Confederate surrender at appomattox and the assassination of president abraham lincoln. In this period of uncertainty, americans wondered how the new president , Andrew Johnson, would lead the divided nation. Many, especially African Americans, were hopeful that johnson would actively promote the cause of black equality. Black leaders, however, became disillusioned with johnson after a dramatic meeting with the president at the white house. Frederik Johnson Johnsons conflict with congress over reconstruction eventually led to his impeachment. Within the records of the National Archives is the resolution to impeach johnson written on a scrap of paper and introduced in the u. S. House of representatives. Three days later, the house voted 100 to adopt the resolution. In the failed promise, he portrays the conflicts that brought Frederick Douglass and the wider black community to reject Andrew Johnson and called for a guilty verdict in his impeachment trial. Robert s levine is the distinguish or fester of english and distinguished scholar and teacher at the university of maryland at college park. His most recent books, before the failed promise, the lives of Frederick Douglass and raised, trans nationalism, and 19th century American Literary studies levine has received fellowships from the national the guggenheim foundation. In 2014, the American Literature section of modern language associations awarded him the medal for Lifetime Achievement in American Literary studies. Now that thank you for joining us. Im going to do a slide show and kind of talk thank you for that kind introduction. It is a real honor to be here. Im going to do a slideshow. I will talk through what i do in the book. Im going to share my screen. Okay, so, this is the cover of the book. Again, i want to thank you for David Ferriero the kind introduction. The thing i really like about this cover is, underneath the red is a page from the articles of impeachment. I think that is kind of cool. I like the pictures and the whole color scheme. The large aim of the book is to provide a black perspective on the early years of reconstruction, 1865 to 1868. Andrew johnson and on the impeachment itself, but occurred in 1868. Most of the standard studies of the impeachment focus on the white radical republicans. I wanted to bring to life the African American perspective on reconstruction and impeachment by focusing on Frederick Douglass and other black activists. And we construction of black Voting Rights in right to citizenship. Blacks who fought for those rights. Douglas and other African American activists were concerned about anti black racism and war in the south and had their own problems with johnson. Let me just say i tried to tell the story about africans relationship between douglas and johnson that hasnt been told before. I think it is really interesting. And i try to do it in a novelist ink way. Here is what i call the adversaries. Very good pictures of these two men. Forceful, formidable figures. Great oratory. They dressed well. Johnson was a former taylor. Douglass felt it was important, in his photographs and he was one of the most photographed men in 19 century america, he wanted to depict himself against the stereotype of the socalled, black savage. He tend to dress well. He tended to look serious in his pictures. Johnson and douglas met only twice in person. At lincolns second inauguration, march 4th, 1865. When lincoln gave his famous, with malice toward none speech. And then again at the white house in 1866 when johnson was president. They shadowed each other throughout johnsons presidency johnson even means douglas the talking point in 1867. Today well talk about their relationship and his views towards the johnson impeachment. Lets start with the first meeting of douglas and johnson in march, 1865 at lincolns second inauguration. Right here is a famous picture of lincoln, if you can see my arrows he is right around here. By historian friends say that douglasss return here at the second row. I am not entirely, 100 , sure of that. I do know that douglas was at the inauguration. Abraham lincoln met with douglas twice earlier at the white house. He had invited him to the inauguration. After the speech, douglas tried to get into the reception at the white house. He was stopped by security but was eventually vouched for and was greeted by lincoln. He asked douglas how he liked the speech. He told with a man through the anthem that douglas was his great friend. Douglas said he liked to the speech, then he walked away. Johnson joined lincoln at the reception. He would not let Frederick Douglass tell the story of what happened. This is from douglas is 1881 life and times of Frederick Douglass. Some 16 years later. I was standing at the crowd on winter lincoln touch mr. Johnson, pointed me out to him. The first expression that came to his face, which i think was a true index of his heart, was one of bitter contempt and aversion. Saying that i observed him, he tried to sue a more friendly appearance, but it was too late. It is useless to close the door when all within has been seen. His first glance with the frowned of the man, the second was the bland its ugly smile of the demagogue. I turn to mrs. Dorsey, Douglas Black friend, and i said, whatever Andrew Johnson may be, he certainly is no friend to our race. It is a great passage, douglas is a great writer. I am an english professor, i like the metaphor this idea of the door. Sorry, let me go back, this door opening in closing showing johnsons true feelings. The thing i want to emphasize about this passage is it is retrospective. I dont think it is fully to be believed. In the 1881 life and times, douglas celebrates lincoln at the savior. During the civil, douglass often attacked lincoln. At one point comparing him to confederate leaders. I start with this moment, and then i moved back in time in order to give a more nuanced portrayal of johnson not necessarily as pure evil i want also to point out how he ended up being a blinkens Vice President. I just wanted to make the point that a lot of people thought, including black abolitionists, that he would be a great Vice President. There was something promising and appealing about johnson, at least until 1865, that brought him to the attention of lincoln and the republican party. Very briefly, he was a senator from tennessee. The only southern senator who was pro union and against secession. He put his life on the line by taking up that position. Lincoln appointed him military governor of tennessee in 1862. In 1863, johnson again put his life on the line by calling for the and, the abolition, of slavery. Again, this was quite unusual for a southern leader. He was named Vice President in 1864. Republicans feared they would lose the election. In october, 1864 this is the key moment for me and for johnson, while still military governor johnson gave the favorite. The moses of color speech. When he declared before a large crowd of black people in nashville, that all the enslaved people of tennessee were free. They had not been freed by the emancipation proclamation, because tennessee was a border state. Speech was wildly recorded. It was celebrated in abolitionists and black newspapers. It made johnsons reputation. He also became obsessed with the speech. Johnson referred to it, again and again, throughout his career whenever he wanted to make the case that he cared about black people. You are going to hear about the speech a couple times during this talk. Here is a few passages from a newspaper account of the speech. Mrs. Johnson speaking to this large crowd of African Americans in nashville. , he says in due time your leader will come forth, your moses will be revealed to you. He says this after the declaring that slavery was out and and he was not particularly authorized to do that. According to the author the singularly black crowd response and, you are our moses the exclamation was sheared, again, we want no modes but you. Again, shouted the crowd. Humbly and unworthy as i am, humbly and no better will be found, i will indeed be moses. I will lead you to the red sea of war, bondage, in a fairer future of liberty and peace. There is a whole lot of people who think johnson was dishonest here and throughout his career. I think that he was caught up in the energy. This is a man who wanted to be loved. This does not mean he wasnt a racist, he wasnt determinants to. I will have more to say about this throughout the top. To return to the reception at lincolns second inaugural. Douglas said he saw racist. Im not sure thats what he saw. In 1865 when he was in the white house or when he was running up the account in 1881, long after johnsons terrible presidency. The fact is when johnson took office in april, 1865, after the assassination of lincoln, some thought he would be more progressive than lincoln. Okay, now i want to offer just a few words on douglas during the civil war years. Before he saw johnson, douglas, from a distance, at the second inauguration. Douglas was committed to the civil war as a war of emancipation. He wanted more than emancipation. He wanted the full rights of citizenship for African Americans. In this slide, i refer to the douglass argument of 1861 to 1895, that is the year he died, basically calling for emancipation during the civil war. And also, citizenship. I know famous speeches that he gave against the war statements of a black convention in syracuse in 1864, and then remarks he made virtually every day the johnson administration, he would again and again Say Something like this. Slavery is not abolished until the black man has the ballot. The emancipation proclamation and then 13th amendment or not enough. This particular quote was taken from the speech of the may 1865 american into slavery society. Led by William Lloyd garrison who announced to the crown that society could disband because the 13th amendment and did slavery. The job was over. Douglas disagreed. He said what i just quoted here. There was a vote. They decided not to disband. They would pursue not just the end of slavery, which had had happened. But the vote and in a larger sense, citizenship. This is basically what douglas was arguing for for the rest of his life. Even when it becomes legal, he was noticing that it was still difficult for black people to vote. On johnson became the 17th u. S. President a little more than a month after lincolns second inauguration. At the spring in summer of 1865, douglass had nothing negative to say about johnson, despite what you might read in the life and times of Frederick Douglass. The radical republicans, initially, seem to like johnson. Here is an image of two of the most prominent radical republicans. Charge sumner, senator from massachusetts, and fatty is, congressman from pennsylvania. Lincolns republican party, and now johnsons republican party, but dominated by the radicals who wanted the exconfederate states to be reconstructed. I will put a special emphasis on that word, reconstructed. In addition to the end of slavery, which came up to and with 1865 13th amendment, they wanted the former leaders of the confederacy out of power. They want black men to have the right to vote. The radicals initially saw johnson as a fellow traveler. Someone who share their views. Charles sumner, for example, visited johnson. Saying that johnson told him that they agreed with everything theyve had about black voting friends. They wrote a friend, concluding with this quote. Johnson is the sincere friend of the negro and ready to act for him, decisively. And quote. As i elaborate in the book, other radical republicans had similar responses in april and into may. They thought that johnson was going to do what they wanted him to do. Things started to change. Had johnson been conning these men . Was he, in fact, like most other southern white men, or even worse . On may 29th, 1865, johnson issued an amnesty proclamation which basically allowed the mexican food states to return to the union as they had been before the civil war, except without slavery. Confederate leaders could remain in power. The government the wealthy needed to petition for pardons, but that wasnt a problem. Johnson set up an office that offered pardons. Johnsons large commitment was to restoration. I want to emphasize that word. Restoration as opposed to reconstruction. With the wild idea that the states never succeeded because secession is not allowed by the constitution that its like saying a murderer couldnt have killed because murder is against the law. According to johnson restoration should be washed over and enabled and guided by the president. Ensure he believed in president ial restoration. He wanted it to have nothing to do with congress. Republicans continue to call for congressional reconstruction. The president and congress were in conflict over the next three years. I will not go into detail about that. Interesting the, johnson continue to see himself as blacks moses. And his first year in office he met with a number of black leaders in the white house. He even allowed the possibility oflimited black suffrage. He mentions this in a private letter in an interview and even in his first annual presentation to congress. He suggested that blacks who had money and who had fought in the war might be given the right to vote. Nothing came of that. From hidden and he fought against the radical republicans who wanted full rights to suffrage for free people. It became more and more reactionary in response to the radical republicans. As i say, the radical republicans were Frederick Douglass and other African Americans turned on him more quickly. In a lecture in boston in the fall of 1865 degrees compared johnson to the president of the confederacy, jefferson davis. He warned, and im quoting now that the gains of the civil were on the verge of being lost because of the imbecility, or treachery, president johnson. Douglas and other black activists believed that something needed to be done. That takes us to douglass second meeting with johnson, on february 7th, 1866. That was in the white house. The black conventional december, 1865, douglass had proposed a black delegation should go to washington d. C. As a lobbying group to talk to congressman and the president about black rights. The group, around ten people, which included douglass, arrived and the district in late january of 1866. These are two members of the group. George downing was a black activist. He also was a caterer, a black restaurant tour from rhode island who had moved to washington d. C. He became friends with charles sumner. He got the job of being in charge of the congressional dining room. He was a prominent leader of the group. Douglass the first son of frederick and anna, had worked with his father at the journalist. He was the corresponding secretary and was involved in writing responses about the meeting. One thing i want emphasize here i emphasize this throughout the book, douglas is not acting alone. He is often working with other black activists. That is part of what i explore in the book. Johnson agreed to the meeting. This black delegation because he thought it would go well and serve is good publicity. He had a stenographer named james cliff sane who is well known as a pioneer in shorthand. He could take wonderful notes. Johnson wanted him there because he thought the record would go really well and he thought it would show he was the moses for black people. And transcript appeared in a newspaper that night. Which is an incredible testament to the stenographer, clephane. I corrected version appeared in another newspaper the next morning. The meeting with basically and ask her to get johnson on board with promoting, advocating, the blacks right to vote. The meeting went Something Like this. Downing led the group in. They greeted johnson. Johnson greeted them. They did some small talk back and forth. Johnson launched into the speech the dog with later said about an hour. The transcript suggests it wasnt that long because johnson was interrupted by questions from the blacks who were there. And when he was interrupted, johnson became a bit aggressive, feeling that the blacks, themselves, were aggressive. He would do this throughout his career, he would feel hyper defensive around black people, he would tell them, i am your mother this. At this particular moment, he says to the delegation, quote, i have said and i will repeat here that if the colored man in the United States require no other moses, or a moses moore able inefficient to myself, then i would be the most of that would lead him from bondage into freedom. And quote. Theres a little more discussion. The black delegation says thank you. They say their goodbyes and then the key thing happens, Frederick Douglass who was a performer and i think wanted to get under johnson skin, but that the door. He was about to leave any says to johnson, quote, if the president will allow me, i would like to say one or two words in reply. You enfranchise your enemies and you disenfranchise your friends. By which you meant, you enfranchise the people that during the civil war who you said we anomies. And you disenfranchise the black people. The black man, in particular, who fought for the union during the civil war. This absolutely infuriates johnson. They go back and forth between johnson and douglass. The transcript shows that this went on for quite awhile. This is just a snippet from the exchange in which douglas says let the negro once understand that he has an organic right to vote he will race over party in the Southern States among the poor who will rally with him. There is this conflict that hes begun between the wealthy slave owner and the poor man. His emphasis here is, this would be good for democracy. Johnson responds to touch right upon the point there. There is this conflict and hence, i suggest immigration. If the freedom cannot get employment in the south, he has in his power to go where he can get. This is a bold statement saying that black people can leave the south, he maybe even saying black people can leave the United States. What douglas did, in essence, what a spokes johnson for what he was. A race if you did not care about black people. This is important. Johnson was frustrated by the meeting. It got away from him, got out of his control. Privately he meets after the meeting with some aides, one of whom described the meeting in a letter to a newspaper editor deciding not to print the description because he was a johnson supporter. According to that letter, this is what johnson said. Quote. That was sons of thought they had me in a trap. I know that douglas, hes just like eddie. He uses the nword. He would just assume cut a white mans throat than not. A year later, he would offer douglas the job. For now let me just say this, the black delegation quickly drafted a response to johnson. Douglas, and his son, probably wrote. It appeared in the next days washington d. C. Newspaper and the frame to the transcript of the meeting. It helped to shape how you would read that transcript. Douglas and his delegation had real media savvy. Douglas in his 1881 autobiography says the meeting was a turning point. It exposed johnson. It may have been his main purpose. Johnsons friends came to his defense. There was some back and forth in the newspapers. Black newspapers in northern progressive journals printed this exchange and then turned against johnson. This is what douglas had to say about johnson just a few weeks after the meeting. Speaking at the black suffrage organization. What still beset of Andrew Johnson . What will be said of he who told us that the traders must take a backseat. The traders being the confederates who he spoke out against the civil war. He must take a backseat in the work of restoration. He must now invest the same with the Supreme Control of the states in which they live. What must be said of those who promised to be moses of the colored race if he becomes their pharaoh instead. In black writing you see a lot of this move this becomes the pharaoh. Douglas paused for a few moments. Explained why he must say this of him that he who was better never have been born. Following the black to legation johnson becomes even more reactionary. Lets bring in summer sees massive numbers of blacks in douglass believed that it was encouraged by johnson racism in his refusal to support black suffragists. A caricature is, kind of in the tradition of hogan, with a regular contributor to harvard weekly a painting about the massacre, riot, it has been called both things. It occurs in late july in new orleans. Johnson was not there but according to douglass he was there in spirit. Here he is to the right. He was wearing a crown. Critics say he is like a king at the time. This is a bunker. This treasonous crime. That is what johnson said about the southern confederates. If you can read this, i am your moses. The moses king is watching on as white people are coming down black people. It speaks to where douglas and other critics of johnson are coming from. Douglas continued to speak out against johnson. He developed a fabulous stump speech called, sources of danger to the republic he gave it for the first time in the summer of 1876 on numerous occasions in the book of focus on the version he delivered on january 3rd 1867. A black lecture series in philadelphia organized by William Still the African American who played such an important part in the underground railroad. A transcript of this version appeared in a philadelphia newspaper. It has not been reuntil now. I include it as an appendix in the book. I think it is fascinating to see douglas talking to a predominantly black audience. He participated in the lecture series with francis ellen walkins harper. A popular African American poet, a fiction writer, and lecturer. I wanted to say a few words about the lecture that she gave. Also in january, entitled, national salvation. Again, i want to emphasize the douglass work in tandem with other black leaders in this is a picture of harper from a book that was edited by William Still. I want to show you the conclusion of her top, national salvation, which was about racism in the north and south. It actually begins by talking about how black people in philadelphia have problems easing public transit. Racism does not exist only in the north, but racism, by her account, embody by Andrew Johnson. She says near the end, we have needed into john c in this country as a Great National must in plaster, to present self all over this nation, so that he might bring to the surface the poison if slavery which still lingers in the body politic. But when you have done what the mustard plaster, what do you do with it . Do you see how get your bosom and say that it is such a precious thing you cannot put it away . Rather, when you are done with the, you throw it aside. I love that image of tossings long johnson. He takes the racism out of the national body, and maybe the nation will be better. Douglass in his, sources of the danger to the republics beach, i will summarize it by saying it is a really fascinating speech. It does a lot of different things. He says near the beginning that drive no man from the ballot box because of his color, he no woman on account of her sex. Hes really concerned about black suffrage. And women suffrage. He got after johnson but and going after johnson he also raises questions about the constitution. He says that there are not enough checks on the presidency. He says, again and again, what happened when a batman becomes president . How are we going to stop someone who is invested with kingly powers . He attacks the one man veto. The one man power of the president and points to the president ial veto, pardoning power, and patronage as giving too much unchecked power to a bad man. He is not talking just about johnson, but in the future we could have some bad men who might want to become Kingsley Johnson and do things like use pardoning power. At the end of the speech he also supports a theory that people thought was pretty funny people knew that Andrew Johnson was going to support the south. That there was a kind of conspiracy to make Vice President into someone who is going to do awful things in terms of reconstruction. He also says, get rid of the vice presidency because Vice President s are one heartbeat away from the presidency. Go to tool the president. He gives a speech again and again in 1867. In a very strange twist in the johnson political story, johnson in 1867 proposes and a private Cabinet Meeting to appoint douglass commissioner of the freemans bureau. To fire all over otis howard. Im gonna have to go quickly right now, this is a picture of howard. He lost an arm in the civil war. He was a white man. He was loved by black people. He was the commissioner of the freemans bureau based in washington d. C. Which had offices throughout the south which was supposed to help black people in terms of education, negro issues, Money Matters in someone. Congress had set up freeman pirro, it was regarded as a very important institution. Douglas and other black people thought howard was doing a great job. Some of you in the our dont know that Howard University was named after all of our otis howard, who helped to found it. Arguably, replacing howard with douglass made no sense for a president to do except that it was a way to get douglass under johnsons control. Johnson ever made a formal offer to douglass. He worked through back channels because he didnt want to be exposed is going after douglas, especially if douglas said no. Douglasss third son, who worked at the bureau in washington d. C. Was charged with asking his father if you would like to jump, and as was william sleigh, a steward at the white house. The courtship went on in letters for several weeks. Douglass made it clear he did not want the job and then he betrayed the privacy by lending in anti johnson new york teams favor know about the offer. The editor of that newspaper wrote, the greatest black man in the nation did not consent to become the tool of the meanest white print crudest and firmness, mr. Douglass is entitled to the thanks of the country. We now come to the controversy that precipitated the february 1868 impeachment. Johnson wanted to fire edwin stanton, secretary of war under lincoln and then under johnson. Such a firing, at that time, was a illegal an Impeachable Offense under the tender of office act passed by congress in march, 1867. These are some snippets by the tenure of office act. Im gonna paraphrase, it says that someone appointed by the senate, and be removed by the senate and not just by the president. While letting that be seen has a high misdemeanor. Which would be cause for impeachment. And this is a pictu february, 1868, johnson decided to fire stanton, no matter what. This is a picture of stanton. You can see he died in 1869. He was fired, what he did after he was fired was, im not fired, thats illegal. He hid out in his office until the impeachment trial was over. I think that added a lot of stress, which might explain why he died a year later. Johnson defieds to fire stanton, even though it is a violation of the tenure of office act. Johnson was impeached for violating that act, not for his resistance to reconstruction. At least that is the case on paper. If you look at the 11 articles of impeachment, you will see a few mentions of reconstruction. It is really dominated by the tenure of office act. For that reason, the trial itself, you can read that online it is our 2000 klages. It is don, the trial was dull. Mostly about the legalists take struggle over whether the tenure of office act had been violated. The question i ask in the book is, does anyone really care . The question i point out in the book is there were no black voices at this trial. There were some moments, though not many, that johnson was a failed reconstruction president. Virtually all newspaper reports spoke to the fury of firing stanton under the articles of confederation. Here is an image of the senate during the court of impeachment. I will say that this was obviously great theater. The galleries were packed virtually every day. I dont know all that much remaining time, but my big question, where is douglas and all this . My quick answer is, he stays on the sideline for several reasons. The first being that he was clearly troubled by what a number of black newspapers called the legal quibbles that dominated the debate. He also did not want to create a distraction. Also, finally, he has his son charles, as a conduit. This is a picture of charles. One of the things i do in the book as i look at a number of letters to charles, who was based and d. C. Who writes his father about the impeachment trial. Saying, again and again, this mate is global. Deserves to be convicted of impeachment. But he did not ever talk about the tenure of office. Act in april 1866 charles got two tickets to the trial. He expected his father to come. Frederick douglass its an interesting day in the transcript because you can see representative from massachusetts, benjamin butler, attacked johnson for his racism and for causing great harm to black people. He actually said that the chief justice of the Supreme Court says, who was presiding over the trial, samuel chase, basically said that he was out of order. That is not what this trial is about. Charles, and frederick, both turned against chase. Douglass decided not to show up because he thought on to be on him not on the trial. Charles then told him about what he missed. I am sure some of you know what happened with the impeachment trial. There were votes into the 11 articles on impeachment in may, 1968. Both fell short by one vote. Douglas, his son, and frances harper, many other blacks felt betrayed. Historians have speculated that the public incident Benjamin Wade of ohio, speaker of the house, next in line of the president , he didnt want them to become president been part because he was a socialist. Part because they want to do ulysses its grant as the next president. Charles and his father both believe that johnson should have been convicted. They both thought that the Supreme Court justice, samuel chase, was at fault for keeping the proceedings overly focused on the tenure of office act. This is the photo of chase. A former abolitionist who was angling for the president ial nomination, knowing that grant would be the choice of republicans, he was trying to make the democrats happy. Here is what douglasss office had to say about chase. Again, im going to paraphrase. Charles says he will not support this man standing for the president because he held to a quiet all Andrew Johnson. Douglas of the chief moving from his abolitionists position to seemingly being an advocate for johnson was, quote, certainly one of the saddest by two goals which can afflict the eyes of men. Chases fails machinations, he says, led him to the gutter. For both charles and frederick, this is all about principles. Samuel chase had no principles. Douglass, turning down the job from Andrew Johnson, had principles. Douglas raised relatively quiet during the trial. Shortly after he expressed his unhappiness about what had happened in speech and newspaper commentary. Still he was delightful with the ratification of the 15th amendment in 1870. As he saw blacks rights to vote and do other things as citizens could do road in the post 1870 years and as he saw the continuation of jim crow practices and this cream court seeming that to be complicit in all of this, he regularly warned americans that they were returning to the inter johnson moments. We are going back to the early years of reconstruction. This is douglas on johnson five years after johnsons death. Andrew johnson, the moses of the colored race had betrayed that race into the bloodstain hands of the old master class. In the interest to move in on i will not read the rest of that but he doesnt not like johnson. He picks up on that image of johnson as moses. At the end of johnsons presidency, he moved back to tennessee and decided to run for congress. He regularly spoke to black groups they had once regarded him as their moses. He even showed them newspaper clippings of his fame mostly speech he also, very perceptive the, told them that was like a former slave. He wanted their love and their vote he also had some understanding of what the blacks are suffering in the south. For that reason, w. E. B. Boys in his great 1935 book on black and reconstruction calls johnson not the most evil manner in history but, and i quote, the most pitiable figure in American History. Johnson had promised he let that down. It is a part of what the title of the book is all about. Johnson lost the congressional election. In 1865 he was named senator tennessee. He served several months in office before dying in tennessee. He dies not as the most hated person as he is generally now but heres an image from korean in awes death of the honorable Andrew Johnson. Widely circulated at the time. I do not see any black people at the scene of this crime. Meanwhile, here is douglas circa 1880. If douglas were alive today, and i implore you not to make conclusions, he would implore you about what is going on in georgia, texas, in outerwear with states restricting Voting Rights which he no doubt takes us back to the days of jim crow. This is the important but. He would also remind us of american ideals and possibilities. One of douglasss famous late career speeches he addressed discourage a black linked genes in the country. Everything he fought for seem to be in jeopardy. This is the lecture printed at a pamphlet in 1894. That is when he gave the lecture. He has a lot of things to say about the horrors of lynching. These are his concluding words. They would be my concluding words as well. Put away your race prejudice. Banished the idea that one classless rule over another. Recognize the fact that the rights of the humblest citizens are as worthy of protection as those of the highest, and your problems will be solved, and, whatever maybe in store for it in the future, whether prosperity, or adversity, whether it will whether there will be peace and war based upon the internal principles of truth, justice, and, humanity. With no class having any cause of complaint agreements, your public will and flourish forever. I love this conclusion hes basically saying, continue the good fight. Continue the good fight based on the ideal of the nation as he understood them, right . Ideals of democracy and ideals of freedom. So, im going to stop there. And i think you. And this point i was going to take questions that are on chat. Lets see if i can see them. Question from youtube, did Andrew Johnson ever visit or speak university. Good question, i want to say i dont know but i also want to say that i am an english professor that reads a lot. I read the 15 volumes of johnsons papers. If i had seen he was speaking at fist university, i think i wouldve noticed. I think im going to say, no. Another question, do we know if the freemans bureau did aid formerly enslaved in registering to vote . I think that did happen. That wouldve been around 1870. The freemans bureau shortly thereafter was decommissioned. Decommissioning allowed allowed for the upsurge of jim crow practices in efforts to stop black people from voting. At this point these are the only two questions. Happy to take more, more questions. Ill be looking at the chat. I can emphasize a few things about the book that i didnt emphasize during the top, one thing is that, i try to offer a nuanced betrayal of Andrew Johnson. It is not just many fable of good versus evil. When i give the manuscript to friends in literature and history to read, people have said, some people are saying, you are taking a risk here. We do know that johnson was an awful president who failed in the job that we all wish she did. I have the same time im struck by his efforts. Between 1863 and 1865 to reach out to black people to challenge slavery. He even at one point, as i said, suggested that he would be open to the possibility of blacks voting. Those of you who know your American History know that abraham lincoln, himself, never actually did not live to see the day when blacks can vote. In his very last speech before he was assassinated he said that he could imagine giving the vote to two groups of black people. The first is, quote, the intelligent. What is that . How do you determine that . The second is those who fought in the civil war. He shared that with johnson, at least in 1865, the idea that blacks who fought in the civil war could vote. Johnson also thought the blacks who held property could vote. Lincoln came up with this idea of the intelligent which wouldve been hard to figure out. All of us wouldve loved to see what lincoln wouldve done a president. Lincoln was more pragmatic than johnson. If johnson could pick a fight he would pick a fight. Lincoln listened suddenly he needed them and then all of these features that he gives about being a black moses he is about his paternalistic you can be. But you could also say hes kind of needy. He wants love he wants love from black people. And yet he is doing the worst possible things to black people. While hes president , and then the irony is the precisely because he is the radical republicans had to speed up the passage and ratification of the 14th and 50 amendments. So by 1870 alexa writes and ship Ulysses S Grant is president and he is someone who cared about black people and then the question is where do things go wrong . Andrew johnson wasnt there . I wasnt bought so its not just about johnson and and when you talk about reconstruction from a black perspective you get a larger sense of the white racism everywhere that they had. To fight and douglass one of the great fighters against that racism to the time of his death. And was inspired by the founding documents of the nation so its been a real honor to be here and thank you and you certainly read more about all of this in my new book, which was published last week by wwe norton called the failed pro