Booktv. Org. Now we kick off the weekend with historian Leeanna Keith who looks at the origins of the Republican Party. [inaudible conversations] good evening. Cspan is here, so thats why our lights are super bright. Welcome, my name is kate whitman, and i am the Vice President of community engagement, and im delighted to have you all here. Tonights presentation is a livingston lecture made possible through generous funding of the livingston foundation. Please join me in thank them. [applause] and now to introduce our speaker for thissen evening who will tell you why she is sitting down like this. Leeanna keith teaches history at the Collegiate School for boys in new york city. Shes the author of the colfax massacre, untold story of black power. And most recently [inaudible] she joins us to discuss tonight. Kirkus review, which is an industry publication, a wellresearched, denselydetailed account [inaudible] planted the roots for the civil rights movement. And then [inaudible] Important Role of socalled radical republicans [inaudible] mainstream american thinking and during the civil war. Please join me in welcoming Leeanna Keith. [applause] and thanks, everybody. Please forgive me for remaining seated. Im going to just tell you what happened to me so youll know, i know yaw want to know you want to know how i broke my leg are. I was biking right before thanksgiving, and and a cement mixer pulled up beside me and sideswiped me. So i feel very lucky to be here at all. Im going to be fine. So now im going to tell you a story about the civil war. And afterwards, all youre going to be remember is im the lady who got hit by the cement truck. [laughter] what can i say, thats my story. You know, ive been traveling, and one thing about my book is theres a lot of local history in there, you know . It started to happen in different places, and so when i went to virginia, i talk about what happened in virginia, and when i go to new orleans, i talk about what happened in new orleans. And then i come to georgia. Not much takes place. I recognize a pattern earn [inaudible] didnt start before or the 1850s and continued through the end of the war with. 18541865. And then it begins in the north, it moves to the west, it finds its way into the south. And as you know, georgia is the last place in a lot of ways, the radical movement finish. [inaudible] and so theres no story about georgia until i get to the very end of the war. And i was swum dated by intimidated by how to work georgia into the story. But i was thinking about it. Is georgia is, in a way the state that has the greatest and the least impact of the radical republican movement. And i just want to tell you a little bit about what is radical republicanism before i get into the georgia part of the story, what are the radical who are thed radicals. The radicals are people, first, who believe that kansas should be a free state, and they were willing to organize themselves as immigrants, they were willing to take up arms as necessary to defend the idea of a free kansas. And second, kansas i mean, radical meant to resist the fugitive slave act operations in the north and in the west, to organize committees, to assault courthouses sometimes with battering rams to rescue fugitives caught up in what they saw as up just rendition system. Could be john brownist in the 1850s, you know . The Republican Party was home to a number of people, its radical factions, who were deeply engaged with john brown as conspirators, as fundraisers. And its not only the secret six who become famous, browns sort of coconspirators, but also a lot of rank in file republicans who argued in favor of brown, who [inaudible] brown the hero once the Harpers Ferry to lean into thatted idea. And when shortly after harper s ferry the navy had sort of taken down the war road, to be a radical republican meant to be in favor of a hard war, to be in favor of a war that would not end and be resolved quickly, but would demand so much of the nation that people balm willing to confront slavery and to terminate it. And so for thed radical republicans in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson who was a radical, good is a good doctor, but bad is sometimes better. It was the only way we were going to address these fundamental issues. To be a radical also means to support the idea of military emancipation. First through the policy they call the contraband policy which recognized property and place. And yet said that people got into the vicinity of military operations were being used for military purposes and, therefore, they were contraband of war and could legitimately be seized and protected, sheltered from being repatriated to their owners in the name of mull tower necessity. And similarly, support the idea of military emancipation as its realized in the i emancipation proclamation in late 1862, early 1863. To be a radical meant to [inaudible] the idea of black military service and to advocate for and recognize black. [inaudible] which happens during the war. To be a radical meant that on the foundation of their military service, black men had earned Citizenship Rights that should be recognized. And on while the war was still going on, before the 14 amendment, before the 15th amendment, there was a movement to assure black men and women that they had the full rights of citizens, to recognize them in court and also to extend Voting Rights and other Citizenship Rights to black men at least. And so thats not the last step in the radical program. But one of the most important and enduring steps. The last step that was only embraced by the radicals was the idea of confiscating and redistributing property in the south. The idea that treason must be made odious and that the seizure of regular states and the redistribution of that property to deserving africanamericans was not only the just dee e certs desserts that rebels, traitors had earned, but also the foundation of a new social order in which africanamericans would be elevated beyond their status and could take their place among other citizens in a way thats the most radical. And as it happens, thats the one that makes its mark most felt here in georgia. But its not really until this last piece of the radical agenda that georgia comes into play s and many of you know that even though steps 17 of how to be a radical republican dont make an impact here, georgia is home to the famous field order 15 which designated a space 30 miles from the coast that could only be occupy by black people. Starting in january of 1865. And that each black family that established itself in those formerly rebelheld property would get 40 acres, and in practice although not in order itself, access to equipment such as mules and other Farm Equipment that the army had access to. This is a problematic thing to present as an example of radical republicanism because of who general sherman is. Hes certain lu not a remoney. In fact, he really hated politicians. And hes definitely not a radical on the subject of Race Relations. [inaudible] hes quoted many times making, you know, extremely racist statements. And so hes not our man when were setting the radical republicans. Yet i want to argue tonight that his policy of confiscating and recontributing rebel states, which redistributing rebel states is the work of radicals and that in the critical moments when decisions are made that culminate [inaudible] the radical republicans are present. In fact, at least two are present. One, the reverend james d. Lynch, who ill tell you about, an africanamerican missionary and republican activist who had been traveling with the army who happened to be in savannah at the time that it was captured by [inaudible] and presented to lincoln as many of you know as a christmas gift, christmas of 1864. And also present is edwin m. Stanton, secretary of war. Hes a democrat at the start of the war, but he becomes one of the the leading radicals. In fact, so much so, so important to the movement that his service as secretary of war comes despite the issue during the administration of ann true johnson, his effort to fire stanton as secretary of war is what culminates in johnsons impeachment and his near removal, the failure to removal [inaudible] so i want to say that the radicals are present, and they are present behind the scenes of shermans order 15. And that was actually kind of the typical place to find not so much lynch, but a typical place to find ed stanton who had a reputation during the war as a manipulator, as a backroom operative, as a sneaky radical who puts his mark without letting his face be seen. He is, of course, one of the more famous members of the Lincoln Administration. And many of you may be familiar with lincolns famous statement about how important stantons services were to him as stanton was his rock, and without him he couldnt imagine how the war could have been won. But he was not the kind of character that commanded a lot of loyalty and enthusiasm. In fact, stanton has two problems that keep him from being, you know, a famous face of the radical republican movement. Keep people from perceiving him as a humanitarian activist. And one of those is his [inaudible] behind the scenes, and im going to give you some examples of that to keep his name out of the papers. But the other is his incredible aggressive rudeness. The thing about stanton was that he was incredibly intolerant of other peoples opinions in the war years. Hehe was incredibly impatient wh the way people expressed themself. He did not hesitate to speak out and say things that were not complimentary. [laughter] in fact, he was described by one as someone whose rudeness was incredible, whose unpopularity was amazing. [laughter] his amazing unpopularity. And the same critics described him as being different from lincoln as any person could be, right . Where lincoln was kindly, stanton was imperious. And where lincoln was funny, stanton was rude and humorless. In fact, he hated lincolns stories. You see him depicted in the story, stanton is, oh, i cant hear another story, and thats very true [laughter] in his real persona. Lincoln once said, oh, did stanton say im a damn fool . Well, i guess it must be true. [laughter] because hes usually right, and he always says what he thinks. [laughter] but the same person who criticizes him and described his unpopularity, i amazing unpopularity also said that this was also part of his strength, his total abdication of himself in the war emergency, his willingness to offend, to be unpopular, to never engage in courtesies, every motion, every action [inaudible] as well as a flaw. Stantons behind the scenes operations, his reputation as a back door operator is also well deserved, but i to want to say that operating on the down low in his way stanton did so much to advance the idea especially that black men should serve in the United States army and that that service entitled them to the full rights of citizens. He is very much an engine behind that idea, and im going to give you some examples of how that worked. He not only had this idea even before he became the secretary of war that black men should serve, but he had ideas how best they should serve, how they should be drilled, how the companies should be formed and how they should dress. And in this particular, he showed to be pragmatic as well as fun in advocating that black men wear red pantaloons. The practicalness of this idea was that the army was well supplied with red [laughter] those who are civil war buffs, and i cower before you really when q a comes. Im ready. But those of you who know about the war know that in the early weeks the craze for the frenchstyle uniform was and the f company formed in the north, they decked themselves out in short jackets with [inaudible] and red pantaloons, but out proved in a military context to be kind of a liability. [laughter] and so within some weeks, no white soldier is willing to accept these red reck by siss, and the iraq by decisions requisitions. Well, we can get the black troops to wear them. Theyll be grateful for the opportunity, theyll be happy to have nice pants. This was his idea. And i meant it not just to say that its funny because it has a very unfunny element as well, but because it points fingers, and when hes trying to hide, you can see its because of the red pants. [audio difficulty] there are two places that come early into the sphere of Union Control, two places in the confederacy in 161 1861 and 1862. Whereas in most places the United States was losing in the first years of the war, but the two places that are within access of our navy are easy for the union to control because the Confederate Navy cannot reis suggestion the sort of bulk of the union naval power. And its easy to claim. [inaudible] adjacent to georgia, South Carolina and florida. And also new orleans. Which falls to the union in the spring of 62. Comes into Union Control in no of 61. November of 61. These two places are the first to really experiment with whats going to happen after slavery, what does it look like to create a new social order. And as it happens also, both of these locations will be home to the experiment, the first experiments withen end listing black men in the early for the United States. Now, some of you may have a sense that [inaudible] but were perhaps in kansas or North Carolina. And in my book i tell the story of how essentially at the same time four experimental black regiments are assembled in these four different locations. But the hand of stanton is so physical, it leads to [inaudible] new orleans and i want to tell you a little bit about that. Sea island, a place that many of you georgians are quite familiar with, places like South Carolina, places like hilton head, these places fall early into union command, and they early become home to social experiments. In the sea islands, it was a group of northern missionaries who came down to teach, to organize, to try to establish successor kind of labor system to slavery and to find ways to make money and make the world a better place in the sea islands. At the same time, it becomes home to not the first, but the second order of general emancipation issued by a union general. I tell the story in my book about the command in st. Louis, the division of the west, where fremont late in 1861 issues a emancipation proclamation, and its immediately and specifically shot down by the Lincoln Administration which says thats not within the authority of a general, thats only within the authority of the president , and fremont is forced to resunday rescind his emancipation order. But a much more low profile emancipation takes place in the sea islands theater where general david hunter who was a friend of lincolns and a radical republican took command. And even before he arrived, he had advertised to president lincoln himself his intention to break slavery and to experiment with a new social order. He pleaded in a letter to lincoln, please, let me have my way as regards slavery in such a way that i can leave a mark, and i promise that none of the responsibility will fall on you, ill take it all on me. Well, you know, a lot of commanders in chief wouldnt want to hear that. But lincoln was ready to hear that. Lincoln was eager to experiment. And yet also very eager to moderate and control the public discussion of slavery. You know, lincoln, we call him honest abe, but if you look at his politics in action, he was very careful to use the section, to use silence to build Public Opinion in favor of things that were important to him but were controversial. And david hunters intentions to make trouble in the sea islands islands welcome news to lincoln so long as hunter s in a position to keep it quiet. If he can keep it quiet, it creates a great opportunity to see just what happens when you issue an emancipation order. And thats what happens, he issues ab order in which he says all the enslaved people in the Department Staff are declared hence forward forever free. And then the next day he follows up with another proclamation. All men of military age in the sea Islands District subject to conscription, and were going to begin the process of forming black regiments. And so he does, he sends his Junior Officers onto plantations. They find the healthy and ablebodied men, thaw encourage them they encourage them to join the union arm. They appoint officers, and he creates a regiment. They call themselves the first South Carolina volunteers, and they even participate in military operations as far south as jacksonville are, florida. And lincoln [inaudible] thats very interesting whats happening, im very interested in that. Try to keep it going, try to keep it quiet. We dont want people talking about this. This is excessive information that we dont need to talk about. And this is where stanton gets involved. Stanton plays a role to encourage general hunter and also to encourage general hunter to be quiet. And yet the news gets out, right . Something like this cant be kept under wraps, especially when theyre beginning to engage in military operations. It soon becomes the subject of a scandal, and the next thing you know congress is involved, and theyre asking questions. This is bad news for stanton, right . He doesnt want to hear it. Charles sumner, who many of you know is the leading voice of the radical republicans in the senate, he wished [inaudible] without actually talking about it. [laughter] damn him, why didnt he do it and say nothing about it . As it is, it becomes a controversy that lincoln has to weigh in. And lincoln actually writes a letter where he says to slave holders, you cannot be blind to signs of the times. Look at whats happening. And so each though he doesnt permit hunter to move forward and he actually requires hunter to issue a counterorder nullifying emancipation and disbanding the first South Carolina volunteers, hes rooting for the idea on the inside. As Congress Gets involved, you know, they want to know how did hunter get this idea, whats the connection between hunters black reg