Journalists and Science Fiction novelist discusses his book and activism. After a day of social distancing, get close to a good book tonight printed book tv from cspan2. Kathryn good evening everyone and welcome to book passage. Thank you for coming up tonight on a tuesday night. There are so many things that you could be doing. You made a really good decision coming here, this is a smart crowded pretty you will be mesmerized and just fascinated by the program we have for you tonight in the vein we ask that you turn your cell phones off because you will not need them. Do not look at your cell phone for the next hour. I guarantee it. You will be completely mesmerized by our authors. We are so proud to bring you today. So thank you for supporting book passage and we are an independent bookstore, one of the very few remaining independent bookstores. [applause]. Thank you and we are very proud of that fact. Thanks for comingan to our location here. We also have a beautiful store in the seri building in San Francisco and if you have never been there, it is a beautiful building. Go in and buy a few books and go have dinner in the city. It is really wonderful way to spend yourr evening. And remember book passage is just sous much more than a bookstore. We bring to you probably 1000 author readings every year if you can believe that. And in addition we also have all ddkinds of classes, language and writing and book groups we have childrens classes and finally, i am proud to say that we are going green. We have been introducing paper newsletter which i know some of you received in the mail starting in march. And were going to do email only starting in march so if we dont have your email youre not getting our email list papers please sign up with these little green pieces of paper the hard at the registers. We will get you on that list. We still have calendars and Event Promotions in the store. When rents are spaced too. I know there are some events, corporative Party Planners out there, and talk to me afterwards and im happy to give you any information regarding our vent and spaces for rent. Book passage, has a mission to enrich and engage and inspire. And we have been a wonderful family owned, they area institution for over 40 years. So thank you to our patrons. We want to keep the doors open for another 40 years rain and to serve. [applause]. In this newest book, the First Congress, they tell a story of the most momentous and most Productive Congress in t americn history. When the members of the First Congress met in new york, in 1789, the new nation was still fragile. It was torn by sectional differences. Hobbled by competing currencies and customer debt. In this ditch together only tentatively by the constitution. While the constitution provided a set of principles but it offered few instructions about how the system should invest work. Limit to congress and the president , to create the machinery of government. Had congress failed, United States as we know it may not exist. Will Abraham Lincoln lead the nationon of Congress Actually directed the civil war. History written by an amazing storyteller offers a riveting history. And is this book argues that congress got it right. Fergus, is the author of seven nonfiction books and he is published an illustrated a childrens book. It and wrote the script for a pbs documentary about thomas jefferson. He softened edited 1989 men and the mask her. Lisa frequent book reviewer for the wall street journal and other boat publications. His war in new york city, and well growing up he often traveled to indian reservations around the United States with his mother. This served as the executive director of the association on American Indian affairs. Then, the only independent organization for native americans. This early experience helped to shape his life long preoccupation with american history. The settlement of the continent and issues of race, and political power. Today he lives in San Francisco with his lovely wife who was also here joining us. And it is my greatest pleasure to welcome to our book passage stage, a master storyteller, vargas. [applause]. Guest thank you. How does the sand. Does that sounds okay . Thank you think you open the book passage and having me here and in my commendation to the store, thousands of writers come here every year. They are working and gasping free of any air. Also for sustaining the writing life in keeping books available to people in an independent venue. You dont have to go through that place online that we all know about. [laughter]. Hungry to be speaking tonight about my most recent Book Congress and war and i really appreciate the shout out for my last book which was the First Congress which came out three years ago and soon i wouldnt call it a prelude but it led to this book. This is as you can obviously tell a political history. Personally i find politics fascinating and dramatic. I am interested in writing the books id like to read. And that is to say, i think there is no excuse for book about politics being boring. You might read it, and you might not think i have accomplished it but ive been surfing in all the books ive done to make an challenging me and keep challenging material accessible. I think what i would like to do this by the way is right now, this minute is the first step in the launch of myis book. This is the first event, this in the first talk, thank you. [applause]. Im not entirely sure what you will get here but i do my best. I go from here, baltimore to washington and that i am speaking at the National Archives and congress and some other places in washington after this. I want to read a very short section here from the book to create a mood. And this is washington in early 1861 and then i will take off from that and talk to you more generally about the book of paul hung over that area. Even in the best neighborhoods, the yards saint from putrefying house. The rooming houses were most Congress Members left, the halls of capital itself smelled of wet wool and clothing and cigars in a charcoal that struggled to warm the under heated chambers of congress. Slavery pervaded the city like the stink of horse manure. Although free blocks and though there are number, investors of the human flesh, across the river. The 3100 is lame to men women and children, who are still inexplicably woven into the fabric of o Washington Holding doors driving can range charges cleaning the mud from boots and tending tables and suckling white babies and reminded whites at every turn that the institution that was featuring the nation was alive and thriving in its capital. It was still tentative only semipermanent quality too much of the city. At the western it and of the national mall, u really just a field where sheep and cows graze, the ugly stuff of the Washington Monument like a finger locked off at the first joint. For lack of financing. The lead changed since 1949, when visiting Charles Dickens described it as nondescript dwelling, and this is wide street that petered out and empty fields and city of magnificent distances. Nothing more epitomized the city than the capital itself surrounded by the marble blocks and they dome streaming around the building like the symbolic figments of the nation in pieces. Washingtonians had and felt dume. The city of jeffersons davis wife felt as though her husbands last days in the senate slipped away was like some kind of mausoleum with no one visiting and no dinners or parties, just a solemn gloom and pending overall things. On january 27, ohio represented and he wrote to his wife, i am able to do no good here. No one can. So i sit and obliged to sit quiet and condemned as oneob who watches over the couch of a lovedou mother slowly dying with consumption. To see my country perish by inches. Americans who had taken their nations and mortality for granted, knew that things would never be the same again. Maybe seats in the house and the senate and spoke of revolution in terms of more graphic than any of the stormy words that have been spoken during the months passed. With the departure of the. Southerners, gloom shaded into fear and events work spinning out of control the worst might actually come to pass. Rumors flew through the air that the defenseless capital would be attacked by virginia mob and they would come any day. Unexplained fires around the city were part of thert terrorit plots. And he and his wife and uprising were so likely that he might have a center the mountains. Others dispatch their wives and children to philadelphia or new york for safety. Of the nationss entire army of 16367 men, fewer stationed east of the mississippi river. Most of them were in the states. Even the armies general in chief who lowbu the date buchanan, mae his headquarters in new york city. Scott quickly recognize the gravity of the danger to the capital however and over washington boasts several malicious companies, they were more social clubs than military units. Many of their members were synthetic to the confederacy. The National Rifles in particular i quietly men armed and chilly Greg Buchanan disloyal former secretary of war. Clinic commanders openly he can wanted to prevent Union Volunteers for reaching the capital. Government spies also reported a pota from the Government Departments looting the treasury and provisional government. Three companies of artillery were ordered back from frontier and another contingent from west point would take weeks for them to arrive. Clear with the crisis and unnerved citizens asked each other. Representatives john millan i worried that emily will state succeed from the union, but counties from season cities and towns for both. And this is the work of disintegration and dissolution go on and on until the whole frame of society and governments will be involved in one bottomless and of chaos and ruin. Panic waso not limited to washington. Coastal shipping shrink by having shipyards going bankrupt in new york city, commercial firmsro made up of hundreds entirely truth itself suddenlyse disintegrated. Bond is secured by property crashed into commercial traffic happened in green prices fell by 20 percent cotton even further. Even the ice industry would shift new england ice to the south disappeared. Banks failed all of the midwest. And eventually including nearly half of those in wisconsin as many as those and three quarters of them in illinois. Financier is going for a ray of hope but found none. Rumors multiplied of the secret pro southern organizations that was seen as the armories breaking the banks and the homes of prominent republicans. Impression today deeper than ever, the new york George Templeton strongly recorded. Most people give up all hope of saving the government and anticipate general bankruptcy revolution, loblaw, chaos in ruins. In the white house, president buchanan remains there. Had this old mollusk become a series by darwin wouldve been confirmed he wrote. And the echoing halls of congress, the republicans and remaining southerners side stepped each other with our eyes and averted to angry or too ashamed to speak. So this is what it felt like on the cost of the war. And really think about the civil war, most people wrote about what is happening on the battlefield. When remarkably little that would happen politically. Most of that is about Abraham Lincoln. Its easy to understand why somebody would want to write about Abraham Lincoln. Hes been written about more than any other person that is not hard to understand but it was much more happening in washington and theres more ihappening politically, and mot of what was important that was happening was happening on capital hill. Politics led to the war, war effort, it drove the war to revolutionary conclusion and it was a revolution. And give us lasting meaning. I think it is an epic, as gripping as anything that took place between the opposing armies. Also a human story about man very few of whom expected to face the worst crisis in the countrys history. Everetalbert riddle, radical republican, from indiana he wrote, mr. Lincoln, cabinet and the 37th congress were elected to do anything, everything except what was billed to them to do pretty despite the greatest civil war of history. They came upon them is an utter surprise. Congress saved a multitude of challenges. How could the north be mobilized for this more, unimaginable magnitude with congress, or the president responsible for leading the war efforts. The sanctity of southern property including safes, or the ruthlessness that would bring the seated states more quickly to the knees. But the constitution says in the name of national security. How the war be paid for read when the financial burden break the northern economy. What should white americans do about slavery. Could republicans prevent their party from splitting between antislavery radicals and those who are willing to tolerate slavery as long as it was contained in the south pretty bare in mind the democrats had already broken it. Should africanamericans be recruited to serve in the army. When white soldiers refuse to fight alongside them. After the war was on assuming that the north triumph, through the Southern States be broken up for the should they be prosecuted as criminals. There was no consensus on any of these questions. And many others. If suspicion of Central Government, and distrust in general of strong executive in particular and embedded traditions of the states rights in the north as well as the south. They threatenor to undermine the countrys warmaking ability. Deep racism present any attempt to emancipate slaves. Many unionists, especially in the border states, especially like missouri, maryland and delaware. Many unions in the states regarding any kind of tampering with slavery as a it was a threat to basic Property Rights rep. Of john of one, proslavery unionists for maryland declared that if you take from us today, our right to hold slaves, how long will it be before you will take for most of other constitutional rights. He was a unionist. The southerners had gone to the republicans for the First Time Ever held the majorities in both sides of the congress. Both chambers by 1861 or empty and abandoned. Their absence opened the gates to europe legislation activism that would change American Society beyond recognition during the next four years, congress would help when the war, have peace and reinvent the nations Financial System and forwardlooking legislation that had been lost for decades by southern interest in them read at a course in doing that, Congress Also laid the foundation for the strong activist Central Government that came fully into being in the 20th century. Inpermanently, also altered the relationship between the states and the federal government and enshrined the protection of civil rights as a responsibility of the federal government. Measured by the urgency of what they faced and binder astonishing productivity, the torah wartime congressman, were among the most effective in american history. Ohio senator a republican, the brother of general william sherman, predicted that the many landmark laws that they pass will be a monument for good or evil. The covered such vast delegate and regulate good power and so their effectsn that generations will be affected will or ill by them. Congress rate raised hundreds of thousands of troops actually millions and instituted the actuallyn the First Military graph and volunteers run out. The project consistently against we can for more aggressive strategy because the south and the recruitment of africanamericans. In providing financing for the war, congress created the First National currency, the front runners of the Internal Revenue service. The foundation of the Federal Reserve system. Hello before lincoln became willing to contemplate emancipating the slaves, members of Congress Demanded and enact an incremental series of wars that turned of volitional is him promote free belief of her public policy. The homestead act changed the face of the west, the Pacific Railway act connected the nations heartland when californian was the largest and expensive project undertaking in the United States at the time. Relandgrant act laid the groundwork for public state universities systems nationwide. In these last three that i mentioned were not commonly recognized as more measures, it was the war that made them politically possible. Unless happily the wide spread monitoring of antiwar dissidents created a surveillance of private communications and allegedly unpatriotic it became the future of presentday light. Now at least Congress Also beginning a racial and economic revolution that was over the economy and transformed 4 million slaves from pieces of property and his soldiers and free men and women and ultimately culminating in the 13th amendment. At one point during the war, the angel of liberty has one part of the nation and the of slavery the other. Both of them whispered and shouted into the years of congress and have struggled forward through the war years. In this book, i tried or treat conventional politics is a dynamic art and in endless seeking of compromise and the transmutation of hopes and ideas into politics and generally try to keep the story within the historical presence and by that, i mean, i want you to feel the anxiety and the uncertainty is sometimes the fear and despair as well as a patriotic server and sometimes the rational confidence that characterized almost every stage of thete war when no one knew how to deal with this. Union victory was never emancipation or never even lincolns direction or reelection in 1964. This isnt a book about politics, and its them and who practiced it. I would like to be able to say men and women who practiced it but out of luck. [laughter]. I try to capture the sound of the voices of the passions and the urgency of the battle over issues that still serve our concerns and our motions. Most members were professional politicians and lawyers in sprinkles of businessmen and farmers and journalists, they fawere brilliant and colorfully combative. The house ofho representatives, James G Blaine latham lake boat, theres no place for so little reference is paid to reputations. No place for so little consideration in terms of the feelings or the failures of beginners. Women gained here, gained by sheer force of character and if he loses and falls back, ms expected no mercy and will receive no something. And notionally better, this is r no exaggeration when you actually read the debates in the letter that members were writing about their fellow members. I build the mainly around foreman. Three of them for republicans and of these to work outspoken radicals. Rep. Thaddeus stevens of pennsylvania was probably the fiercest abolitionist in congress. As well as a master parliamentary strategy and the de facto majority leader in the house. And ben wade of ohio, was a driving force in the senate on behalf of the heart of war against confederacy and he chaired the joint committee on the conduct of the war which oversaw the union more effort. Senator william of maine was a conservative by nature and only cautiously aligned himself with the radicals who more than any other man, he was responsible for the legislation that had enabled the north for the war. I am not sure how the time will work out here but i wanted to give you a snapshot of these three guys. I love them. I loved writing about thesese mn did i think is one or two lines, and have already given you, or insufficient. So first, i will redo about bennett wade. Chairman of the joint committee on the conduct of the war. From ohio. Northeast ohio. Ben wade, have remained remarkably restrained until now. In the midst of a debate. At 60, he was a tall man with high cheekbones, sharp bright eyes in the manner of bulldog accuracy notes one journalist pretty intimate, he looked at the contest with the merciless iowa gladiator about to close in to the desperate, his style of speech was offhand and frequently profane. Very profane. In many warmed to a scene, his hiron gray hair visibly bristld in his voice rose to a roar. Anyone unbutton his best and tear off his collar and jumped onto his heels as he brought his arms down. And eight was uncompromising. I know no high or low or black nor white, all are created by one god and all are entitled to the same privileges. Lahe declared. That is beenn waived. He was very large in this book. This next paragraph talks about Thaddeus Stevens and another. As chairman respectively of the ssenates finance committee and the Means Committee responsibility for creating financial machinery commensurate with the governments needs help incessant tent. Both men understood better than the secretary of the treasury, the strong and trusting relationship between the treasury and in the northern moneyman was imperative. Their combined energies where armies in the field are read into it much in common. They were skillful technicians, lawyers by trending, singlemindedly committed to the union and from the same rocking new england soil. It stevens though made his career in pennsylvania was morning vermont. In the was forming. Both could be harsh. They can tolerate sometimes referred to as stevens as chairman of the committee of minimum rage. [laughter]. While the other guy was well known to have no patience for humbug enough tolerance for borers. The selfcontained guys were to the point of feistiness by stevens to contrast was one of the most i flamboyant men in the house predict a driver, bitter, quick as electricity with a sarcastic blasting went a younger member was an receiving end of that. All stevens was notorious is one of the houses leading abolitionist, the great mobile of abolitionism, a newspaper called him, he can earn himself a pragmatism on the part of slavery. But he could be unexpectedly touched printed in july the visitor came and brought with him a small child. Slavery was illegal ands and washington. A plane and the carpet and he chatted for an hour he impressed him with his intelligence. Incessant and wrote after it to aa friend. The thought that it was owned like a dog, by one of his fellow creatures, made me utter fresh malediction son and institution which upholds such an atrocity. So these were the men who were driving forefront. The fourth figure whom i treated greatly think the book is ohio rep. Who was an northern democrat with southern empathy carried in the leading advocate of the negotiated peace pretty is a copperhead as they recalled. As a spokesman for an anti war opposition since he was often close to treason at least in the views of the republicans. Although his racial beliefs in particular are repugnant, very repugnant to present date values, he was nonetheless one of the most provocative and selfdescribed martyr to the administrations determination to squelch views to threaten the war. So he wouldve surrendered by the way. He was clear about where he was coming from. He was a man of private honor and appalling public values. And so farue have not mentioned Abraham Lincoln. Wheres lincoln. His large leap off the stage presence in the book pretty is an abundance about his presidency. Many wrote about him. I regard him as probably our greatest president in a more skillful political man and many of his contemporaries in him credit for. In 1951, he was no more more prepared for war than most americans and considerably less so than someer members of congress. Many members in Congress Actually predict and for much of the work, very much a work in progress, although the war drove lincoln to attempt to govern more by executive order than at any of his predecessors, he dependent the republicans in congress who often led him more often than followed him and who vigorously insisted that the power to shape the course of the war resided on capitol hill and not in the white house. So in conclusion here i have a strong suspicion that one or maybe several of you not wonder, does this book have anything to say about Todays Congress or politics. This is just a wild guess p if u have that question. The answer is well know and well yes. [laughter]. This is a book of history, about the civil war. The time span is primarily 1861 1865 with a rather long epilogue. And carries you beyond that. It is not a polemic. It is not about the presentday United States although it is often said that every history is in some way and about the times at which it is written. I think the truth, and ive written this elsewhere, it is often desired or distorted by her desire to enlist the past on behalf of our present concerns by changing moral values and by the difficult in figuring out whether they are ancestries really imagine when we hear their literal words. Hameone has to be very cautious about trying to draw conclusions about the present from the past. With that said, nonetheless these people, been talking about for a few minutes here, and many others. And after all have something to tell us about how our government can function at its best and challenging times have prices may even make it stronger. Which the war did. The arguments that were made by the men of the wartime Congress Still speak to us. Man are still with us, the racial divides, civil rights, the meaning of the constitution, freedom of speech in wartime. The struggle between congress and the presidency war powers and other things. They argued that all of this bluntly profoundly with an eloquence said completely from her Politics Today people and men were trained to persuade and auditoriums its a spoken art, and when is the words auditory, and gotta wend a bakery. This is not wind bag rate. These men work by a large were extremely eloquent and persuasive essay. Even the ones you dont agree with. Very interesting. But the book is also passively, a brief for congress and represents government despite all of its frustrations and disappointments. It is not something that initially intended but in this strange and disturbing moment where living in, the appeal for authoritarian style is taken on an new life ledges here but elsewhere predict in contempt for congress is dangerously grown and according to some polls, less than 10 percent of americans profess confidence in congress and almost one third of Young Americans said they dont think it is important to live in a democracy. Disdain for congress flourishes alongside the police that the presidency has always been the main engine of government rather than an offices powers deliberately circumscribe by the constitution. Nineteenth century americans including those of the civil war area by t contrast believe that the real seat of power lay in congress, not in the t white house. During the civil war, democrats in congress repeatedly attacked Abraham Lincoln is a tyrant and even fellow republicans question his competence and investigated his general selfcreated but as he felt, lincoln never claimed the congress led the authority to challenge his actions. He declined to answer questions but he recognized congress as the primary repository of t the peoples will. And he understood that the founders never intended the president to lead beyond the reach of the his authority. To us, congress may seem needlessly quarrelsome and efficient but its working really, if you think about it is just about our multitude as american voices is still to about 535 representatives and senators. In the senators, understood that congress was astute of self interest seasoned with passion and to accomplish required at creative skill, power and invent heroic patients. Republican politics is always messy and the founders knew it. He went to put it with all its often frustrating turbulence into government. I would not have a perfect quite always in republic especially you would never find a quiet exempt under a tyranny. I believe there about it more or less on time. Thank you. [applause]. We even we ha have as much time as me for questions is allowed. Guest you said there were 3100 slaves in washington dc in 1961. I wondered how you determined that fact. They were taxed. Its public record. How long were you immersed in the research for this book predict. Fergus and build on other things that i have written as well. I have been thinking about some of this for a few years. Some of these issues actually for years. I have pillaged the congressional globe which is the front runner of the congressional record several books is a gold mine, everything is online. Everything is free. And i got into reading debates and realize that how little the device had been exploited. S i dont mean to imply that everything here is a debate but a lot of the rich material comes in as debate. Guest you do your research online. Fergus know, happily the congressional globe is online which is a midsole resource many session as hundreds and thousands of pages. And it is pretty brutal try to read and eightpoint type. Its pretty brutal to read this which is why it has not been used all that much. But i frequently went to washington the library of congress primarily. Natalie there, i did some research in ohio, and two of the length, our ohioans, one is from dayton. Ben wade is from or near cleveland. The ohios state Historical Society has a great collection. Both in the College Archives and his papers were wonderful stuff. Thaddeus stevens and the Lancaster County Historical Society, i spent days and days and days in the basement reading studiess about Thaddeus Stevens stuff. And there are various other places. But the more i kind of that at this into small places, with funky little libraries, the the more fun it was. Guest a ray of hope historically, it was interesting that you seem to imply that im sure i will read about it in the book, you seem to imply that it was the war that cleaned out the congress and allowed for some sort of clever decisionmaking and wooded that have happened without that and, its extraordinary that we or they didnt know what was coming apparently. Fergus couple things here printed on one hand, the 11 most reactionary states in the union, they left for four years. Andrew johnson, was the only senator from the Southern States remained. He invites the president and thats why he was picked in large part. In a sprinkling of southerner Congress Members of the house, tennessee, here and there. If you. But a very small in number. So im a human the first and really only time in american history, congressman dominated by are deeply influenced and later dominated by radicals pretty in new englanders. Not coincidently. Even many of those more from elsewhere. They were actually from new england. And it was intensely democratic atmosphere. In this was of new england. The heartland of abolition is lose him. And so on. So now congress was externally different than it had been before and as they implied, some of this legislation, was a homestead act and transcontinental railroad, had been bottled up. And im not going to digress into it but they just fought for years and years and years and years. Very few expected the war to be what it became. Almost no one. There were a few. But almost no one so the fact that it metastasized into this allconsuming for your long conflict it took at least 750,000 maybe 850,000 lives. Everything family was touched by war. Far beyond any of the work in our history. None of that was anticipated in the determination, the republicans in congress, to stay in and budget, was heroic of political heroic, very difficult in some of the stuff that was the least vexing, raising money, lots of sums large sums, had reborrowed in inch of the way was hot. I think a lot of people may tend to glaze over it not my book i hope but at the subject of finance, it doesnt have a natural narrative vigor but it was very intense. I rambled a little bit and my answer to you. Did i get your answer to you. Okay. Guest key votes on many of these issues in the house and in the senate, here are some things pastor rob has but that doesnt tell you whether it passed by one vote or overwhelmingly. Fergus there were thousands of c votes and varian act with a bunch of bills. They were proposed by different members. Both in the house and in the senate they may be voted separately and then little by little by little, the real dealmakers, men like we were referring to, begin to get the pieces to together to determine okay because we cannot. There will be a multitude of votes. F i cant generalize about most because a lot of subjects got hand with one vote. The base of the fight. Im really important issues, it is a long time to pass the 13th amendment. It was very very close. They took very few liberties historically. It was a brilliant film, l not o watch the lincoln film printed but it really does show you how hard members, and emphasizes lincoln. He was not the only one working on this. It was very hard to get those last few votes on the 13th amendment. It took a long time to and several defeats before congress was able to sustain lincolns suspension of alias corpus. Big battle endued Civil Liberties and rights. It was defeated several times before it finally passed. At its the bottom line here. It was so successful in no small part because its one of the very few points in history, huge federal majority. Franklin roosevelt, huge. Lyndon johnson majority and civil war congress. They didnt all think alike. There were periods when the National Legislature was really dynamic. Was there any discussion about required forms in order to not have the southern dropout . 10000. [laughter] that is a brilliant question. Yes. It was a dire issue. I write about it. Writing the constitution or . Its a complicated question. There is a lot of discussion about what exactly were going to call because if we caught this, we can get. If we call it that, we can get it but this is entirely kosher and in short, its an interesting debate. Its very compact in the book because theres a finite amount of patients that people have. Essentially, the senate, the house cant change its rules. The senates rules has conditional much more rigid so the senate was was really a tough question. Essentially, they agreed to not discuss it. Very pragmatic and they were able to change the rule out a certain time, three years into the war. Often operated essentially by the quorums. Great question. What were some elective like during those years . Did incumbents tend to get reelected . It varied. It wasnt the same everywhere. States worked very differently. If youre talking about massachusetts, strictly, or lower manhattan, irish neighborhoods and incumbents, theres a lot of mobility, much more mobility than there is today. The senate garrett varied a great deal because you remember that the direction of senators wasnt in 1913. In those s days, senators were selected by state legislatures who were the majority. There were interesting exceptions but i wont go there. The senate would be quite substantial. I think the longest serving senator during the war was about six times. The longest from vermont. Very exceptional. Two or three times sometimes not, sometimes they were talked often somebody else put up in the middle of a term. Not typical it happened, if the house, it was common for bumping somebody who lost confidence or who wasnt representing the powers in his district. He was going to win because it was the government and that lincoln did certain jobs selecting generals, how long they should have. What role did Congress Play in that . Why werent they doing more to change that . They were doing a lot, actually. Both sides believed there would be no war or civil war. Each side north and south, each believed the other side was bluffing. He believed it was a left. There was no exceptions. Thats why i write you opening descriptive, people can believe this is really happening. What are we going to do . Nobody knew where it was going to go. Nobody knew, the south certainly thought they were going to win. They were convinced that they were going to win the war and Jefferson Davis was convinced when he enslaved womens garments. He was delusional but there were many points at which it seemed the commitment was going to flag and give up. I write about that. It was touch and go. A number of times, very significant and violent burning down offices, murdering recruiters particularly in ohio, there were gangs, certain ones were armed, who fought off federal troops in the north. Just to give you a sense of the degree that had anxiety created. It was very similar in the south. One would think they were better educated than the men who served in the congress. Why do we have lesser people now than then . We dont. In my own experience, and even the other people but a caliber, regardless of what my opinion may be but current things happening in washington, it was low. Principal, disgusted by behavior on an issue, one issue or another some of them are really impressive even those who might differ from that. And they were very similar. The people who have become this month were pretty similar as they were in the First Congress which i write a book about. Very interesting. Th the challenges and how they cope in their own time. They were planning worth, plen plenty. Plenty who were susceptible in the south. You find the temptations there. Certainly. Wonderful introduction, thank you. Was congress empathetic to lincolns idea you had to keep the folder states in the union that was not necessary . The radicals pushed very hard on that. It was hotly debated. Including stevens, right admired so much, they work disgusted and i want you to feel how lincoln was on his contemporaries. If you have your books about lincoln from it was extraordinary man who grew and grew, we know this. It is a given. We can keep reiterating it. The opposition to him, even from republicans was intense, really intense. They were homeless we claim. Very common and shocking to those of us living 150 years later. Considered with all of that. The radicals, many wanted somebody else. He really wanted him out. There were times in 1864 from his left but failed. It was touch and go. Some of the leaders in the house and senate that you compared to lbj in many things happened, who stands out inho yr mind . Kind of why i chose him, students absolutely in the house. Absolutely. Remarkable. He was a very powerful man, somebody to write about. Portable as well but t he was regarded as the best lawyer in pennsylvania who was in congress. He was on the committee and therefore responsible in the house for anything that involved money. Even though he was a radical, more radical than stevens. Nonetheless, he was skilled on the floor and committee created majoritys pretty much for most everything he wanted to give. A cumbersome title that was a really powerful committee 262 generals to be interviewed in the committee and they pushed very hard, veryey hard sometimes successfully to get rid of some of the big ones, he did his best in the union. Money, money, money. The michigan senator, another one, toughminded figure, the underground railroad from detroit who pirated the 13th amendment, stevens couldnt do it. Very dramatic looking guy. Y just like beethoven. [laughter] young, masterful parliament as well. I could list a bunch of them but there were quite a few. There were a couple of talkers but this is a tough game for congress. Charles summit, may be the most single number, senator from massachusetts. But thats a senator, is a great antislavery dramatic looking guy, tall, handsome, setback, gray hair everyone liked to hear from him but nobody paid attention to him. Politicians in the south remained with states who had, how does that work . Very tricky. Okay. There were, i believe to congressman, one is mind even with some from tennessee, thats where Andrew Johnson was from. Not having slaves on the subject of race, there were two from tennessee, there was, i think there might have been one from louisiana, i believe. It did have a unionist element that i would swear to that. There was a virginian, i think that is about it. Its a handful. There were a lot. The union army marched into the south, created plates that reestablished government and members were elected fairly quickly and theres a lot of controversy about whether they have business or not. Very controversial. We can do one more question. Who has not you started the talk giving a picture, could you describe it a little more . The picture was washington d. C. Alexandra found the road where you could, i dont understand, i like the pictures but i cant put it together. Slavery is illegal and there was quite a problem. Places where slavery in the union. Northern virginia was occupied. There is a problem in reserving to the runners. They were off. Somethingas like 100, 500,000 700,000fo slaves and the union army. Washington d. C. Historically was slavery from the beginning. It always was. It was controversial and another book of mine, about at some length about debate over that. Im not going to go too deep into because i know we need to bring this to a conclusion. The number of enslaved people declined in d. C. Because frankly, it was becoming less and less acceptable in society and in 1862 from the federal government enacted a policy, the only one the one policy that could have ended slavery in civil war in the United States, it existed, there was such a policy and it was to purchase the freedom to appropriate money to purchase the freedom of enslaved people. It was a nonstarter. They like to slavery, they believed in slavery. They thought was great. In washington, is only 3100 people and the payment was 300 apiece. Modest but the ordinary thing was considered a disgrace that slavery was still committed on any terms and the National Capital so it ended in 62. I think we are done. Thank you. [applause] this was great. We have a lot of stories talked about, i know we can think of a least a few people thought were not here tonight. He will sign books. Everywhere in the country. Think about that. You can send it to your loved one and they will get in the mail and open it up. I want to thank you all for coming tonight. Our author will be here to sign and you can talk to him as well. [applause] tonight on book tv, starting at 8 00 p. M. Eastern, highlights from our indepth program, beginning with perry, author of a number of books, among them, a history of black National Anth anthem. The novelist jody pico including her novel, a spark of light. Journalist and Science Fiction novelist, cory discusses his book. A day of social distancing from get up a good book tonight on cspan2. There you are. Welcome
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