she explains that lincoln was so unsure about his chances that he had his cabinet sign at what was known as the blind memorandum, which pledged cooperation in hi -- with his unknown challenger if he lost. they also expand how important the soldier vote was. this 50 minute talk was a part of a symposium hosted by the emerging civil war. adjust theng to not microphone because we spent time adjusting it for meg. so i will bend over, and i apologize if i look like i am hunched over. [laughter] i hate to stereotype, but i am sure that meg looks like a mild-mannered middle school math teacher. that is exactly what she has. [laughter] -- what she is. [laughter] educated by day, by night she has been working on her degree in military history. she is just about to wrap up her masters degree. in one of the most courageous acts i have seen from anybody, she is reinventing herself. it has been a great adventure for her to discover the american civil war from the perspective serious scholar, but also from the perspective of somebody who is loved it nearly four years. it is my pleasure to bring all the way from california one of our contributors. she will be releasing the next book in our emerging civil war book series later this fall, whichftermath of battle," answers the question what did they do with all of the bodies? looking forward to that. meantime she will pick our brains with what she considers the most pivotal event of 1864, the reelection of abraham lincoln. --ase welcome make thompson. meg thompson. [applause] >> good morning. thompson and i am from california. people ask me what california has to do with the civil war? that is not the topic, but i have an answer. in 1864 it was a new state. there were not a lot of native sons and daughters. warle went back when the broke out and volunteered to fight. it is interesting how it fell out. northern californians usually fall for the union and southern californians usually fought for the confederacy. more is known about the union californian units. 71st, ande the 69th, hundreds pennsylvanian volunteers. all told, california divided more troops per capita than any other state in the civil war. they also spent monthly over $5 million in gold to purchase war bonds. more than any other state. and they gave more money than to theer state, in gold, commission for the entire duration of the war. i would say that california gave both water and treasure to the war. blood and treasure to the war. one of the things to come across really clearly from yesterday to today is how important it is to look at primary documents. primary documents are looked at by a process known as a close reading. and interpreting nature and -- its on the specifics is interpreted in nature and focuses on the specifics. you always tried to put passage --t such conduct is possible but context possible. that's look at an example. of a general point of view. will be given. order to find out -- generally gives in order to general yunnan is up to. the had information -- had a heart attack at this. period. he was grieving the death of his daughter anna. ae had been born with birthmark on her face, and a childhood accident had left her blind in one eye. this added to her further disfigurement. ande of you more fathers mothers know that if you have a child like that they are special to you. lee knew that she would need him in a way that his other children did not. and then she died and she was not there. additionally still missing stonewall jackson. he was less than his usual self. to suggest that he might have been a tad grumpy is not a stretch. brownnant george campbell expressing that he is uneasy and irritated by conduct, that he is blaming him for the defeat at gettysburg. so everybody pretty much knows. this, is a all of historian's job. it is necessary information to be able to perform a close reading. particularly if that close reading is lee's famous letter to stewart written after gettysburg. the sentence in the letter, the energy of yourself and your command elicits my high admiration. this takes on a new depth of aning when placed in the context of gettysburg. this is what he had been exasperated by in july. of detail thatt a historian looks for in a close reading. the first close reading is a lincoln's blind memorandum. schoolteacher, and school teachers give out handouts, so i do have a handout. included in this is a copy of the blind memorandum. copies, the front part with the text in the back where they signed it. while i was doing research for this topic, i looked at the usual suspects. biographers. these guys do not give very much page time to an explanation of the letter that lincoln wrote on august 23, 1864. folded nclb better without revealing the contents to the members of the cabinet. folded and sealed the letter without revealing the contents to the members of the cabinet. because he never revealed the contents, it is known as the blind memorandum. it seems like a strange thing for a president to do. had to they read it, there might have been startling reactions. of the blind memorandum is "this morning, as well as in some days past, it seems exceedingly probable that in this administration will not be reelected. duty to sol be my cooperate with the president-elect as to save the union between the election and the inauguration, as he will have secured the election in such grounds that he cannot possibly save it afterwards." why would the president right this?- president write why would they sign it? by signing it, they were date stamping an offer to the next president-elect. megan was not only offering his cooperation, he was offering the cooperation -- lincoln was not only offering his cooperation, he was offering the cooperation of his. staff. it is hugely important to 23,mber that on august 1864, they can did not know who was opponent would be. mcclellan had not been nominated. the peace platform had not been written or accepted. the democratic convention was not held until august 29. macon made an educated guess, but nothing else -- lincoln made an educated guess but nothing else. was prepared to do what he thought was best for the country, even if he only had a few more weeks in office. may be lincoln envisioned himself as the president-elect -- and the president-elect standing together in the field. trying to end the war before the inauguration. maybe he envisioned having to do it alone. it is a dramatic gesture. it is probably not even constitutional. but is it what it seems on the surface? what were lincoln's real aims? the document is deeper. this morning, as for some days past, it seems exceedingly probable that this administration will not be reelected. than it will be my duty to -- to what? is it possible that lincoln is making an offer of cooperation to whoever the president is, or might it be something less altruistic? is it something like it will be my duty to step aside as president? so that they might nominate somebody who was a better chance of winning? that is what johnson did after the tet offensive. choices forssible the republican party, it becomes clear that nobody, not john c better suited to lead the country than abraham lincoln. what are the other options? this morning, it seems exceedingly possible that this administration will not be reelected, then it will be my duty to -- abandon the emancipation proclamation? well -- he-known -- was well aware of the controversy that was generated by the proclamation. ere stillwil trying to get lincoln to back away. reply, "iffered this will be damp for time and eternity if i return to slavery the black men who are fought for this country." so no, he is not going to change his mind about emancipation. my duty towill be open up negotiations with the confederacy? that he wouldant accept peace under two and only two circumstances, one, the restoration of the union, and two, the southwest will abandon slavery. -- the south pass to abandon slavery. they will never accept these provisions. peace talksen already, but lincoln had always made his feelings as clear as the water. emancipationand and it would never be anything else. some daysng, as in past, it seems exceedingly probable that this administration will not be reelected. that it will be my duty to -- suspend elections? again, no. there is nothing to indicate that at any time of the console to postpone or cancel the election of 1864. time to postpone or cancel the election of 1864. quite the opposite. made provisions for proxy voting. the ordered his commanders to allow the flow of campaign materials into union camps and aboard ships. megan is quoted as saying after have a free cannot government without free elections. " this was in keeping with his interpretation of the constitution. he felt that there was no greater principle in that document than the election in which the people, as in we the people, determine their representatives. to what really was about altruism. -- so it really was about altruism. nothing else would work. none of these options guaranteed that the states would once more be united and that slavery would be forever eradicated from the land. lincoln considered that he might lose the election, but he did not consider, even for a moment, the idea of giving up the two things that he started the war in the first place. union and slavery. i mentioned the mysteriousness of the blind memorandum. all great documents seemed to have something mysterious about them. i think a close reading shows why he was such a great president. people, thethe sincerity of his dedication, and his courage to face political loss are clearly present in these words. he knew that the war had gone on for too long and bennett to been too and bloody. but he believes in himself and the men who fought the war. he refuses to allow the soldiers to feel that they would lose. when the blind memorandum was finally shared with the, after the reelection, they were stunned to see that he had offered their cooperation. give it simple words the world and unfettered look --o the greatest presidents give the world an unfettered look into the soul of the greatest -- one of the greatest presidents. . another memorandum, you have a -- here ist as well a copy of another memorandum, you have a copy of that as well. they were keeping washington mall guarded. guarded.gton well the walls were occupied by a militia. ohio had it, in the interim, reorganized its militia system and renamed its state troops. they renamed in the national guard. up on theok them offer, and that resulted in more than 18,000 men to being sent from ohio to guard the capital. by august, most of them were returning home. the president spoke with three of the regiments in august of 64. already had the nomination of the republican convention. but, again, nobody knew who would carry the banner for the would be, only that it someone powerful enough to upset the incumbent. we know that it was mcclellan, but there had not been a democratic convention yet. the timing of the speeches is crucial to understanding the importance of the words that lincoln used to address these soldiers. it is not an anti-mcclellan speech. was particular speech written on or about the same day as the blind memorandum. there had been no snippets excesses since gettysburg. plan had resulted in nothing but high union casualties. wereepublican bosses concerned that the voting public, which at that point were white men, had not gotten behind the emancipation proclamation. even though there were now black soldiers now serving in the union army, for the first time in history. some form ofe voting made available for soldiers serving in the field. the war was going to extend through the elections of 1864, miss was going to force states to come to grips with an impossible decision. should they deny their soldiers fighting in the war the right to suffrage because they were away from home? or should be passed laws increases them to allow those soldiers to vote in absentia? at this point in time, candidates did very little personal campaigning. lincoln was no exception. . take every chance to speak to didsoldiers, however -- he it take every chance to speak to the soldiers, however. speeches --ort there are three of them -- became more than just think use. -- just thank yous. to the 166he speech ohio with the general words of thanks that he gave to all the soldiers that month. i suppose you are going home to see your families and friends. but the service that you have -- for the service that you have done, i present you my sincerest. thanks. the key words here are going home. they were voters, and they could be spokesman for the union voter cause. lincoln continues. " i always feel inclined when i say anything to soldiers to impress on them with a a few brief remarks the importance of this conflict. it is not merely for today but for all time too,, that we should perpetuate for our children's children that great free government that we have enjoyed all of our lives. i bid you to remember this." in this passage, lincoln reminds people that they are part of a larger whole. their work affected not merely themselves but future generations. hoped, be able to enjoy the benefits of a unified country just like they have. the continues. -- he continues. " i have lived in this big white house. i am living witness that any of your children can have that chance. i ask that through your industry and enterprise and intelligence that people will have all of their desirable human aspirations." the soldiers were very likely to be family men. this created a point of emphasis for lincoln to press concerning the lasting importance of the war effort. he wasnded them that only a temporary occupant of the office of the president. any child might have the chance one day to be president himself, through hard work and enterprise. this is a particularly telling part of the speech. it gives lincoln a chance to bring up the coming election in a bailed way. -- veiled way. this free government, which we have enjoyed, is now in jeopardy. but it can be saved with the judicious cast of it while it. -- of a ballot. finishes with a reminder. "this is a birthright. the nation is worth fighting for. " as he does throughout the speech, he turns attention from his own ambitions and pins the emphasis on the soldiers vote. the soldiers had honorably served the union cause in their 100 day defense of the capital. with that work being done, the president makes a campaign plea. by calling the attention to the needs of the nation and the future, he posted significantly behind the idea that their service -- significant weight behind the idea that their service entailed one additional task. go home and vote for the president in the november election. that will secure the jewel of liberty for generations to come. close readingswo that influenced my paper. so let's talk for a few minutes about the soldiers voting. that lincoln felt was so important. to did not know if he would be reelected for a second term -- he did not know if he would be reelected for a second term. there had been no major military victories, the emancipation proclamation was not popular and had created backlash. democrats were looking for any chance to discredit the administration, and they had successfully raised the specter of racial equality in agency for in the state elections and gain some vote. -- in it state elections and gained some votes. there were over a million men of voting age under arms. in 1962, only one state a lot of soldier to vote outside of his home state. 1964, 19 other northern states had created and passed legislation allowing their soldiers to vote in the field. america had never faced the dilemma of absentee voting. much was uncertain. they did not know how to manage it. to did not know what effect it would have on the reelection. and they were not sure about how the soldiers felt. enthusiasm in the war was beginning to wane by late 1863. and thee democrats copperheads were campaigning vigorously in a manner described by a historian as anti-lincoln. he said "another four years of lincoln in the white house would result in anarchy, tyranny, and negro equality." the effectiveness can be seen in the results or lack thereof of the elections in ohio and indiana. the republicans won. when congress reconvened, ohio democrats now only held two seats. indiana added for republicans to their congressional total. both indiana and pennsylvania only added 4/ . they wrote as the state elections go, so will the presidential elections. so it looked good. but lincoln was not nearly as confident as the results would indicate he should have been. he predicted that he would win the election but only by six electoral votes. and it was, again, not the public mandate that we can thought was necessary to carry the war to the end. he felt that the power to prosecute the war and to make these would be greatly impaired by such a narrow victory. peace would be greatly impaired by such a narrow victory. lincoln sent a telegram to grant in virginia asking him to report on state elections and interesting anxiety. it had been the soldier vote that had tipped october voting in towards the republicans, and president lincoln was not about to abandon his base. remember, this is the first time that american soldiers were serving in the field during a general election. a historian pointed out that this was a bold experiment in democracy. this is unique in history. no other society had tried the experiment of all allowing fighting men to vote in an election that might decide whether they were going to continue fighting. there was no plan in place to collect the votes. 1860, if a soldier was going to be home, he could vote, otherwise his field status disenfranchised them. it appeared to be a serious matter in the eyes of many, especially the men who were going to be denied their right as citizens and soldiers to cast a ballot. making himself was determined that the election would take place. some suggested the cancellation using wartime emergency, but lincoln's believe in the constitution would not allow him to. be had already suspended other provisions. preserveute a war to the rule of law for a majority and then to suspend that law was to lincoln unjustifiable. and he thought it would justify the accusations that he was a dictator. bestie elections of 1862 were the first electoral contests -- the estate elections of 1862 were the first electoral contest about theoncerns voting rights of soldiers and sailors. with a small army, few were concerned about absentee voting. it was assumed that all citizens would simply vote in their local precincts or not at all. many states restricted voting to within their boundaries. this made voting by soldiers away from their home illegal. the desire of the management these of a representative had changed. -- of the men and the communities that a representative had changed -- that they represented had changed. things were so tangled of that an amendment was required to allow the legislature to legislate at all. there were variances from state to state. for instance, in vermont. the state supreme court finally declared it to be unconstitutional for there to be absentee voting in state elections, what entirely constitutional for soldiers to vote in congressional and presidential elections. the election of 1860 four, steps had been taken in most states to ensure that the soldiers in the field could vote. indiana, delaware, and new jersey failed to pass el th -- bills, so no provisions were made to help those groups. bill. never passed a depending on the will of the state, there were two types of voting. one was a simple process of taking a ballot box to the field and allowing individual soldiers to vote. the other was a more complicated process, proxy voting. the soldier prepared the ballot in the field and then the ballot was sent to a designated proxy who cast the ballot. each of these methods had problems that needed to be worked out. the first method was true voting in the field. casting a ballot was exactly the same as if it had been cast in the soldier's legal polling place. creatednstitutions problems, but most states works to amend them and allow their soldiers to exercise their right to vote. military officers could not take the ballot box to the field, as states felt there might be pressure put for one candidate or the other. matter, and civil states felt that it should be under the control of civil officers who were not answerable to the military. several states avoided the issue taxassing soldier of voting -- soldier voting acts. inks e-voting was adopted new york, illinois, and a few counties in other states -- proxy voting it was adopted in new york, illinois, and a few counties in other states. ,.. the opportunity for fraud was great. this was a concern for new york soldiers. the state of new york was torn apart by jockeying for power. fact, ample evidence of fraud in new york's results. connecticut, the soldiers vote affected the outcome in 1862. ,istorian frank wrote that contrary to the popular vote and electoral vote of the north. even if they had not been chosen, the union party would have controlled the 39th congress. to play areas and has told -- there are plenty of great areas this. plenty of grey to --.his is going democrats opposed the legislation right to vote in the field. the bible states that riveted abs -- the five states that prohibited absentee voting were heavily democratic. guessing that the army would vote for lincoln, they did not have a reason to encourage soldiers to cast ballots. lincoln wrote to general sherman, asking that he allow his men from indiana return home to vote in that crucial election. the president asked the same of sheridan, rosecrans, nab secretary -- and the navy secretary. only about 15,000 men were able to cast ballots in the field for the 1864 election, but many were able to return to home states to vote. no record was kept of the number of soldiers who voted in their home states. of those who cast an absentee ballot, 78% voted for lincoln. the military tally was even more disproportionate. lincoln takes 3/5 of the soldier vote. why? what caused the soldiers to vote for lincoln in such numbers? the central issue of the election is the war. the candidates offered two distinct choices to the fighting men. able for lincoln is a vote for ae prosecution of the war -- vote for lincoln is able to for the prosecution of war. a vote for mcclellan meant to stop hostilities immediately. it meant the possibility of returning home. it meant admitting that the war effort had been a failure. armyen who voted in 1864's were fighting for a cause is to them by a revolutionary generation, and had been raised to love the ideology. isk wroteilbur f when we realize we stand at what is left of the american union and only rebellion beyond, we fill a thrill that we are permitted to bear a part in maintaining our government." by 1864, the emancipation proclamation had been released for a year. democrats hoped it would shore up and having can send them it. -- shore up and tie at lincoln sentiment. but this was not the case. black soldiers serving had made many soldiers believe that things could be shared. a soldier wrote that a discussion took place over the fire about the race question. they indicated that the battery to 0.ed old abe 75 "thank god that the evil of slavery will be no more. i can bear all the deprivations of a soldier's life." megan was concerned about troop more out and there was indication that there was -- lincoln was concerned about troop morale. this is when he wrote the blind memorandum. it was not taken out of the desk until after the election. it turns out that he did not have to volunteer to do all of that after all. obvious that he was going to do everything that he could to shore up both civilian and soldier votes. many democrats were hoping that the men in the field would remain a loyal to former commanding general george mcclellan. but they underestimated the ability of union soldiers to analyze for themselves just what a vote for the democratic peace that form would indicate. -- that form would indicate. most forces had been in a uniform since the first call in 1861. they knew what they were meant and what would happen if it were not thought to the conclusion. to thet were not fought conclusion. remember, soldiers and a volunteer army our citizen soldiers. most of them thought of themselves as citizens first. a belief in the cause was essential to the union army's fighting prowess. historians have suggested that politics was central to a people's army, which was the armed manifestation of a political ideal. politics created the war. and whether a man was political he sophisticated or naive, politics kept them fighting. election, the the soldiers favored freeing enslaved men and enlisting them. yet to meet"i have a slave that does not prefer the imperfect freedom of the army to slavery.' " is a black man has been endowed with the ability to elevate him to a position that would take an equal to the white race, i say raise him up." the union benefited by being able to get mail regularly. communication with the home front is evidence of the contrasty soldiers made with those they left behind. counted on the home front. they were obligated to sustain army morale. the soldier expected home to support the war effort. for most soldiers, democrats and copperheads in general, and mcclellan in particular, raised their ire. soldiers were politically influential over their families and community. a person who criticized lincoln criticized the war. criticizing the war criticized the soldier. this sort of person became a traitor. "daddy, i am in sober earnest when i say do not waver in your devotion. what are the sympathizers are so we can settle with them when we come home." another island wrote "the longer i stay in the army, the worst i fee -- the worse i feel towards the copperheads. " drift mcclellan faired very poorly -- george mcclellan tapered area poorly. they called him the most treacherous traitor of them all. they said that the election of mcclellan would be the worst thing that was ever done to the country. the election of 1864 excited the confederates, too. they would shout their enthusiasm for the mcclellan candidacy. this furthered the resolve of the union soldier to vote republican. his vote for lincoln, one man wrote his diary, "the greatest war has been far and i know that i have one today." another man wrote to his family "i want abraham to handle the reins until the rebellion is crushed and the old flag waves proudly over this land again. i cannot see": little mac in the white house, wrote a calgary man -- "i cannot see little mac in the white house while abraham is able to swing at the ball," a big one of the most moving is from a book about a soldiers captivity in a rebel prison. this was published in 1867. he explains that the prison officials in andersonville were very pro-mcclellan and were anxious to see how the prisoners felt. he wrote "on the day of the election, two bags were placed on the inside of the stockade. those in favor of lincoln were to place a black bead into a mcclellanhose voting put in a white beans. we were marched by our hundreds and put in. it is understood that if a majority voted for little mac we would get extra rations. it was about 1500 for mcclellan for6004 lincoln -- 6000 lincoln." rations to vote for lincoln in an election that even count -- that did not even count. ultimately, the soldier vote did not prove crucial in reelecting lincoln. the president won over 50% of the popular vote. the 12 states that allowed absentee ballots, separate tallies confirmed that most of them voted for lincoln. unimpressive mandate. mandate.ressive war, all constitutions were amended quickly to ensure that american fighting men and women would not be disenfranchised. than a democrat introduced a national voting rights bill, oppositione by southern state. for the roosevelt signed into -- in support of her 16th franklin roosevelt signed it into law in september 16. soldiers about the union and confederate army underwent an intense. of politicization -- intense period of politicization. politics was central to the development of soldier morale, unit cohesion, officer quality, fighting style, and the nature of the evolving relationship between the military and the home front. politics began the war, and ultimately political decisions were responsible for the lives of america's citizen shoulders. -- citizen soldiers. after the slaughter of war, they demanded the right to vote. almost 80% voted for lincoln. the men who voted -- who fought the war voted by a far larger majority than those at home to finish the job they started. they had an understanding of politics and knew that voting for lincoln meant continuing the war. they voted their loyalty to the causes of union and abolition with ballots, many of which were figuratively marked in blood. thank you. [applause] >> we have time for questions. thank you. >> i will try. >> let's assume that somehow the confederates had held onto atlanta, and that in november, lincoln had lost the popular vote. or the in december: would've won the electoral vote, -- or that in a december mcclellan would have won the electoral vote. and mcclellan went into office and put into practice the peace party platform. can you speculate as to what the peace conference might have been like that would have come later? i give you three specific issues, and there are many more. what would've happened to west virginia? base?bout the union naval and how would the union indemnified the confederate thees -- indemnity confederate states for the slaves that had escaped? imagine yourself being one of the negotiators on either side. i do not think they would've agreed on anything . >> they still can't. if that had happened, that were shown, if the confederate states would then become the southern united states and the union would be the northern united states. and they would be two separate countries. effectively we would've had a third world country right at our doorstep, because the confederacy had very little infrastructure. they just were not able to take care of themselves. but cannot know if they could've ever decided anything about if they-- i do not know could have ever decided anything about slavery. beeneople that would have put back into slavery would simply have gone west. the judge of a western united states might've come along as chance of a western united states might've come along as well. western virginia would have stayed in the union. mcclellan,go down to god forbid it, and look at what happened in europe. at what point could a non-united states have helped out in world war i? at what point could we have helped out in world war ii? and what point would there have been the input structure to provide the technology to create the incredible things -- the to provide the technology to create incredible things that ended the war in europe? there would have been no atomic bomb. i'm not saying -- we rented a car that is half electric and half gas. it does not have a key and you push a button. i do not think there would have been one of those. i'm pretty sure we would've taken a serious left. turn i do not. think that america would've had a golden age. i think that we would've become a vulcanized area like europe. ized area like europe. crapshoot. >> we have time for another question. >> i am not a lincoln scholar. but i understand that lincoln's position, up to the emancipation proclamation was the preservation of the union. i will take the union with slavery, without slavery, or leave slavery where it is. dismiss -- dismisses the wrong word -- dismiss is the wrong word. but when you interpreted the blind memorandum, you did not indicate that that was a possibility that that could have happened, in terms of lincoln agreeing that we would have a piece by accepting -- >> by rescinding the emancipation proclamation. one thing that i think that lincoln scholars in general always discuss is lincoln's evolution as a world thinker. for many years, lincoln was in favor of the back to africa movement. for the first year of his presidency he put incredible political capital into trying to reimburse states, having the federal government purchase slaves and send them back to africa rather than have a war. it just did not work. he was getting pressure from europe read from the beginning. the european emancipation us, particularly in england, why do you not declare? you know that slavery is wrong and immoral. and he was slow to come to the table. -- nowadays, when a politician changes his mind, it is called flip-flopping and seen as a bad thing. here,r most of my history it seems to me, how can it be a bad thing for somebody's thinking to evolve. money to a finally experienced enough discussion, done enough reading, thought about it, to change their mind? and what point does that become a bad? -- at what point does not become a bad thing? when the emancipation proclamation was issued, that was lincoln's line in the sand. that was something that he fought hard, to come to grips with all of those things. and he was getting pressure on all sides to do all kinds of things. one thing you can look at and his first year is how naive he was. in these config it'd problems were being placed on his -- and these are complicated problems were being placed on his doorstep. and he was having to deal with them. some of these lodges into his office and says, i would like to be postmaster. it was an interesting first year, and i think a formative first year for lincoln. that first year, he had realized that slavery sibley had to go. how -- simply had to go. how he was going to time things was a political decision by the moral decision was made. >> we can ask when we take a break, too. we recently published an interview with gary gallagher. talks about how lincoln could not have delivered his second inaugural address even a year earlier, it is the social and political environment had -- because of the social and political environment had evolved. when we talk about the change that warfare we talk about tactics and technology and strategy. social and political thinking also evolve over the course of a war. to lincoln was able to do things later on that he was not able to do early on in the war. evolution was certainly a part of lincoln's mode of operation. meg, thank you very much for your comments today. will take a short break. here everyl war airs saturday at 6:00 and 10:00. visit our website. you are watching american history tv all weekend, every weekend on c-span3. 2014 debateign coverage continues for the final texas governors debate between wendi davis and greg abbott. live thursday night, the oklahoma governors debate dorman and the incumbent governor mary fallin. watch the nebraska governors debate. 2014, morempaign than 100 debates for the control of congress. >> each week, american history tv sits in on election with one of the nation's college professors. you can watch the classes here every saturday evening at 8:00 and midnight eastern. next, central connecticut state university professor robert wolff and his class examined how the memory of the civil war has changed from the 50th and 100 anniversaries to the present. memoryss look at how the of the civil war has largely focused on men's experience in battle leaving slaves and women out of the story. at the cisco's continual anniversary -- sesquicentennial anniversary, the war is more nuanced but still debated.

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