Since we are spending this year thinking about the US Civil War as part of our One Book Program, we wanted to share this up coming TV show which will be on WTTW channel 11, Chicago’s PBS. Death and the Civil War: the American Experience: September 18th, 8pm. With the coming of the Civil War,… Continue reading Death and the Civil War
Category: One Book: Confederates in the Attic
Why Lincoln Decided to End Slavery
It could be argued that the fall of 1862 was the major turning point in the Civil War. These events 150 years ago all influenced Lincoln’s decision to move forward with the Emancipation Proclamation, which changed the reason for the War from one partially about slavery and a state’s right to secede, to a war… Continue reading Why Lincoln Decided to End Slavery
The Famous Lincoln/Douglas Debates
The first of the Lincoln/Douglas Debates happened 154 years ago today August 21, 1858. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas were campaigning for the same US Senate seat. The theme of slavery ran throughout the course of the debates, but the August 21 debate in Ottawa, IL predominately dealt with the abolitionist stance of Lincoln’s Republican… Continue reading The Famous Lincoln/Douglas Debates
Who was Stephen Douglas?
Interestingly, a lot of the slavery debate of the 1850’s and 1860’s was borne out right here in Illinois, primarily because of one person: Stephen Douglas. Douglas was a Democratic senator from 1846 until his death in 1861. As a northern Democrat he had a rather strict interpretation of the Constitution. While Douglas defended the rights of… Continue reading Who was Stephen Douglas?
The Unfinished Civil War: The Upcoming One Book program
We are preparing for the upcoming One Book Program on Tony Horwitz’s Confederates in the Attic. Here is a short discussion about the book, upcoming events, and general program themes. You can get more info on the upcoming public events on the Confederates in the Attic Events Page. Here is the short audio preview: Listen… Continue reading The Unfinished Civil War: The Upcoming One Book program
The Copperheads: Political Dissenters or belly-crawling Traitors
On this day 150 years ago the term Copperheads was first used by the Cincinnati Gazette to describe outspoken members of the Democratic party, who would advocate an end to the Civil War, Confederate secession, and the continuation of Slavery. Other resources claim other dates for the first use of Copperheads, but the term certainly… Continue reading The Copperheads: Political Dissenters or belly-crawling Traitors