in lincoln-douglas debate each poke for as long as two hours, mr. lincoln's great speech in by bypy o peoria. he was laying ground work. there he had to be careful to explain all reasons, layout the logic. neil: they reprint the whole thing it would be in the press people could read it digest it deserve it? >> the best question i could get that is the reason i wrote the book, what he did after he completed the speech, he had it reprinted, it took 7 issues of the paper atroph at -- peoria tt the speech, 6 1/2 years before he ran for president. neil: you were there at the time? >> that is what my son, he said, pop, how do you know so much? about mr. lincoln, and senator douglas. i said, i was. neil: his debates with mario cuomo in 80s were signature lincoln-douglas debates of their time, nothing like this since, a lot more after this. ya know, with new fedex one rate you can fill that box and pay one flat rate. i didn't know the coal thing was real. it's very real... david rivera. rivera, david. [ male announcer ] fedex one rate. simple, flat rate ship

. >>> next on the civil war, author historian and co-director of the lincoln study center douglas wilson talks about the gettysburg address delivered by president abraham lincoln 150 years ago on november 18th, 1863. he considered several facets of the address including its context in the war and how it would have sounded when delivered by president lincoln versus how it reads on paper and how its meaning and interpretation have evolved over time. the lincoln group of the district of columbia hosted this event. it's ban hoabout an hour and te minutes. >> thank you very back here. i remember when i first made my brash entrance into the lincoln field, one of the first invitations i got was from this group. and i remember that -- what i had to say astonished many people, but they were polite. and steve carson made me squirm for my dinner by asking hard questions. but he too was a good -- he was very dubious about what i was saying. i'm pleased to report that our friend, the late steve, told me not too long before he died, really, that he remembered that session. and he was gracious enough t

center determined that we wanted to bring out a new edition of the lincoln-douglas debates. and they needed a new edition, because what we had before was simply lincoln's scrapbook where he cut out the chica"chicago t " tribune's" editions of his speeches and the chicago times' version of the debates. the debates in those days, even though they were supposed to be word for word, and so forth, they were heavily politicized. because even if the stenographer was honest and reported exactly what lincoln said, if the editors didn't like that, or thought it didn't sound right, or was a mistake, they'd take it out. we know this, because the other side didn't have the same impulse. they were working it the other way. as a matter of fact, they didn't work for the paper, they worked for doug lags. and lincoln was sure that they were editing his stuff. and lincoln said i tried to get the reporter, who reported him for the tribune, to let me see his tra his transcriptions, but he wouldn't let me see them. the reporter who worked for the tribune was a very good reporter, he was very much

to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the lincoln-douglas debates, my partner and i at the lincoln study center determined we wanted to bring out a new edition of the lincoln-douglas debates and they needed a new edition where he cut out his speeches and the chicago times editions of douglas' speeches. and that's what we got for the debates. as you probably know, the debates in those days even though they were supposed to be word for word and so forth, they were heavily politicized. because even if the stenographer was honest, and reported exactly what lincoln said, if the editors didn't like that, or thought it didn't sound right, or was a mistake, they'd take it out. we know this because the other side didn't have the same impulse. they were working it the other way. in fact, they didn't work for the paper. they worked for douglas and lincoln was sure they were editing his stuff. and the truth is that lincoln says, i tried to get the reporter who reported him for the tribune to let me see his transcriptions but he couldn't let me see them. as we know, his reporter, who worked for the t

. >>> next on the civil war, author historian and co-director of the lincoln study center douglas wilsonalks about the gettysburg address delivered by president abraham lincoln 150 years ago on november 18th, 1863. he considered several facets of the address including its context in the war and how it would have sounded when delivered by president lincoln versus how it reads on paper and how its meaning and interpretation have evolved over time. the lincoln group

. >>> next, on the civil war, author, historian, and co-director of the lincoln study center douglas wilson delivers the gettysburg address on november 18th, 1863. mr. wilson considers several facets of the address, including the context in the war in 1863. and how it would have sounded when delivered by president lincoln, versus how it reads on paper. and how its meaning and interpretation have evolved over time. the lincoln group of the district of columbia hosted this event. it's about 1 hour and 10 minutes. [ applause ]

lincoln adamantly refusing a black man in the regular army. even though the black abolitionists frederick douglass continued pleading with the president. douglas and other leaders viewed black military services twofold. first, an opportunity to win a union victory. and second, for blacks to gain equality and rights as citizens. his prophetic words, perhaps were or yated in a voice similar to a familiar one today to some of us, maybe. perhaps. or james earl joan. you choose. and as you listen to these words of frederick douglass, imagine. let the black man get upon his person. the black letters u.s. and let him get in eagle on his button and a musket on his shoulder as bullets in his pocket and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the united states. who do you hear? [laughter] but not until the war had dragged on for two long bitter years with mounting casualties as well as unsuccessful drafts with the president relent. first though he must sign a formal emancipation proclamation. which was finally issued on january 1, 1863. it freed all slaves and repeal use states with the exception of those