Narrative sweep of the civil war and only 50 objects . About when i was asked to undertake the project for the Historical Society and that was a lucky day for me. Threemember we got to see arrayed befores us on a conference table and the Historical Society. That was a matter of picking representative objects which stand in for a big history of the civil war, item by item, personal story by personal story. It was remarkable at the end that we constructed the history of the war from the Abolitionist Movement to the 13th amendment which abolished slavery. And it was great fun to work with you on that project. Yes. Our topic this evening as fighting slavery, the bumpy road to black freedom. This evening we will be looking at three objects related to the topics and theyre all paperbased objects. Petition to Abraham Lincoln for the recruitment of black troops. A broadside by Frederick Douglass. And a sketch, the arrival of slaves to chickasaw bio. Bayou. Petition toe is a ever handling and for the recruitment of black troops. This is addressed to his accident his excellency Abraham Lincoln. It does bear a number of signatures, hundreds and hundreds of signatures. It is a petition that was the brainchild of someone named j. E. Gardner, who organized the effort to call on the president of the United States in july of 1852, to unleash the power of africanamericans who, until this point, had not been permitted to volunteer for the union army. In a constituted what some people call a stable arm that could help the union when the war by increasing its manpower exponentially. We have seen this object. It is a scroll, a big scroll. 25 feet or something. Has never been exhibited altogether because you would need to stories of the Historical Society gallery to pivot justice. To give it justice. It is done by supporters for black enlistment. Clearly byd irishamericans, by jewish americans, by germanamericans, people from all walks of life. And you can tell from their addresses, that it is a nominating petition for Public Office that runs the gamut, and also has quite a few famous names, important names in new york. Vanderbilt and whitney and dodges, all signing on to the idea that the union should accept black troops which it had not done for the first year of the civil war. There was also one john brown who signed it, right . Harold i forget probably has a few fake names and their. Who could resist a little graffiti. Discussed, whom we last week was an authentic object, even though he had been dead for three years he signed the petitions. [laughter] lincoln. Tion about why was he reluctant to accept blacks into service . Harold it is hard to imagine but the notion of africanamericans bearing arms was frightening to many white americans. States,ly in the border like kentucky and maryland and delaware, that had not seceded from the union, but where slavery was still legal, and would be legal throughout the civil war. Lincoln thought that if he encouraged africanamericans to join the service, that those border states would leave the union and join the confederacy. The thing about this is this position is dated july 20, so lets assume under the best circumstances it got to the white house two days later. On that very day, lincoln told his cabinet he wanted to issue an emancipation proclamation. He was not ready to do what the issue of black troops. But he was ready to free the and saved free the confederacy. That day, even with the petition in the white house, his cabinet almost to a man advised him it was too soon to issue an emancipation proclamation. So these new yorkers were ahead of the curve, and ahead of Public Opinion in the white house, in the cabinet, and in the congress, except for the really advanced abolitionists. Always first. They do not send the whole scroll to the white house. They sent a highlight reel, which is good because you want to get the president s attention. The short version exists in the lincoln papers, meaning it was preserved by his staff. But he never replied to it. He just put it aside. Probably because he knew he was about to embark on his own journey toward freedom, and within six months toward black freedom. Theeorge as president of Confederate Congress predicted the idea of black recruitment was destined to fail. He warns that if slaves would make good soldiers our whole theory of slavery is wrong. And enrse by wars d. ,arold three years later Jefferson Davis and a desperate move to save the foundering confederacy would offer freedom to enslaved people who took up arms against the union. The waro takers because had been predicated on the idea that African Americans deserved to remain enslaved people. Host right. And our object Frederick Douglass makes a decision an charges hed calls out lincoln or using blacks as laborers instead of soldiers and calls him out to. Oln or a fatal capacity do that which is interesting 18 63, lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation. How does this change the narrative of africanamericans in military service . With thet changes it anomalous sentences and the proclamation. One of the sentences says, i admonish all enslaved people not to turn to violence against their masters. In the next sentence, lincoln says, i encourage African Americans to join the military. So if you do join the military service you are obviously going to take up arms against your former owners. But that was the prevailing message. So it encouraged and then with a month or two Congress Passed a law, authorizing the military services to accept African Americans in service. Africanamericans had been in the navy for decades as laborers. And they had as you mentioned some had been employed in the union army as teamsters. But the idea of them bearing arms was new. Not all the military leaders embraced this. For those who may be watching a grant miniseries on the History Channel, grantsode two, ulysses s watches an africanamerican labor take a gun and shoot it , a whiteonfederate soldier. You see in grants eyes this is the way of the future. In fact grant did not think it was a great idea first, to welcome African Americans into his army. His chief lieutenant, william sherman, did not like the idea. , who was notide taken as seriously as those two at that time, did not like the idea. And general mcclellan, police on a tent with lincoln, in october of 19 1862, four months after the petition, tells lincoln, my folks are going to fight to restore the union but do not expect us to fight for black freedom. Shows how long it had to atto get the racist military that point. Douglas helps. And he is very much a art of our second object, recruitment broadside written by Frederick Douglass. What was this, the significance of this broadside . And where did it first appear . Douglass has a monthly, which is always a little behind the times. He is admonishing lincoln in his september issue, september 1862, even as lincoln issues the preliminary emancipation bill. It is hard to have a monthly paper. And as a weekly paper it is hard to be au courant. In an editorial around the same time as the petition time for African American troops to be recruited into the union army. When the proclamation comes out, and congress does the authorizing for black and douglass is encouraged by abolitionist leaders to hit the road, and orate as only he could, persuasively, magnificently, to get African Americans to enlist. So he turned his editorial into a broadside, a one page sheet. Most of them were pasted to walls, or distributed to people. It is kind of a remarkable thing, at the new york Historical Society, they own a copy. When we wrote the book we dated it about the time it was issued. Valerie exactly. Typical of the new york historic society. Harold it is typical the same way of objects relating to 9 11. The new york Historical Society is a contemporary museum. It keeps the record of what will be history down the road. You know, it has great lines and it is only douglass can write. Liberty one bite white men alone by whiteliberty won men alone would lack half its luster. Than to die at slave. Almost 2000 men of color had joined the union army by years and end. It was not easy. They were not treated as equal soldiers in the beginning. They were relegated to allblack units. Their officers were almost 2 white almost, to a person, white. At is important to note, either way, they were not treated as prisoners of war when captured. The confederacy threatened and did put them back into slavery, or execute them. Not surprisingly, the casualty rate among African Americans soldiers was higher than that among [indiscernible] we see the image of front,ck douglassthe to get a sense of the presence of this great intellectual. He was unprecedentedly important African American, abolitionist, order, state orate or orator, statesman. Having his opinion on this matter is extreme a viable to the recruitment cause. Harold as historians say in recent years, he was about the most photographed american of his time, white or black. He made sure he was photographed almost every time he headed out on the lecture circuit. So we could see what a great looking man he was. This was eight years before the broadside. Too often we see him portrayed as a whitehaired old man. In fact he was still a vigorish vigorous, youngish man during the civil war. After that broadside he had his first visit to the white house, and spends his time with lincoln imploring him to equalize the pay between whites and black soldiers. White soldiers earn more money and got a bonus to buy uniforms, whereas black soldiers got money docked from their pay to buy uniforms. All lincoln did, lakin was very cautious, and worried about lakin was very cautious and worried about what Public Opinion and he told douglas the day will come but please be patient. At the beginning of what they are, what became a very close relationship, between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Valerie extraordinary. Maybe 10 more minutes before we open it to question and answer. Rounding out our trio of objects this evening is very small, nine inches by 13 inches, and on the spot sketch by frederick b shall, that special artist for Frank Leslies illustrated paper. Can we see that object, please . It is coming. There is. And inspired no major headlines at the time. But it is historically important, and one of the 50 objects in the book. Why . Harold ok. , will finish the douglass part by saying frederick encouragement for the black recruitment encouraged included the raising of the 54th massachusetts battalion which achieved immortality, and his own son joined that union that unit and they were killed. Folks or remember that story from the movie glory. An extraordinary civil war movie. Some freeere africanamericans who join the army. When emancipation is issued there also asking americans who are still in service to in servitude, and do not know quite how to deal with their freedom or may not have heard about their legal freedom. One of the great mysterys of the civil war is how news of the proclamation spread to enslaved people. Enslaved people freed themselves on the basis of their legal right to liberty, through the proclamation, when union armies were near, to which they could attach themselves. Could you go back to the drawing fourminute . I will tell the story which im slow in getting to. I want to set the stage. Keep in mind the culture of the day is that these artists are attached to union armies, covering the action. Or covering cap life, because it is not a good idea to look down at sketchbook while shells are flying. So dated scenes intense in te nts. One day, during the siege of vicksburg, also in the grant miniseries, the last episode. This detail was not shown. Grant is besieging vicksburg on the mississippi river, for several months. More and more after an americans in the region realize grant, that there is a bombardment and that union army is there so they free their flee their plantations and attach themselves to grants army, and that is really how the dream of emancipation came true. That the artist captured African Americans struggling into grants army at vicksburg. They werey before technically owned by Jefferson Davis, at his plantation, a few miles away. Little by little, they had been peeling off from the plantation. This group was captured by the artist shell, as they marched into the army, now technically free. Not only were they legally free according to the proclamations, but they had freed themselves and their families. Hey you see that in the figure on horseback as other soldiers look on, struggling to the tent. I thought the officer leaning on the tree on the righthand side, is, a little bit, he looks a little too much like ulysses s grant. [laughter] cap, itook at his field is too much of a coincidence. So maybe shell put that in as a little joke, and inside joke. Here they are, and by the way, when Jefferson Davis heard about this he was furious. Why would my people become for that wonderful plantation, and the life i provided for them, or they could labor seven days a week for no pay . An astonishing moment in the history of the civil war. [inaudible] valerie grant, actually. Harold on top of the petition. With the hat, right . Harold with that hat, right. Grant, he was an informal fellow. And Jefferson Davis who is not an informal fellow, but has abandon his plantation for, quote unquote, public service, to function as the president of the confederacy. He believed the slaves had no legal right to their freedom. And he expected still he would win independence and he would petition for ownership. But, as we know, that is not what happened. A few days after that incident in the drawing, maybe we can look next at the newspaper. Valerie yes. We have essentially the adaptation of the drawing into a woodcut engraving for leslies paper in august, 1963. Harold around the sidebar, not a big story. Substantial there differences between the woodcut version and the sketch . Harold it is a normal adaptation for the day. The sketches tended to be rough, and the engravers back in new york cleaned them up a little bit. The added details. I think what is lost here is the depictions of the africanamericans are a little more caricatured. As a fan of impressionism unlike the original because of that. Impressionistic feeling that dashed off impressionistic feeling. Feeling that tens of thousands of readers can marvel at this incident. Drawings, shells remain private property. But, again, markley, all of those new york illustrated drawings came into the collection of the new york Historical Society. Those yorkly, all of illustrated drawings came into the collection of the new york Historical Society. It has a trove of them. Valerie an embarrassment of riches. We have one last image that rounds out this narrative. And by the way please keep your questions coming and we will get to some of them. Here is a recruitment poster from 1863. Beautiful colors. This is not one of our official objects, but it helps round out our story here. Wonderful, theo illustration for the douglas posters. This is also a recruiting poster broadside. Douglass this is also a recruiting poster. The color is a little faded and some aspects of the print should be bluer. That they are, early afghan american recruits, posted early africanamerican recruits, posted with their white officers and the message is clear. Come and join this great effort, fight for your freedom and be part of the story. Valerie wonderful. We have time for some questions, the first is, did lincoln ever see douglassnewspaper himself . What was lincolns reaction . Harold we have no evidence that lakin subscribed to douglas that lincoln subscribed to douglass monthly. In those days having a subscription to an abolitionist much less a subscription to an adolescent is newspaper published by an African American, was akin to subscribing to pornography. Im not equating them. But direction would have been one of shock. Lincoln saw newspapers subscribed to by his liberal law partner in illinois. He did not say the liberator, he did not seek douglass paper. He surely knew what douglass what right. Would write. Douglass called him. And he pushed him, he was one of those nudging him along. Did read did he read the newspaper that we know of for sure . No. Valerie the next question, since most were many slaves were not permitted to read, was Frederick Douglassbroadside read by a few and then the words read or how was the word dissemination . Harold that is a great question. I would tend that men of color to arms was aimed at free africanamericans, literate free afghan americans in the north and in the border literate free africanamericans in the north and in the border states could raid, and were probably who could read, and were probably among the subscribers to douglassmonthly. I have assumed the more vivid pictorials, recruiting posters, color joined its brothers, were probably for those who had more trouble with letters. The right to learn to read and write for generations by their white owners. This question which i hope i have answered, cuts to one of the great mysteries of the civil war commit occasions. We talked about pictorial newspapers and who reads regular newspapers. But one of the enduring mysteries is the message of emancipation, and how it got to who arepeople of color, being held in the captivity of slavery, through the first two years of the war. One of the things lincoln did is, armed soldiers would have many versions of the emancipation proclamation and as that Union Soldiers marched from town to town, city to city, farm to farm, plantation to plantation, they would knock on the door and say to the owners, here, we have this. Your people as they were calls are free. They can follow us and go where they want. That is in part how the word spread. One of the great mysteries still remains them network of established among African Americans even in rural areas. There have been all sorts of lessons about it, messaging on quilts that were hung up. Was it anything as mysterious as drumbeats or music . We just do not know. In old tradition and we will never know. Valerie interesting. Could you clarify when the siege of vicksburg took place . Of 1863. Ay and june we did not show, we do have it in the book, a sketch called cave life in vicksburg. The siege was so prolonged, the residence of vicksburg were literally driven underground. They had to stay and caves in caves. An manmade caves to protect themselves from the constant shelling. Every minute or less than a minute there was another arch earlier burst. These shells would another artillery burst. The shells would hit the street and roll on the streets until they exploded. Like the london blitz, it was constant. Valerie that the object on wallpaper . Harold that is another one. The newspapers ran out of paper. They began publishing on wallpaper. There was not much redecorating going on in vicksburg, so there was a lot of wallpaper. Editiont they finally surrender on july 3, 1863. The same day as the union wins the battle of gettysburg. Glorious in the north and in washington, d. C. Grants troops march in. Who hadmy has soldiers various occupations before the war, and there must have been typesetter setters and printers and they went into reset one of the stories in the last edition of this vicksburg newspaper, on wallpaper, saying grant is in town. Effort. Oint again, the siege ends july 3 and fourth. The union army takes this almost impregnable hilltop city, that had held out really for longer than they should have, because both the garrison and to billions were eating rats if they could find them. Is ane um, here interesting question. What was the relationship like between jewish and black soldiers . Where they Kindred Spirits are not . On where thepended jewish soldiers came from. No uniformed jewish viewpoint in the civil war, perhaps some of us would like to think so in retrospect. But there were many scholars and rabbis in the south, who argued for the biblical justification of slavery. Lincoln, and joined in that general [inaudible] even at the same time there was blatant antisemitism in the south and the victimization and mining of the jews for purposes of shortages and claims that they were praying on deprivations and made many. Jewishre is no uniformed soldiers were just as likely to be bigoted or worried about African American troops as white soldiers. Storiese not that many in this moment when African American soldiers are allowed to join up, we have records of many soldiers he said, im going home. Im going to give up. Im going to abandon ship. And there were those who did. I think the turning point for jewish and Christian White soldiers, as they regarded African American troops, was when they proved they could fight. When they proved they would fight, just as hard or harder than the old troops. When they proved their story occurred at fort ragnar fort wagoner. They were subject to atrocities at fort pillow, who had soldiers executed after they surrendered. They say that no one is a bigot and a foxhole. In a foxhole. You depend on the next person regardless of race or creed. And i think that is what happened in the civil war. Question. Other valerie back to Frederick Douglas and lincoln. Regard . Oln have high harold i think he came to. He had read douglass. People visited niagara falls, tourists, would often take an excursion to rochester, to see Frederick Douglass. Because the were white people who did not believe that there was an africanamerican who ran a newspaper. Who wrote editorials. He was kind of a tourist attraction himself. To prove that he was actually a functioning intellect. Lincoln had heard of him, sure. When he made his way to the white house for the first visit, Frederick Douglas comes into the office. Note andsays, i lincoln says, i know who you are. Douglass writes a wonderful story about how lincoln unfolded himself a mate low chair and towered over him. But never treated him in any way that suggested there was a difference of color. Alwaysderick douglass said it was because they had both risen up from poverty and obscurity, and lincoln felt common bonds with douglass. One thing lincoln did, a part of the story we did not tell, is he entrusted douglass, to map out a plan, to liberate as many African Americans as possible, at the end of 18 624, thinking that he 1864, thinking he might move his Election Campaign for second term and therefore the democrats would advocate executive order. Douglas produced a dazzling detailed plan, creating an army of African Americans, to go into these dangerous confederacies. And convey the message that they were legally free there. Lincoln did address his abilities. After his second inaugural, douglass breaks into the white house reception and had to force his way and. Lincoln is on the receiving line, and sees him, and he says, there is my friend, douglass. There is no man whose opinion i value more than yours. What did you think of my inaugural . An douglass says to him, i think it was a sacred effort. Lincoln announces he is his friend in front of an allwhite group, ask him to break that receiving line, and convey his opinion of his most important speech. So that conveys lincolns opinion of him. Valerie it certainly does. Theres a question about African American union recruits. The same as white soldiers were receiving . Harold not at first. Lincoln designed a system to pay them less. And, again, to require them to buy their own uniforms, unlike white soldiers. Because he was ever fearful in those days about moving too quickly. He was fearful there would be mass abandonment, by the white military, if africanamericans were introduced into the service. Even as douglass implored him to scale,that unfair pay lincoln told him it would take a little time until prejudices were overcome. Until eventually they did get the same pay. By the way, there were a number room ever that details of the movie glory, a number of soldiers as much as they need their salary, as much as they needed to send it home to support their families as white people did, they did not take their salary. They kept their salary as a protest. Nervy thingpretty to do and a tough thing to do. Valerie right. [laughter] back to douglas again. In the 1876 statute dedication, lincoln wasd emphatically the black mans president but was also emphatically the white mans president. Did douglass think that lichen did enough . Inc. That lincoln did enough . Harold in 18 sick to fight at in 1865 atn, douglass said lincoln was emphatically the black mans president. Of abraham a statue lincoln and said he was predominately the white mans president. But he adds, and he had 11 years the foundations of reconstruction and black lives were crumbling now, before or about tos, crumble, and it is hard to maintain black rights in the former confederacy. And he says that lincoln was predominately they white mans president. But, he may have seemed cool and indifferent at the time. But compared to the vast majority of his white brethren, he was radical, fierce and determined. Message. A very mixed think, the greatest speech ever given about Abraham Lincoln, and one worth reading and rereading because it is so nuanced. Basically, the other thing that makes it so challenging is he is unveiling the statue that is by todays standards politically correct. It shows the kneeling slave rising through the beneficence of Abraham Lincoln, it is clearly a great emancipator image, which was the thing in the statuary. It is way more politically correct today, but was funded and paid for exclusively by free africanamericans, by pennies. Everything is complicated. And that message is complicated. Valerie absolutely. One last, your opinion question. Want to think of grant on the History Channel now . Is a littleink it simplistic. I love seeing my friend ron chernow and there are some very good historians on the show, joe wallace joan wallace and others. In some areas it is some plastic in some areas it is simplistic. Where i speak of at the beginning of 1864 and met 1864, and where is order 11 picking up . Grant had issued an order banning jews from the western theater of the war, sorted sort of instituted a pogrom. Jews from paducah had to hightail it out of town before lincoln overturned the order. Active playing grant, lincoln, ike. As the jews of today said when they saw this lincoln, oy. [laughter] valerie on that note, i see we are out of time and i want to fork you, Harold Holzer being such a terrific partner in the series. And thank you for watching this evening for a question, your attention and your membership support. We value you at the New York Historical and are happy to present these programs to you. Learn more about the people and events that shaped the civil war and reconstruction every saturday at 6 00 p. M. Eastern only on American History tv. Here on cspan3. American history tv on cspan3 exploring the people and events that tell the american story, every weekend. Coming up this weekend, saturday, at 2 00 p. M. Eastern, on oral history, an interview with civil rights activists courtland coxe covering his time attending howard university, has involvement in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and serving as the secretarygeneral of the 1970 46 can african congress. On sunday at 4 00 p. M. Eastern on reel america, the 1963 nbc news report, the American Revolution of 1963, on the status of the civil rights movement, with protests from albany, georgia, birmingham, alabama, capers, maryland and the northern cities of engel wood, new jersey, chicago and brookland. At 7 00 p. M. A discussion on Congress Come put the parties and polarization with historians, as well as political scientists. At 8 00 p. M. On the presidency, author and are talks about his book, two days in june, john f. Kennedy and the 40 at hours that made history, about two days, june 10 and 11, 1963 that defined jfks response to the Nuclear Arms Race and civil rights. Exploring the american story, watch American History tv, this weekend on cspan3. H weight, American History tvs railamerica brings you archival films that provide context for todays Public Affairs issues. Reel america. Drum corps] [artillery fire] [explosions] turner gives the order to cease fire and our guns are quiet as they make the climate. The climb. We wait for a sign that surabachi is ours. Bugle horns] surabachi is ours, a toehold on the southern tip of the island. Ahead, the main strength of the japanese garrison, entrenched in steel and concrete, the show was just beginning. Up next on reel america, we work again, a 1937 film promoting new deal programs that put unemployed africanamericans to work in infrastructure, health care, education, and the arts. The final four minutes of the film shall the final scene of a federal theater production of macbeth with an africanamerican cast. According to the library of congress, the play was directed by orson welles, and on the Opening Night of the play in 1936, 10,000 people crowded the streets of harlem in an effort to score a ticket. [lively orchestra music] narrator only a few years ago, we were a discouraged people,
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