it's one of the most under sung spots, parts of our country, and if i kind of do it with conservation, i want to preserve historic sites and forest, and it's a nonprofit kind of passion of mine. in many ways i'm the shepherd leading the flock, as the expert. i mean, we have no idea the interesting different people we would meet on, you know, everywhere, and that's what makes it so amazing because

what happened at shiloh and gettysburg? those are just going to be facts that -- don't you want to know the stories? don't you want to know about the carnage that took place there? this is going to make you a more serious andre interesting person if you have got with these things -- got these things inside you. >> host: and, of course, a better voter and citizen. >> guest: that, that -- and parent. >> guest: absolutely. look at how the millennials took november 2016. trauma. they went 3-1. 2-1 for hillary. and hay couldn't believe that this -- they couldn't believe that this orange-haired monster was actuallyy going into the white house. and you wanted to say to them, this is politics. you know, politics go like this. you think that you never, never lose? do you think obama was going to be -- they went 2-1 for obama in '08. very important. george w. bush and al gore pretty much split the youth vot- >> host: ronald reagan famous arely crushed the youth vote. >> guest: so it was only after these digital tools came along that

okay, what happened at shiloh and gettysburg? those are just going to be facts that you'll you'll come don't you want know the stories? then you want to know about the carnage. that took place there. this this is going to make you a more serious and interesting person. if you've got these things. inside you so the and of course a better voter and citizen that that and parent absolutely. look at how the millennials took november 2016. trauma they went two to one. for for hillary and they couldn't believe that this. orange haired monster was actually going into the white house. and you want to say to them? this is politics. you know politics go like this. do you think that you never never lose? do you think obama was going to be your your revered obama? they went two to one for obama in 08 very important. george w bush and al gore pretty much split the youth vote ronald reagan famously crushed the youth vote. so it was only after these digital tools came along the the youth vote. skewed democrat and it's pretty much stayed that way

they can look it up on google in the old asia that memorize the gettysburg address. there it is.hat is feeling of learning. just to information retrieval is that all it is? don't you want to internalize it? those sentences? fourscore and seven years ago they should be in your head. bring them in and memorize them and become part of your sensibility.it lincoln did this with the old testament and the new testament.an how much of his language is taken out of king james? let's just information retrieval. that memorization that is you getting into another character because you cannot recite emily dickinson if you don't imagine her character, experience, feelings but then the words come. and then to boost your vocabulary and this is all very healthy for the narcissistic 16 -year-olds. but then this technology they have to memorize us president you have to know friends lend me your ears these are common activities because it gets in means days inside of me. it is made external and stays external when i needed i just call it up that's all that is masterful so what happened at shiloh and'

was he capable of hard to believe the gettysburg address? >> no. >> was there a chase note in lincoln's papers prior to the gettysburg address because there's some verbiage that may have been used by chase prior. >> he did use the phrase government of the people, by the people. i don't have a copy of that. there are stirring speeches he gives during the war. i'm thinking of the speech he gives on the night after lincoln issues the emancipation proclamation that he says the lauds the proclamation and says he hopes that the time is passed for divisions and disagreements that each of us should just do our work, whatever that is. in the cabinet or the white house or the trenches. so prior biographers said he was a terrible speaker. i disagree with that. i think he was a very decent speaker. you had had to be in those days in order to win elections and also to help other people win elections. >> let's have a little bit of a speed answer here on a number of issues. i just the to get something from you on these things. what did he feel that how lin

look over lincoln shoulder at gettysburg. um and beyond that. so i think you know, i think that's a legitimate kind of intellectual. inquiry and we shouldn't be ashamed recognizing it and addressing it but beyond that you leave a museum wanting to know more. how long were you there total in springfield about two and a half years i've said. i learned the the definition. of success in illinois state government is to get out before the indictments. arrive, and i just i just made it. and it's my partisan by the way last two governors. no, no, obviously, i don't want people to pack quinn is as beaten the rap but but before him when i was there you had a republican governor and then course the democratic governor. um part of a and ignoble tradition i once who went to prison who went to prison i once for published half seriously doing a conference called. what is it about, illinois? we'll need to say the people in the room were not immune system that george ryan was the republican ryan was yeah, the republican governor. he's been secretary of state and

we start tonight in gettysburg pennsylvania where this happened last week. just see if you can figure out what is going on here. >> oh yeah. thank you. >> you are welcome. bless you. wow. how powerful is that? oh my gosh. our next governor. >> our next governor. yes, that man in the center the man receiving the giant sword, that was pennsylvania state senator republican candidate for governor doug mastriano. the man dressed in multiple american flags, and the woman to his left or the organizers of this event in gettysburg last week. they are gifting him what they call it david soared. that is a nice gift. who doesn't appreciate a good sort, right? but honestly, the sword may have been the least weird thing about this event because this was a big qanon event. and not just qanon, it was kind of a every conspiracy theory under the sun event. this was the poster for the event which was called patriots arise for god and country. the headliner for this event you can see her name there. she is actively pushing a theory that people who got the covid vaccine booster

so very much identified with him and i don't know if anyone knows this but fdr came to gettysburg inrain and wrote his speech in the last minute on the train, i don't know if he visited the cemetery but visited something i think called the peace monument. yeah. so, and the speech was not only about peace in our time i guess, in the 19, early '40s but about lincoln and he supposedly met some sons of veterans, black and white. >> i'll just add quickly, i think every president looks to the past and most look to lincoln because he is revered as the, herald mentioned, we have these polls every year and there's a strong consensus that lincoln was among the greatest and roosevelt being aware of that and sensitive to that certainly paid attention but it's interesting lincoln too looked back, had a painting on his wall of andrew jackson of all people from the other party and one time when someone said well we should compromise -- there's no jackson in that. so he too was reaching back to get ideas from the past. >> very good point. >> thank you, gentleman there. >> hi, i wonder, if, these are

very much identified with him, and i don't know if any if ever anyone knows this but fdr came to gettysburg in a train and wrote his speech at the last the train. i don't know if he visited the cemetery, but he visited i think something called the peace monument. yeah. appropriate. yeah, so annie and the holes and the speech was not only about peace in our time in the 90 early 40s but it was about lincoln and he supposedly met some sons of veterans black and white. i'll just add quickly that i think every president looks to the past and most of them look to lincoln because he is revered as the harold mentioned. do we have these polls every year in which many of us participate about who was the greatest president and there's a strong consensus that lincoln. if not, the greatest was certainly among the greatest and roosevelt being aware of that and sensitive to that certainly paid attention, but it's interesting that lincoln two looked back. he had a painting on his wall of andrew jackson of all people from the other party and one time when someone said well we should compromise with on fort

everybody should read his book about gettysburg. he was a when i reached out to him. he was at the time at gettysburg college, but now he's at princeton and i said, you know alan where here's my scenario where might they have held the constitutional convention in 1863 assuming it went on and i said, would it be new york or boston or something like that? and he's he wrote me back and he said bow they probably would have considered the framers probably in the 1863 probably would have considered columbus, ohio and i said hold on this ohio really and he said yeah, don't forget couple things one is they want to give a nod to those western states west of the appalachian to ohio is the third largest state by population. they probably would have given some thought to to columbus, ohio. but ultimately he said certainly not new york new york was very much kind of in bed with the secessionists more so than any other city and in the north, so probably they would have gone to boston. here we are in boston in 1863 and the gentleman that you see on the right are james ashley and joh

if you want to read a brilliant speech, the best presidential speech since the gettysburg address or second inaugeral of wilson is speak asking congress for declaration of war in april 1917. it's just gorgeous. his inaugural address is also among them. richard nixon when he was elected sat down and read every presidential inaugural address. some of them we know, roosevelt. roosevelt's first and second and address and the kennedy inaugural address. but wilson's was the one that really jumped off the page at him. >> when you look and you've been talking history and presidential history all your life, what are the myths that exist in your opinion about presidents that you would knock down if you ever wrote a book about them? >> i guess i would approach that american heritage used to do a feature on the most overrated and underrated presidents. and that, too, is going to be in some ways seasonal. it's going to reflect changing attitudes and tastes. i mean, for most of the 20th century, the roosevelt model, fdr was seen as that's what a successful president was. presidents occupied the bu

we start tonight in gettysburg pennsylvania where this happened last week.ure out what is going on here. >> oh yeah.

and that way, they'll teach the gettysburg address, because it's part of ela. >> you're teaching federal -- as being part of math. >> exactly. that's ridiculous. why should you have to try to be sneaky to figure out how to teach history? there's just something wrong in that. but it was necessary. we developed a program called teaching literacy through history. and i would approach administrators to get that program in their schools by saying, this will raise your ela scores. no that it's a good idea to teach history. and so, you know, those kinds of adaptations shouldn't be necessary, but they are. you know, our mission, to get students to understand, appreciate, and love american history that represents now who you are, we did whatever it took to make that happen. >> here's the good news, though. a lot of our fellow citizens have awakened to the fact that history and civics education is not just nice to have but is a necessary thing. and i think we need to build on that. i'm bullish on the opportunity here for parents to come forward and say from the local level, where overwhelmingly we

we start tonight in gettysburg pennsylvania where this happened last week.ou can figure out what is going on here. >> oh yeah. thank you. >> you are welcome. bless you. wow.

as part of the lincoln forum's annual meeting in gettysburg, pennsylvania historian, lucas morrell argued that abraham lincoln was greatly influenced by his reading of documents and papers of the founding fathers. here's a portion of his speech. where douglas was emphatic in reading blacks out of the declaration of independence lincoln believed its principles did in fact apply to black people it applied to all people everywhere. tempted by douglas to stray from its original commitment to human equality. america was becoming a country that lincoln no longer recognized. so he called upon what he said was our ancient faith. to guide the country back to its noblest ideals and practices. looking back to the founders couldn't have been more relevant to the crisis that the nation faced in the 1850s. but appealing to the founders was something steven douglas also did he was not only lincoln's nemesis, but also the leading democrat and therefore the leading politician in america throughout the 1850s. douglas claimed that he knew better than lincoln what the founders thought about the question of s

there are the soldiers at the beginning the one who recites to gettysburg address the main black characters are elizabeth keckley and william slade. and the point i'm making this essay is in the period covered by the film lincoln meets with a lot of other african-americans and it would have given a more complete picture to the film to have had some of them as characters in the film as well. so that's what i tried to do in the book is really bring out the texture of the white house what it looked like how crowded it was and then that you know white people for decades had felt free to go to the white house and meet with the president and now in the lincoln years african-americans feel that they have that right as well to go and meet with president and it's brand new right you you met you make at least a couple mentions that once or twice previous to that african american people had been into the white house to entertain or something like that and it always been you know abused right in the internet, you know, i found i did as much as much research as i could on this and i found a handful of i