my name is harris. i'm beautiful. downtown springs field, mr. lincoln's hometown in illinois. and i didn't write this, but i'm going to read it to see what kind of lies were told told cause course. now, first, i have to find my name. okay, catherine harris member of the forum executive committee was a long time division manager of library services at. the abraham lincoln presidential library three, formerly the illinois state historical

library. that was my ad lib where she now serves on the board, which is a gubernatorial appointment even. she was the first woman and and the first african-american to as president of the abraham association. and that is honor of which i am very proud. if and i served as president from 2016 to 2018, and lo and behold i still keeping up my membership. okay. our first presenter or this afternoon is someone we we've seen a lot. so i'm going to tell you a little bit about him. jonathan white vice chairman the lincoln forum is professor of american studies at christopher university.

he is the author or editor of 30 books, the latest of which are the revelatory volumes. a house built by slaves. i have a friend in springfield, michael burlingame, who says, you don't have to read the book, but you do have to buy your. a house built by slaves, african-american visitors to the lincoln white house, which was published in 22. and to address you as friend. abraham lincoln african-americans letters to abraham lincoln, which was published in 2021. among his other works are the award winning emancipation. the union army and the reelection of abraham lincoln. in 2014, midnight, america, darkness, sleep and dreams during the civil war. and that one was a really interesting book. i read it and bought it and he

coauthored our little monitor in 2018. so further ado, jonathan white. well, thank you, katherine and thank you all for being here. today, i'm going to talk about these two most recent books that i published. the first one is called to address you as my friend african-america man's letters to abraham lincoln. sometime around 2014, i had the idea to start collecting letters that black men and women sent to abraham lincoln during his presidency and ended up finding about 125 letters signed by hundreds of people overall. some of them were petitions with as many as a thousand signatures. and i found black men and women for the first time in the history of the country, believed that they had a president who might be interested. their concerns and. so they also then claimed the

first amendment right to petition the government for redress of grievances. they were essentially in writing to lincoln claiming we are citizens and we have a voice that should be. black men and women wrote lincoln about a whole host of issues. they wrote to thank him for emancipation, and they wrote about the unequal pay issue for black soldiers that we'll talk about in a few minutes when often when they were at the worst part, their lives and they had nowhere else to turn. they would turn to abraham lincoln. and i think it's a remarkable thing that for again, the first time in american history, african-americans believed that there was an occupant in the white house who would actually listen to their concerns. one of the letters that lincoln received was from a black teenager named benjamin brown. brown had been a cabin boy on a ship. and in 1860, he was playing with a pistol and. he accidentally pulled the trigger, fired the gun and killed another boy on, the ship.

and when his ship came back to baltimore, he brought into this federal court and of manslaughter. he received three years in prison, a $1 fine. and then he had to pay the court costs. now, he spent the three years in prison and i imagine he could have afforded the fine someone would have probably given that to him. but the court costs amounted. to $666.50, and that would essentially turn his three year sentence into a life sentence because he couldn't get out until he paid it off. and would never get the money if he couldn't get out. and so in april of 1863, with no air left to turn, he sent this letter to abraham lincoln and he explained the and asked for pardon. and lincoln received this. and he saw the justice in brown's. and this is the official pardon from the national archives that lincoln gave him a full and unconditional pardon releasing young brown from prison.

another correspondence of lincoln's was this man, jeremiah asher. jeremiah was a baptist minister in philadelphia, and he wrote to lincoln in september of 1863, saying the u.s. colored troop regiments needed more black chaplains to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of black soldiers. and you have to be careful what you ask for, because you ask for something you often get volun to do it. and lincolnshire enough had him appointed the chaplain of the third u.s. colored troops and asher actually is the, i believe, the only black chaplain to die in the service. he died in 1865. another person who wrote to lincoln is this man here, paschal randoh. paschal randolph had been born the five points neighborhood of new york city. he was orphaned at a young age. he grew up to become a spiritualist and a sex magician. i'm not going to tell you what that means. you got to get the books.

see, catherine said you don't have to read them, but now you know you do. paschal randolph did right. lincoln and meet with abraham lincoln and randolph's concern was both recruiting black soldiers and educating freed people during and after the civil war. and in fact randolph helped found a school in new orleans in 1866 that he called the abraham lincoln school in lincoln's honor. i found about 20 or 21 letters from women to lincoln. and this is from a woman named mary ann vincent. she lived in upstate new york and she was very concerned about her situation. her soldier husband was away fighting and were not receiving pay as of, you know, black soldiers refused to accept pay until they were given equal pay as white soldiers. and that left many african-american families destitute. and so in this short excerpt that she wrote, you may able to follow along. she wrote, i am proud to be the

wife of a union soldier. i could live on most anything that i could live it all. but i cannot earn a single cent. i am sick in bed now as i write and my little ones are crying for bread and i have none to give. but i put my trust. god. i know he does things well. and as everyone has advised me to apply to you for assistance. i, in a humble manner, do in prayer. and the thing that i love about these letters is that oftentimes when we find voices in the 19th century, they're mediated through a white person who overheard a conversation and then wrote it down. and it's often written in dialect, and it can be very condescending. and it may or may not be what the person actually said. but in this case, you, mary maryann vincent's own handwriting, writing to the president of the united states. the last i'll show you is one of my favorites. this is from a man named hannibal cox.

hannibal cox had been born into slavery in near richmond before the civil war, when the civil war broke out. and then two years later, lincoln allowed for african-american. hannibal cox joined black regiment. and as a black soldier, he learned how to read and write. and he was so proud of what he was doing serving his country and learning how to read and write that. he wanted to let his commander in chief. and so he sent this letter, abraham lincoln. he opened up by describing his background. and then the bulk of the letter is actually a poem about the american flag that he copied out of harper's weekly newspaper. but the most touching part of this letter is actually this little postscript at the bottom where he wrote i send this for you to look at. you must not laugh at it. and i've always been touched by that sentiment, because we all have a natural inclination if we see someone make a silly mistake, to just naturally laugh at them. and i think cox knew that lincoln. he he believed with all his heart that lincoln would this

letter in his hand. and he knew that lincoln might laugh if he sees poor penmanship or misspelled or bad grammar and punctuation. but he was so proud of what he was learning that he hoped lincoln would hold this letter and have pride in what cox was doing. now, we don't know whether or not for sure lincoln held this letter or what his reaction was, but i do believe that lincoln did hold this letter, and i find it hard to think that lincoln would have laughed at it, except for maybe the postscript. but the reason i believe that lincoln held this letter is that unlike most of the correspondence lincoln received, which is now at the national archives, this letter is at the library of congress, the care of michelle crowell. and those are the letters that i think meant the most to lincoln that. for one reason or another, lincoln and that were found among his personal papers when he died. and hannibal cox is was among 21 letters from african-americans that are in that collection. now, black men and women didn't

simply to abraham lincoln. they also went to the white house to meet with him. and this is a remarkable occurrence in american history. prior to the civil war. african-americans were more likely to be bought and sold as slaves by a president of the united states than to be welcomed as his guests. but beginning in august or in april of 1862, black men and women begin claiming the privilege. enter through the white house doors and meet with the president of the united states for the first year of the civil war, hundreds, if not thousands, of white americans had done this beginning 1862. black men and women do it as well. and so i want to tell you just a few of the stories of some of the people who met with lincoln during the war. one of the first black men to meet with abraham lincoln was robert smalls. many you are probably familiar with smalls, his story. he was born into slavery in carolina during the first year of the war. he was working essentially as a pilot on this confederate ship. the planter.

but smalls knew the risks of slavery, and he knew that his family could be sold away from him at any moment. and he did not want to stay in bondage. and so he and several friends, a plan to steal the confederate ship, the planter. take her out of charleston harbor to the blockading vessels. they kept it a secret because they didn't want word to leak out about what they were doing. and one night before dawn, on may 13th, 1862, he and 15 other enslaved people, including his wife and children and a friend and his wife and their kids, they get on to the planter and they make their out of charleston harbor. nelson smalls had been working on ship. he knew this. the signals you had to make to the confederate guards to get out of charleston. he was wearing a hat that made him look like a captain. so i don't know what the signal was, but we'll pretend doctors had at them and they saw him going out and they thought he was the commander of this ship. and so he gets through the first

very dangerous part of this voyage. but then gets out to the union blockading vessels and they see a confederate ship approaching before. and he has to persuade them that he's not attacking and he's somehow able to do that. and he turns the ship over to union authorities and he becomes a hero throughout the union. newspapers in the north, sing his praises. and in august of 1862, robert's traveled to washington, d.c., where he told his story to an audience of 1200 people at the israel ame church, which was pastored by henry mcneil, turner and turner. listen to smalls. his story, and was astounded by it. turner later wrote about what it was like, and turner said that smalls was a living specimen of unquestioned, tenable african heroism. well, while he was in d.c., smalls decided to make a stop by. the white house as well, and he met abraham lincoln.

we don't know exactly what the conversation was between these men, but knowing what know about abraham lincoln have to believe that lincoln said, can you tell me the story? can you tell me about you stole the planter. and that smalls must have told it with great pride and enthusiasm. now, why does a meeting like this matter? well, up to this point in the war, abraham lincoln had opposed allowing black men to serve in the union army. he had feared he said this publicly. he feared that black men would prove cowardly. and if you put guns in their hands, they quickly wind up in the hands of the rebels. but now lincoln met, with a man who fought bravely for the freedom of his loved ones. and lincoln saw that he was no at all. and this matters because when smalls then return south carolina, he bore with him a letter from the war department that allowed for that authorized the recruitment of black

volunteers in the sea island region of south carolina. and that led to the first and second south carolina volunteers. it was a meeting between lincoln and an african-american that helped lead to a change in policy, the union. just a few months later, then, as i think we all know, lincoln issues, the emancipation proclamation, which explicitly allows for the recruitment of black soldiers. but just because men were allowed to enlist does not mean that they received treatment. black men enlisted in the army expecting to be paid $13 a month, just like a white soldier. instead, they were paid $11 a month and they had an additional $10 month. they had an additional $3 deducted from their pay. so they as a clothing allowance and so they expected 13 and there really only getting $7 a month. and many black soldiers refused to accept this unequal pay. hundreds of black men and their family members signed letters and petitions they sent to abraham lincoln, calling for

equal pay. and this is one from a man named john freeman shorter, who wrote to lincoln and made the argument that the bullets. no difference in terms of skin when they are fired. they don't discriminate on account of race. and he made the case that blacks should get the same pay white soldiers. well, not only did people write to lincoln about this. but some decided to meet with lincoln in august of 1863. frederick douglass went to the white house to press lincoln on this issue of unequal pay and also on the issue of confederate. the confederate government adopted, a policy that they would either execute or enslave african-americans who were captured on the battlefield. now, frederick douglass had been born into slavery, the state of maryland, and he had not returned to maryland since his escape. but in august of 1863, he decided to travel back through his native state to washington, d.c., to meet with the president.

douglass showed up uninvited. lincoln had not invited him to the white house for this meeting. and douglass didn't know how he be received or whether he would be received at all. but when lincoln saw douglass. he took him the hand, welcomed him into the white office, led him the hand until they took seats together. and they had a conversation. now, douglass pushed on these two issues of unequal pay and confederate atrocities on the issue of confederate atrocities, lincoln conceded that was a problem that needed to be dealt. but lincoln did not believe he should punish confederate p.o.w.s who were sitting in union prisoner of war camps for the war crimes committed by people on the field. and on the issue of unequal pay, lincoln said that he agreed that black soldiers should get on. he should get equal pay. but at this point in the war, there so much resistance by the white northern electorate. it was politically infeasible.

it was enough to for black men to fight, he said. eventually they would get equal pay. the time wasn't right, yet. and he also added any also had black indoor boarding the flavor commensurate through monetarye value becomig re- and as might imagine please please answers was upset in the event them is also realizing that we begin to appreciate any also have a great appreciation for effectively treating him, man meant to gather flavor coming december refusing to meet vitamin washington, president, thisis another, perhaps you migt like to have the president elect men white house and eggleston

said, he received me, just as you have seen one gentleman recd another pretty the line, is a great applause from the audience when they pause died down, douglas anddo added, i tell youi felt big bear that line led to great laughter is a fivefold you about two very famous men, and i want to tell you about a few who are not as famous my head is alexander augustine and he was born in my neck of the woods, devon norfolk virginia in the 1820s he was born free black family, and at some point in the 1830s, his family moved to baltimore and i think it is in theer wake of turner's rebellion with virginia authorities really clamped down on the rights of free black families in virginia. i got stuck became a barbara pretty literally want to become a doctor pretty neat applied to the university of any medical college with united vision catechins race and he moved to

toronto and attended trinity medical school became a medical doctor he did for the next six years, practice medicine in toronto train young black doctors in january of 1863, aggressive saw lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, unauthorized use of black soldiers in less than a week later suspend this letter to lincoln in this letter, aggressive talked about the country to gain an education, wanted to return enjoy the military is doctor and on the tp right-hand side, so that i can be of some use divine grace. yes it was invited to washington dc, to be examining with a sounding board, sawaw him, i asd precipitation in the guest have

passed with flying colors and after the examination, for surgeon general which the examining doctor, he said that i seek running, how isca it that u came to let the and word passing doctor cronin replied, the truth is, the inward new more than i did, i cannot help myself. so guess he gets commission and major in thek u.s. army and he s the highest ranking black officer of the civil war era. anywhereou assistant abby probay is a symbol of his right but just because he is now an officer in the army he does not mean that he will no longer pay circles in one point while traveling to philadelphia, he stopped and belmar and a crowd and buddies map and veggies in the face and gives him a blood he knowsps ripstop for shoulder straps, and giving him right insult and against the military authorities there any hassles the people arrested and he will not stand for this head on

another occasion, while traveling through washington, , he tries to ride in a streetcar the conductor said, you can sit outside for the driver and front which are not allowed to ride the carke is is often if you dot like that can we can walk through the muddy street predict and against the refuses to take these insults, lying downplayed any takes a story to the process honeys to circulate throughout the entire nation debated on the floor of the senate and charles sumner massachusetts brings these up and he brings them to the senate's attention braided and democratic his family were slightly remarked that if against us, is so upset about how he is being treated, he could to get up with his commander-in-chief. and i doubt that a guest at ever solve a particular editorial because it appeared in indiana newspaper but that's exactly what augustine decided to do in february of 1864, the another black doctor named anderson abbott to come up who happens to be doctor that augustine had trained at trinity medical

school, they decided to go to reception at the white house thp president first lady on regular evening perceptions and anyone who wanted to come up ago and it didn't take the president's hand pretty inept this point, only white americans had to this in the decided, to push the boundaries as of it whenever i've been on their uniforms which are actually show up white house and as they approach, they hear the beautiful music wafting out of the building and they go in through the door they take up their cross and they give up to the service and a big get in line to shake the president said we know what happens because anderson abbott, left an account of this and actually people in the lincoln forum member for several years, published at account last year in while this is not new for you but is new for the first numbers but we know what happened because of abbott's account. in the habit describing how they work in line and waited and when lincoln saw these two black doctors, abbott's word is that lincoln eagerly approach them and put out his hand and shook

augustine's hand. and at that very they can make it over and she didn't not like what she saw had devon she said her son robert over to intervene and robert goes to his father and he said are you really going to allow this innovation. the president turned to his son and he said, why not. i got robert went back over to his mother and lincoln turned back to augustine's injuries and again and shook abbott's hand in the two black doctors then went to the beautiful east room of thed white house in a way out t described as you can imagine, their adrenaline was rushing and they try to pretend like they were enjoy music, looking at the artwork abbott they were just doing anything to go to keep their composure and is a spent 30 minutes walking through east room of the white house or the crowd of white and visitors open in a hollow circle around them and moved around as they walked to the people who saw this were astounded by what they saw. in lincoln's private secretary william daughter said that it

was a practical assertion have negro citizenship for which few were prepared and then he added that watching the scene was as good as a a play. and this was a practical assertion, african-american citizenship but some came in the white house to make explicit claims for citizenship and elise, three delegations black men came to the white house, to push for the right to vote in each of these moments, lincoln greeted them, with cordiality and respect. it in spring a teensy people, abraham galloway, came to the white house to meet with lincoln any leading the delegationno of six north carolinians and la had been born in slavery in north carolina, and escaped in the whole of a turpentine ship only got to philadelphia turpentine had such a powerful reduction to his skin, that william still said that galloway pours had

opened up and it was leaking blood pretty but galloway was now finally free braided and during the civil war kelly worked as a spy for benjamin butler in north carolina, and newburgh region after by 1863, galloway was working as a recruiter for block soldiers into the union army. but he wanted to push lincoln and the rightso to vote as are d by the end of five other dog and some of been born into slavery, some of whom hell had been free into the b white house, and amog them a petition that pointed out, black men and voted in north carolina, from 1776 - 1835. and they said they were never any issues with blackck men fighting for, we should have that right again and when they got to the white house, they were welcome be in through the front door. one of the men and what with galloway later described this. he said that if they had gone to the front door off the lowest magistrate judge in craven county, north carolina, he said that it would've been an insult.

and he said, we done that to us for the smallest right, he said the event would've been sent to go around the back door, and that is a place for the and words. but this person said that is not how lincoln treated us prayed related to the sermon on the mount, and he likened lincoln to christ and he said that we knock and the doors opened unto us and we seek the president and we him to join the comfort of our hearts. we ask in recent receive his sympathies and promises p to do all for us that he could. he did not tell us to go around to the back door. but like a true gentleman, and a noble hearted chief, with as much courtesy and respect is that we had been the japanese embassy, he invited us into the white house. in this man described lincoln took them by the hand and shook their hand, especially some of the inner struggle, and said that they were making the struggle they were making for the rights, was a good one and

he said that he would do what he could for them. and i voting rights, was control of the state level is out lincoln told this delegation another delegations that the right to vote for african-american men would really have to happen in the reconstruction process impaired one of the delegations about lincoln around this time made an interesting argument to lincoln. they said that if you want to secure all of the union in the cell, the best way to do it is to enfranchise men in other words, some point the nation back together in the world will end of the south will be reconstructed, there will be millions of ex- confederates who were traders there's also a very large population in the south is been loyal this whole time. one of the delegations persuaded lincoln the best way to secure the peace wasin to begin thinkig about in franchising black men. again, these black visitors how to effect on lincoln's thinking,

the day after lincoln met with one of the block delegations it was for the right to vote, and he made this argument, he wrote a letter to the governor elect of losingou louisiana, michael wanted me said these very famous words, i barely suggest for your private consideration, whether some of the colored people may not be let in, to the franchise, and as for instance the very intelligently, and especially those who fought gallantly in our ranks. and they would probably help in some trying time, to come and keep that jewel of the liberty, within the family freedom. and for liking him he was coming to understand and if you wanted peace to survive, and he wanted it that jewel of liberty to endure, it would have to be involving african-americans as well as white americans. and i left off a sights on display to put up frederick douglass and i will tell you the story they wanted to anyway and spring of 1864, a woman named caroline johnson, came to the

white house caroline johnson was a free woman in philadelphia and she had spent some time working nurse for union veterans she was renowned as an artist as you wanted to make a gift lincoln avenue think them for what he had done an emancipation and so she made a beautiful wax display and a customer $150 to make it a headache retail value of $350 and she got a letter of introduction to be able to take it to the white house and presented to the president. and most of the i met with abraham lincoln, met with him in the public parts of the white house on the ground floor or a second-story office-caroline johnson in her black baptist minister, given the opportunity to present this gift duly given the white house library pretty this is a beautiful little room thatth is on the side of the whe house facing the washington monument and this was a private space for the first family in this work lincoln would take it

apathy needed what had during the day early in the morning he might wake up and go to the library. and read the bible but he would play with his children and friends in this roomng and this was the private living space of the president. i think this was the first time that an african-american was welcomed into the private living space of the first family other than as a servant or as a slave and on april 2nd 1864, saturday and johnson and her minister shortly white house, they present this gift to lincoln i think minister said a few remarks, and any terms to caroline johnson then he says, perhaps missus johnson would like to say a few words. caroline johnson was understandably very nervous and she looked down at her feet not knowing what to say. but eventually she felt like a running sensation came over her body and she later said that it felt like the only spirit. i am fine went to the book of isaiah chapter 51, which god promises everlasting comfort and

salvation to the suffering the old testament prophet says this, listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, look to the rock from which you were here didn't look to abraham, your father with those words, in her mind, caroline johnson voted abraham lincoln, instead is the president, i believed god has help you out of a rut for this great and mighty purpose that many of them led away by bribes of gold and silver but you have stood firm because god was with you and if you are faithful, he will be with you. halligan was visibly moved by these words and he responded with a few emotional remarks and a vector for theif beautiful present and choking back tears, lincoln said, you must give praise to me, he belongs to god. frederick douglass returned the white house in august of 1864.

as many of you don't lincoln was renominated for the republican nomination up residence in the summer of 1864, the summer of 1854 was a very bad time for the union more effort by august, licking was convinced that he was in the bid for reelection this out lincoln summoned their goal is to come to the white house to meet him and remember the first time douglas gestured up in the time lincoln invite him straight in the two men sit down together and they talk politics for a few minutes, then lincoln turns to douglas and he said, douglas, they slavery is much as you like to see it abolished altogether and the problem is lincoln explained it, was that slaves were not running away in his greatest numbers is lincoln have hoped in another words emancipation population was not as effective lincoln had out there that might be douglas responded by saying, will the slaveowners go to the slaves about us so we do not know to run away in two men then sat down together and concocted a plan what he was douglas' words,

they would send bands of scalps in the confederacy telling the enslaved people, to run we now while you still have the chance is what lincoln loses reelection, and new president with all office and the emancipation proclamation in your golden opportunity for freedom, will be gone. and unfortunately, sherman captured the things went well for the union in mobile bay shenandoah valley lincoln sailed into reelection and nothing had a come of this plan. but this is his next ordinarily important to moment when lincoln and douglas met normally we think about this is a military necessity lincoln wanted to save the union and to win the war ended his true, the many lincoln's critics today suggest that his heart was not really in freedom. douglas recognize that this moment showed otherwise and try to free the slaves at this time in this way, had nothing to do

with winning the war, nothing to do with saving think you need and nothing to do with military necessity. i had to do with making freedom as broad and permanent as possible for this meeting had a profound effect douglas viewed the president. douglas later said, but he seven essay, m showed a deeper moral conviction began slavery and then i had never seen before anything spoken or written by him. listen live with the deepest interest and profound satisfaction in a lincoln math many african-americans as he traveled throughgs washington dc these meetings did not only take place in white house, one day in may of 1862, licking with to a local hospital where white union soldiers were convalescence of d nurse there introduced him to three block cooks, fugitives from slavery, is to have limited come from kentucky living in washington dc serving union as

cooks and's army hospital i thit was introduced to them and he went up to them and he took each of them by the hand and said their name, how do you do lucy, how do you do brown, how do you do garner. lincoln treated them, as human beings and offer them respect and show them the gratitude that he had for them, for their service they were giving to the union and what lincoln did s not see the moment the nurse saw, was that the white soldiers behind him, cursing and using the and word lincoln retreat these people with such respect and on occasion lincoln would stop the contraband camp near where howard university is today, and visit with the black refugees who were living there. this is actually photograph of the contraband camp and depicts the black refugees and if you look closely for me can see there only some books pretty and everything before lincoln of the

caption, f for this is that they were preparing for a visit the president and preparing to sing for him before one of the visits that lincoln and mary lincoln made 300 catholic the matter the gap went to a young black woman in her 20s name mary and asked mary, perry song to sing for the president or is it, that her knees, she stumbled before the people and the knees were trembling as she started to sing, nobody knows but trouble i see but jesus and she said that the thought of singing it before the president nearly killed me. she sing the firstst verse on hr own, and thenhe in the second verse, the other black refugees, joined in and she looked over at the presidents, and soft said he was crying. and of the course of singing, they sang severalal songs, she described how the black refugees began to sing and shout and yell. she said the lincoln did not laugh at them. there is that sentiment again, resodding the letter from hannibal toxic beginning we see

to get here in a recollection by mary giants, raised to african-americans in different biden situation, one from maryland, one from virginia and then for the south ended up at a fear that lincoln might laugh at them because their expressions were different than his. in either case committed lincoln laugh. in effect in this case lincolnln joined in the singing and when i got to john brown's body, they said they can join in the chorus, and sing is allowed is anyone there and you can imagine him belting out glory glory, hallelujah, his soul goes marching on. she said the president had a sweet voice and sounded so sad when he tried to follow along in the nature of god, once or twice. and it's little wonder, that when lincoln died, african-americans believed if they had more to lose, and his death and anyone else had come to see him as their president as

friend and they had come to see the white house as their people's house as well and reflectingac on lincoln's death, one block union army veteran said that if a was almost staggered, that faith which had us in so many battles, was now staggering under a blow which was severe than any battles that of our immortal leader should heavily capture the sorrow better than secretary the navy union wells. he described inhu his diary see hundreds of african-americans outside the white house on pennsylvania avenue and he said that was mostly women and children. weeping and wailing their loss. and they said the crowd did not appear to diminish through the whole of that cold wet day. they seemed not to know what was to be there eight since the great benefactor was dead. and their hopeless grief affected me more than almost anything else so strong and brave men wept when i met them

and i hope that these two books that these remarks can help us recapture a sense of the relationship the developed between abraham lincoln and african-americans during the civil war and it shows this relationship of listening head of where he listened to them and they listen to him and even changed his mind in a couple of very important of matters and i thank you so a history that has been lost for a very long time and with that thinking so much i look forward to your questions. [applause] [applause] >> i think that we had time for a couple of questions and so to the microphone if you have a question and speak loudly and enunciate unless you're going to the microphone, he does not need amplification do you have a

question. >> but i guess we will have to sing. >> i have aeses question. >> well i'm near washington dc and jai alai was wondering if you could talk about how you found some of the sources for the letters and if any were in private collections or you had an unusual discovery. >> yes, most of the levers so if there are hundred 25 in the book, the tragic thingng about a book like this, since publish it theyhr buy more so found three more already that are really good and i wish i could've included most of them are at the national archives and at 1205, about hundred and the national archives, 21 are the library of congress, and five republic letters that appeared in the newspapers or as pamphlets pretty in theho way well i don't know how i started the project and i a think that i encounterea couple of letters of the national archives amicably started with the way that i was able to do the research, was actually through our present

springfield. as a project known as the papers of abraham lincoln and they were and are working to digitize every letter or document that was sent to or from lincoln rainy piece of paper he might've touched at some point and they are found, tens of thousands of humans the national archives the library of congress and they put them online. the problem the database is over 81000 ofei these documents the website and go to my website jonathan white dot org smiling to do it is easier for me to tell you d that like enjoying te bears because i don't even others pretty heavy go to the website, you can search by name of correspondent to, or you can browse by record group and so what again was that i thought about what might african-americans be writing to liggett about how michael's letters have been routed through the federal bureaucracy and that i will check those record groups because each record group correlates the branchl or division or agency of the

federal government and so none of them arere transcribed and i had to go in and read through them and i just woke read letters found a lighter massage service that white writer black white underwriter of good businesses identify the person she figured out that was how i covered most of them in the letters on most products, actually the ones like benjamin brown, where i have two chapters on black convicts who wrote to flincoln's seeking pardons as r as i can tell, scholars of african-american new industry is not utilized to a that national archives at collegeex park you t the given extraordinary porters of iraqi experience socially in washington dc, and how they appeal to lincoln and help lincoln reacts to them and thank you. >> screeches huge on and wanted to ask if you elaborate a little bit more on the two delegates that are sent from the city of

new orleans, and john betty's. >> i would be happy to and so i cut them out of the dark in part, for time and i talked about them a lot so did not want to do the same thing that i done for a lot of while many of you have heard before, they were to light skinned creoles, people of african spanish and french english descendents and part of the population in louisiana. and they brought up in january of 1864, they had position signed by 1000 people, in new orleans.. in the first two signatures were there's next 28, where black veterans of the war of 1812, we fought with his rejection of the battle of new orleans and that is roughly 1000 signatures that following the make the argument that they are wealthy, reborn taxpaying educated men and they should have the right to vote at march 4th 1864, bring up that

petition to lincoln and they sit down together lincoln's office may have a conversation about it in the white men in the room who were horrified liggett was having a conversation with these two men of color. and lincoln essentially says that information have the rightv to vote and don't have any control over its but if you can come over the justification that relates winning the war, and signaling can then i can support it. they go awayh when he was charls sumner and invited that with as well but i do not recall march 10th, a writing new petition they say all black men, should have the right to vote whether born free or not this is where they make the argument, that there is a large loyal population himself up. i cannot approve this but i think they returned to the white house on march 12 and presented this new petitionn to lincoln minutes the very next day, marcd togetherer on and from that poit

forward lincoln is working behind the scenes, to push for black suffrage and we have to realize from this is a huge transformation in 1930s and 40s, lincoln played the race card and making flow ghetto poking at martin van buren, for having supported black suffrage in new york in 1821, and lincoln publicly opposed the black voting rights and now, 30 years later, 20 some years later he reverses the course and for your he works behind the scenes of hard for black suffrage and finally the last four days of his life comes out publicly in favor of it i do believe is meeting with the african-americans and help push him that way i go to john and then back over to offer. >> okay, thank you and john from washington dc. i think you for mentioning augusta and apogee, they were 13 actually afro and african american surgeon the union army but one of the things a lot of people don't know is that abbott was good hands with elizabeth and one who actually brought in

mary lincoln summoned her to the peterson house and he was one who brought elizabeth to the peterson house. >> yes abbott is an incredible figure and he left his memoirs had been t published and availae on google books. i highly recommend them to you. >> and the other thing, the first black member of the house. >> yes, i guess itst was the fit black member of the howard medicall school foundation. >> i have not sure about whether - only met with chase not working very hard to put them in the same room and they could not do it braided and talk a little bit about lincoln's meeting in august of 62, with the black delegations the lincoln then puts a press release. >> yes, august of 1862, lincoln had one of his most famous meetings with african-americans two chapters on this in the book. july of 1862 lincoln decides to issue an emancipation

proclamation and another welfare you have some misgivings about the story that stewardess said that they have persuaded lincoln to wait until there's a union victory as a lincoln is waiting any's rating and while he is waiting it does not come to him until september 20 and presenting them all lincoln is waiting, he does a number of things to help prepare the north for what is coming -year-old is a wonderful essay when there's a new book on lincoln in emancipation. with harvard university press one of the things that lincoln does to help repair the north is then he summons five black leaders into the white house to meet with them. and any proceeds to lecture them on why african-americans are the cause of the war why they should lead african-americans how the country a process known as colonization and he said that very can work but i really think that panama is where you should go because they have great coal mines on their and you will do great down there and it's just as horrible as a condescending

moment as a lincoln guy cummings one of three or four moments were and why come on a did you really have to do with that week, you really have to say that i think it so hard on this today to talk about what you were doing but what was he doing here, why did he invite five black men into the white house and then lecture them. flicking also invited a stenographer into the room and wrote down everything that lincoln said. it lincoln this message to go out to the racist white northern electorates. he was preparing them for emancipation he wanted them to know if it comes with again, lincoln had already decided emancipation is coming but if emancipation comes, you don't need to be as worried about it because i'm poor you actually also push for colonization as well. and this is i think an unfortunate moment of lincoln's presidency night in my book i call it regrettable read but when we know what lincoln was doing, we can see how he was trying to help shape public

sentiment and there is another moment that is important for understanding this. lincoln never told anyone his strategies and earning talking the most shut milkman i avenue shortly after this meeting, lincoln happier to have brought henrik mcbeal turner, the past relationship with you slides going to the white house. and lincoln essentially said from what turner wrote it appears that lincoln essentially said to him, you don't need to worry about colonization, turner's words when he said, i needed a place to point to predict another words the wake of the magician uses this direction to try the notebook over here i'm doing something here, lincoln wasng pointing summer for his white audience while he was doing the real trick which was emancipation. and it's incredible that lincoln, the god did not tell generally tell people this innermost thoughts, interested those thoughts to a black minister within the black

community no through the christian recorder the way they will sum it up with us and then i will are just about out of time. william lloydilil garrison, of s moment called it, a spectacle as humiliating as it was extraordinary. it was humiliating to see the president of the united states, speak condescending white and on the other hand, he was extraordinary first time in history three, a president of the united states off invite the black into the white house to talk politics. in all you need to do, is another democratic press responded to this moment. from their perspective, hitless out rages. lincoln would bring them into the white house and their words, treat him or them as equals and so it is a very complicated moment but that is sort of my take on it and can we wrap it up. >> we should rocket up. >> thank you >> [applause] [applause]

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