Have the cspan History Channel program filming tonight. Jeff shaara will be happy to take questions at the end of the program. We have microphones so cspan can capture your questions. If you will raise your hands we will just wait, if you could, to hold off on asking your questions until you have that microphone in your hand. It is a pleasure to welcome our speaker jeff shaara to the smithsonian. Jeff was last here with us in 2013 when he presented an Outstanding Program on the battle of vicksburg. Prior to that he was here in 2012 when he presented a program on the battle of shiloh. Jeff shaaras trajectory as one of the most acclaimed writers on it the civil war, the revolutionary war, and world war ii. He holds a degree in criminology from Florida State university. At age 15 he operated a rare coin business, first out of his home and then at a retail store. In 1974 he moved to tampa, florida, and eventually became one of the most widely known precious metal dealers in florida. But in
Good evening everyone. Can everyone hear me well . Good. Im mary mclachlan. Id like to welcome all of you tonight to what promises to be a very stimulating program on the Union General william t. Sherman. Before i begin and i introduce our speaker, id like to remind everyone to check their cell phones and make sure that they are turned off. And also remind everyone that photos are prohibited during Smithsonian Association programs. And lastly, we are delighted to have the cspan History Channel program filming tonight. Jeff shaara will be happy to take questions at the end of the program. We have a mic so cspan can capture your questions. If you will raise your hands we will just wait, if you could, to hold off on asking your questions until you have that microphone in your hand. It is a pleasure to welcome our speaker jeff shaara to the smithsonian. Jeff was last here in 2013 when he presented an Outstanding Program on the battle of vicksburg. Prior to that, he was here in 2012 when he
To provide you with a great experience. I am delighted you are in our state and hope you will come back. I want to thank the Shenandoah Valley battlefields association for asking me to speak about somebody and something i had no idea when i started hitting my phd would become such an important part of my life. I cannot get away from general sherman. The more i talk about it, the more people will be to talk more about it. I will have to change topics at some point and move into another area, but he is a fascinating person. And a fascinating topic. I am also delighted to see so many folks here. And that you care this much about the civil war, battlefields, and preserving the battlefields. One of my favorite things to do is to hike battlefields. I think its wonderful to get out, enjoy the outdoors and you can unite those two things. The outdoors and the study of the civil war, theres nothing else like it. Thank you for all you do come and the association does to help us preserve our battl
Emancipation. Its important to us. Because when we think about a reunified United States in the aftermath of civil war, what conclusion must we draw. Clearly, a large majority of the American Free population was not enthusiastic about emancipation. And to come back to a final theme that has been the bedrock of this course throughout, in a democratic society, where a large majority holds a particular value, that is inconsistent with the interest of minority, theres not much reason to be optimistic for the rights of that minority. Remember James Madison had said if majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure. I think that is a foreshadowing of the history of reconstruction on end through the rest of the 19th into the 20th centuries. So very fast whirlwind overview. Next time, were going to zero in on Abraham Lincoln and were going to enter into conversation with him because what lincoln is trying to do more than anything else is shape how we remem
Experiment of war, we demand that immediate efforts made for a cessation of hostilities, peace may be restored on the basis of the federal union. What the platform is saying immediately ceasefire negotiation with the south, the only issue, union. Emancipation completely off the table. This then is the two sides. The two sides are drawn, but one very significant thing happens before the general election. The momentum on the field of battle turns. If theres single critical event, it is the fall of atlanta, which had been the object of Union Attention since the spring, fall of atlanta on the second of september. This is immediate greeted with jubilation across the north, and may have been the single thing what turns the tied of the northern opinion. In the election that follows, you see two very queer strategies. If you are a democrat, youre going to emphasize race. What northern democrats are going to do throughout the election of 1864 is constantly remind northern voters this is an unne