American figures. I speak of Andrew Oshaughnessy, from the university of virginia, where he is also director of the international jefferson studies enter at the Thomas Jefferson foundation. Center at the Thomas Jefferson foundation. We are truly honored to have them here this evening. He is the winner of innumerable prices. Prizeorge Washington Book , and an award from the society of military history, among other book honors. He has the he is the author andold world, new world also the man who lost america, American Revolution, british revolution, and the empire. , because of myd job title, who i think was the best president. I am also asked who is the most ambitious, talented, influential, and even most interesting president. Now, i never know how to answer that except to say, probably jefferson hit all bars, the answer to all of those, which is why i am particularly pleased to have a man here tonight who can tell us exactly what why jefferson was just that. Nfluential, interesting so
He works at the six oldest reform congregation in the United States and has a illustrious history. Ings a rabbi was the lead jewish abolitionist in the United States during the civil war and was known as the abolitionist temple and since then it has a long history of social activism, but in addition to that, he has a phd in history from the university of cincinnati and has written a number of books on americanjewish history and is within a number of scholarly articles as well as articles in the more popular press and i have the honor of coauthoring an article with lance on the Huffington Post this year on the brandeis confirmation which we are also celebrating this year. Lance, thisducing is one of the great virtues of being the conference coordinator. I can add to the program whatever i want and i just wanted to add one footnote to andrews paper because i think it is relevant to what we will be talking about today. That is that in 1866 when , 150 years ago, in 1866 in congress is deba
Since then it has a long history of social activism. That, he has a phd in history and has written a number of books on American Jewish history, and a number of scholarly articles as well as articles in the more popular press. I had the honor of coauthoring an article with lance on the Huffington Post this year on the brandeis confirmation, which we are also celebrating this year. Before introducing lamp, and this is one of the great virtues of being the conference coordinator, i can add you to program whenever i want and i just want to add one footnote, because i think it is relevant to everything we will be talking in 1866day, and that is ago congress, 150 years when congress was debating what becomes the 14th amendment, it against by saying all persons born or nationalized in the United States and subject to their jurisdiction are citizens of the United States. Atre was a strong attempt the delegations of california and oregon to amend that to say all persons except chinese would be
One would influence the other. Thats an extremely complicated question. What happens is many chinese are come to america and white workers accuse them of working for lower wages and of being imported here, meaning being carried in on contracts. And some go out of their way and say were not against chinese immigration, were just opposed to them being brought here on contracts. Politicians in this period, the 1870s and the 1880s is an era in that the two parties are virtually equal in numbers. For the last 20 years or so there have been been dimensions but weve had some of the closest elections in history. Now, as well see this year, there are a half dozen Battle Ground states. Whoever wednesday ohio and florida will likely twin election. Democrats and republicans were evenly divided. Anything that could gain a few votes would switch the election. They claim they kind of fudge over the argument about importation and say if we keep the chinese outs, this will be good for the american econ
But politicians see immigration as a way to demagogue votes. There is no more visceral issue in American History than race. And immigration. You combine the two, and this is the first time it is really done it is against the irish in the 1850s, but this is the time it really takes gains weight. And it works. The mark of a great talk is when we have to interrupt the questioning for the next speaker. Thank you, andrew. My pleasure. We have more road to the white house Coverage Today with hillary clinton. Shell be campaigning at the Florida State fair grounds in tampa. Cspan will have live coverage of that starting at 4 30 eastern this afternoon. Hillary clinton won the states march primary with more than 64 of the vote. And she takes 141 of floridas democratic delegates to mondays convention. Live coverage from florida begins at 4 30 eastern. Next, on American History tv, history professor rabbi Lance Sussman discusses representative Emanuel Celler a new york democrat who served in the u