Thank you to the rabbi for that remarkable introduction. I have to say that the subject of my lecture not only concerns a historic event, but actually put my academic career in jeopardy. In 1982, i was a young faculty member at the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of religion in cincinnati, and i was invited to deliver a talk before the institutions board of overseers. This was an important rite of passage for a new faculty member. And i was determined to prove myself. Since 1982 coincided with the 120th anniversary of ulysses s. Grants general orders number 11 expelling jews as a class from his war zone, i decided to take that infamous 1862 order as my subject. Grants order was the most notorious official act of antisemitism in American History. It is really the only time that jews as a class had been expelled from anywhere in the united states. And around 1982, new information concerning that order had become available from the association that published ulysses s. Grants papers
thomas mallen has a story to tell in, watergate: a novel. sunday at 9, madeleine albright. booktv this weekend on c-span2. you re watching booktv. jonathan sarna recounts general ulysses s. grant s order to expel the jewish population on december 17th, 1863. the order, quickly rebuked by abraham lincoln, would trouble grant into his 1869 presidential campaign. this is a little under an hour. well, thank you to rabbi angel for that remarkable introduction and praising. i have to say that the subject of my lecture not only concerns a historic event, but actually i once put my own it actually once put my own academic career in jeopardy. in 1982 i was a young faculty member at the hebrew college jewish institute of religion in cincinnati, and i was invited to deliver a talk before the institution s board of overseers. this was, of course, an important rite of passage for a new faculty member, and i was determined to prove myself. and since 1982 coincided with the 120th an
grant s order was the most notorious official act of anti-semitism in american history. it is really the only time that jews as a class had been expelled from anywhere in the united states, and around 1982 new information concerning that order had become available from the association that published ulysses s. grant s papers. and so it was that i began to prepare my remarks, and on the appointed day i put on a new suit, and my talk seemed to be going well until i broached the subject of smuggling. now, ulysses s. grant was deeply concerned about smuggling between the north and the south, and since some of the smugglers that his troops caught were jews, he concluded that all jews were smugglers. i pointed out that we now know that smuggling was rampant throughout grant s territory, it was by no means a jewish monopoly. in fact, i enthusiastically continued, grant s own father, jesse grant, was with engaged in a clandestine scheme to move southern cotton northward. his partne