is the site where president lincoln was assassinated by john wilkes booth. as he sat in a theater with a play running. the play running at the time was our american cousin. president lincoln died the next day across the street at the peterson boardling house. ford s is now a working theater as well as a national historic site. he current play running is 110 in the shade. while we wait, let s take a ook at today s speakers. lincoln, african americans, and the emancipation struggle. and :35 the book lincoln the problem of reconstruction. there will be a midday break for lunch at approximately 1:55 p.m. we ll hear stacy mcdormant on mary lincoln s life and legacy. at 3:05 thomas carson on incoln s ethics. at 3:55 all of today s speakers will participate in a closing panel. what you re looking at there is the box where abraham lincoln was sitting the night that he was shot. the president apparently enjoyed theater and was attending a performance of our american cousin at the ti
do, too, she has brought to the floor those who have the most pressing interest and those who worked tirelessly largely unrecognized in achieving emancipation and therefore, those were the slaves, the people who had the most vital interest and her book lincoln and emancipation fills a gap that s been left in the story of emancipation but bringing to the floor the important role that so many blacks played in changing the face of our nation and bringing about emancipation. i ve been counseled to be brief and so with that i d like to introduce dr. edna green medford. [ applause ] good evening. i d like to thank ali and the theater to speak with you this morning and thank you for being here before that massive storm we re supposed to be having this evening. i love weather folk. they always well they sometimes exaggerate what is going to happen. let s hope that they are right this time because they are playing it down unless you move in the mountains or somewhere. in the brief
to the the telegraph department or whether it was the department of war. obviously, there were secret communications happening. there s also the story about the confederacy where there was a secret message around cigars that was mishandled. my question is, are there any lessons i think there s lessons in lincoln s life. are there any lyessons that coud be carried over to this issue of communication and the need to have communications be private and confidential? well, lincoln didn t have e-mails. but he had telegrams. and that was the internet of its day. and he would go, as anyone who has seen the lincoln movie recalls, to the telegraph office, which was located in the department of war right across from the white house where the old executive office building is today. and he would spend a good deal of his time there with secretary of war stanton and receive the latest communication. it was in that office that he wrote the first draft of the emancipation proclamation.
receiving an award this afternoon and will be unable to participate in the panel discussion during the afternoon session. therefore, it is important to get your questions in early because she is going off to receive the women s history award from the northern virginia district of columbia maryland affiliate of the national association of negro business and professional women. [applause] i came to know dr. medford through a predecessor of hers at howard, lorraine williams, who wrote a book about wrote an article about intellectuals who campaigned for lincoln. among the people she mentioned was my great uncle, general thomas osborne. through searching that out, i got to know dr. mitford medford. and she has been a friend and admired person. she is the chair of the department of history at howard university. she teaches 19th century history. she has lectured widely and has been actively involved in many activities. i have read her book and i strongly urge that all of you d
discussion during the afternoon session. therefore, it is important to get your questions in early because she is going off to receive the women s history award from the northern virginia district of columbia maryland affiliate of the national association of negro business and professional women. [applause] i came to know dr. medford through a predecessor of hers at howard, lorraine williams, who wrote a book about wrote an article about intellectuals who campaigned for lincoln. among the people she mentioned was my great uncle, general thomas osborne. through searching that out, i got to know dr. mitford medford. and she has been a friend and admired person. she is the chair of the department of history at howard university. she teaches 19th century history. she has lectured widely and has been actively involved in many activities. i have read her book and i strongly urge that all of you do, too. she has brought to the fore the story of those who had the most pressing