This is an excellent series, and I appreciate listening to James Oakes, an historian whom I've heard of but haven't known. His explanation of an anti-slavery Constitution, and the process of confiscation & emancipation was illuminating to me, as well as his explanation of the Dred Scott decision and how the Supreme Court was regarded in those times.
Perhaps the most significant error the slavery was NOT the cause of the Civil War crew make is to ignore the events preceding the war. This should be mandatory viewing in every high school in America.
Slavery is at bottom a system of forced labor and general exploitation of the less powerful. As he reminds us, war is the root cause of slavery. . The Ottoman Empire was as much as the Roman Empire before it, based on slavery. It is amusing to me to see the Islamists in the west who are passing themselves off as non-whites when the rulers of their home countries were among the chief enslavers of black Africa and Islam has no inclination to human liberty as well understand it. They enslavecd Europeans as much or more than Africans. when they were at the height of their power.
For many years prior to, say, Ken Burns Civil War, the subject of that war was broadly regarded in New England as decidedly low brow. Something working class southerners might be interested in. An improper topic for conversation. 😂 Barely touched on in grade school, and never mentioned otherwise. When I lived in the south it wasn't even called the Civil War. The War Between the States. And it wasn't about slavery either. James Oakes put a definitive end to THAT. Damn it, though, we're still in Reconstruction, aren't we?
I’ve listened to countless historians on the American Civil War. Jon Meacham, James McPherson, H.W. Brands, Ron Chernow, Shelby Foote, Gary Gallagher, Ed Bearss, Gary Adelman, Doris Kearns Goodwin, etc. But I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard somebody so eloquently articulate the foundational reasons for the war, slavery’s role within it, emancipation and Lincoln’s true views on addressing the immense difficulties he faced while office. This historian has a new fan! 🔥🤌🏼👍🏼
Original perspective. Given the racist views of most Amnericans. it was startling to see black men in Union uniforms. Distasteful to many northerners as well as hateful to the southerners. He doesn’t mention that many Union soldiers quit the Army when they could because of the enlistment of black troops. And of course, black troops were not widely accepted by white troops. But those who were strongly Unionists accepted the necessity and/or loved the way they could rub the faces of the Confederates in the new reality. A few Confederate Commanders such as Pat Cleburne thought that, hell, do tit for tack. and enlist the slaves already does work for the army and promise them their freedom. At the end, even Lee went in this direction, too late of course. A bridge too far.
This is an excellent series, and I appreciate listening to James Oakes, an historian whom I've heard of but haven't known. His explanation of an anti-slavery Constitution, and the process of confiscation & emancipation was illuminating to me, as well as his explanation of the Dred Scott decision and how the Supreme Court was regarded in those times.
After listening to Mr Oakes lecture, I am more than ever in support of reparations for the descendants of African slaves.
Excellent - Thank You!
Perhaps the most significant error the slavery was NOT the cause of the Civil War crew make is to ignore the events preceding the war. This should be mandatory viewing in every high school in America.
Slavery is at bottom a system of forced labor and general exploitation of the less powerful. As he reminds us, war is the root cause of slavery. . The Ottoman Empire was as much as the Roman Empire before it, based on slavery. It is amusing to me to see the Islamists in the west who are passing themselves off as non-whites when the rulers of their home countries were among the chief enslavers of black Africa and Islam has no inclination to human liberty as well understand it. They enslavecd Europeans as much or more than Africans. when they were at the height of their power.
For many years prior to, say, Ken Burns Civil War, the subject of that war was broadly regarded in New England as decidedly low brow. Something working class southerners might be interested in. An improper topic for conversation. 😂 Barely touched on in grade school, and never mentioned otherwise. When I lived in the south it wasn't even called the Civil War. The War Between the States. And it wasn't about slavery either. James Oakes put a definitive end to THAT. Damn it, though, we're still in Reconstruction, aren't we?
I’ve listened to countless historians on the American Civil War. Jon Meacham, James McPherson, H.W. Brands, Ron Chernow, Shelby Foote, Gary Gallagher, Ed Bearss, Gary Adelman, Doris Kearns Goodwin, etc.
But I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard somebody so eloquently articulate the foundational reasons for the war, slavery’s role within it, emancipation and Lincoln’s true views on addressing the immense difficulties he faced while office.
This historian has a new fan! 🔥🤌🏼👍🏼
Oakes elides "anti-slavery' and "abolitionist." The much smaller number of genuine abolitionists was revealed by the limitations of reconstruction.
Original perspective. Given the racist views of most Amnericans. it was startling to see black men in Union uniforms. Distasteful to many northerners as well as hateful to the southerners. He doesn’t mention that many Union soldiers quit the Army when they could because of the enlistment of black troops. And of course, black troops were not widely accepted by white troops. But those who were strongly Unionists accepted the necessity and/or loved the way they could rub the faces of the Confederates in the new reality. A few Confederate Commanders such as Pat Cleburne thought that, hell, do tit for tack. and enlist the slaves already does work for the army and promise them their freedom. At the end, even Lee went in this direction, too late of course. A bridge too far.
37:00