William Bilbo News Today

In American Civil War history at Dickinson College of course the alma mater of both president buchanan and chief Justice Taney for what thats worth. Matt is the author of a number of books and articles including lincolns sanctuary which is a history of the soldiers home where lincoln would go during the summer and he is the author of a forthcoming book which i think will radically force us to think about lincoln in a new way. Its hard to imagine anything that could force us to think about lincol...

The u. S. Capital historical society. Its about 45 minutes. Our next speaker is matt pinsker the associate professor of history and holds the chair in American Civil War history at Dickinson College of course the alma mater of both president buchanan and chief Justice Taney for what thats worth. Matt is the author of a number of books and articles including lincolns sanctuary which is a history of the soldiers home where lincoln would go during the summer and he is the author of a forthcoming bo...

Reject the scholar who doesnt give them what they want. It strikes me, in other words they are engaging in some way. Just on their own terms. You know, someone like Steve Mcqueen has an idea and he found this book. He had an idea. His wife found him the book and he put it all together and that is the narrative and the story and he has his ideas and scenes. I was struck powerfully by spielberg having scenes in his mind telling the historians what he saw. Was it possible . Could it be . What was t...

Theyre really quite intelligent, very intelligent, but are trained in a way that theyve been trained differently from the way we have so that they are interested in, you know, the impact visually and what people hear. And the overarching story or theme or thesis they want to put forward. And so whenever they come to historians, its not as theyre writing the work. It is usually after theyve already worked out in their mind what the opening scene is going to look like and the rest of it. And the s...

Worth mentioning. 1848 is this wonderful moment where people like Thaddeus Stevens, Abraham Lincoln and Alexander Steven are all young, rising whigs who are supporting taylor and working together. It was stevens who was one of the confederate peace commissioners lincoln is dealing with in the end. When we thing of the civil war in military terms, we talk about the mexican war as a precursor, a prelude, but the congress that lincoln served in has Horace Greely and Alexander Stevens and sidelines ...

My sons came up with the idea a few years ago i should take p n plantation mistress to hollywood and say, real housewives of the old south. You should. But the patriot, at the same time, youre sitting there and these little freshmen come in, and why are you here, whats your interest . And they saw the film. Part of it is to get people excited about the past even if its not our past, even if its nobodys past, some fantasy past. Vampire past. And this brings us a question of what constitutes a fil...

Television because black and white. A con cue period but not modern. Anything even in the 1990s might offend southern advertisers. That was the idea. In some ways i think television is a medium that responds so commercially and waits for, you know, like something happens in film and then five to ten years later it becomes okay. Im thinking of this, ive been oust the country for almost ten years and i notice it in the language on television what is now acceptable. Wait. They can see that on tv . ...

For example in january 1865, ab maryland has abolished slavery. Bn. The confederates are talking about offering limited emancipation in order for talk service in the army. Things have changed. This was not a debate they woult have in the cabinet in the way that Tony Horowitz or steven in spielberg portrayed. Such its such a wonderful thing to see, a film addressing such a fm complicated issues, but the timing is all wrong. Timi ecti from ave dramatic perspective, frostbite an Artistic License pe...

Amistad and the moment in the film where, which is certainly taken from the case. They throw them over board. The slaves are shackled and thrown overboard is one of the most visually powerful, arresting scenes. When i went to the International Museum of slavery in liverpool they had their own version of that so it is something that we deal in words and powerfully in telling stories but its something that we now in the 21st century back to media have to grapple with. Whos going to look at it . Ho...

Climactic scene on the floor of the house on the day of the vote, january 1st, 1865, they have james spader and john hay running to the white house to get the note from lincoln. None of that happened. The note, we think, is real, though we dont have the original of it. Its a recollection from james ashley, but James Spaders character, william bilbo, was in new york at the time, at the st. Nicolas hotel. The lobbyists were in new york in the final weeks of the fight working the press. The race sc...