Historian James Oakes discusses the process of Black soldiers being allowed to enlist in the Union Army during the Civil War, the objective of the Conkling Letter, the origins of the 13th Amendment and Abraham Lincoln’s capacity for change.
James Oakes is one of the leading historians of nineteenth-century America. He holds a degree from Baruch College as well as M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. He has been on the faculty of the Graduate Center at City College since 1997 and the holder of the Graduate School Humanities Chair since 1998. He has previously taught at Princeton and Northwestern Universities. In a series of influential books and essays, he tackled the history of the United States from the Revolution through the Civil War. His early work focused on the South, examining slavery as an economic and social system that shaped Southern life. His books include The Ruling Race (1982); Slavery and Freedom: An Interpretation of the Old South (1998); The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics (2007); and Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865 (2013). The latter two garnered, respectively, the 2008 and 2013 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, an annual award for the finest scholarly work in English on Abraham Lincoln or the American Civil War era.
The Apple TV+ series "Lincoln's Dilemma," features insights from journalists, educators and scholars, as well as rare archival materials, that offer a more nuanced look into the life of the Great Emancipator. Set against the background of the Civil War, "Lincoln's Dilemma" also gives voice to the narratives of enslaved people, shaping a more complete view of an America divided over issues including economy, race and humanity, and underscoring Lincoln's battle to save the country, no matter the cost. The series is narrated by award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright ("Angels in America") and features the voices of actor Bill Camp ("The Night Of") as Lincoln and Leslie Odom Jr. ("Hamilton") as Frederick Douglas.
To view the entire series please visit:
tv.apple.com/us/show/lincolns...
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Chapter Markers:
00:00:17 - Lincoln’s early views on slavery
00:01:19 - Frederick Douglass’ upbringing
00:06:06 - Being a fugitive slave at the time Douglass arrived in the North
00:08:07 - Frederick Douglass’ criticism of Lincoln
00:09:34 - The beginning of Black soldiers being allowed to enlist in the Union Army
00:12:41 - Frederick Douglass and Black recruitment
00:13:55 - The political strategy of the Emancipation Proclamation
00:17:41 - The Emancipation Proclamation and the second Confiscation Act
00:20:59 - How the Emancipation Proclamation was received
00:23:01 - The Conkling letter
00:24:05 - The Gettysburg Address
00:27:29 - The second inaugural address
00:30:44 - The origins of the 13th Amendment
00:36:16 - Lincoln’s re-election prospects in the summer of 1864
00:39:05 - The politics around the passage of the 13th Amendment
00:43:48 - Favorite passage from Lincoln’s speeches
00:44:58 - Lessons to be taken from Lincoln’s leadership
James Oakes, Historian
Interviewed by: Jackie Olive and Barak Goodman
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