Documents on out of mission, slavery and recruiting freeman freedom in the union. Army so now, i would like to turn our attention to some objects that help us describe the civil war. As a curator in the museum room, particularly the history museum, i am always struck by how art objects documents on display either Standing Firm larger historical narratives. So for those of you who missed last weeks program, lets talk for a moment about this book. A civil war in 50 objects. How did it come about and how effective do you think it is hot in the display talk about that narrative sweep in 50 objects . Well, it came about a second fast last week because louise meir asked me to undertake the project for this. It was a lucky day for me. You remember that we got to see, three times 50 objects before some conference tables in the Historical Society. I was a matter of taking representative objects which as you say stand in for big history of the civil war item by adam, personal story by personal story. It was remarkable at the end that we constructed the history of the war from the Abolition Movement to the 13th amendment which abolish slavery. And was great fun to work with you on that project to. So our topic this evening is fighting slavery. The bumpy road to black freedom. We will be this evening working with looking at three objects that speak to the topic. Theyre all paper based objects. 1862 petition to Abraham Lincoln for the recruitment of black troops, an 1863 broadside by Frederick Douglass, and a very small sketch of the arrival of Jefferson Davis and slaves. There are our objects. Lets go to the slide of the first one a petition to Abraham Lincoln for the retired crew to block troops. This was addressed to his accidentally link Abraham Lincoln theres a number of signatures. What is it . How it sure does bear a number of signatures. Hundreds and hundreds of signatures. It is a petition that was the brain child of somebody called jay garner. We dont know much about jay garner accepted even organized this effort to call on the president of the united states, in 1862 to unleash the power of African Americans who have up until this point were not permitted to volunteer for the union army and what constituted a stable arm according to some people. An x increase the man power exponentially the army. Weve seen this object. Its a scroll, its a big scroll. 25 feet or something . . 25 feet long. Its never been exhibited in this totality. You need to full stories of the Historical Society to get his full justice. It signed by an Amazing Group of supporters for the time. Its signed by clearly by irish americans, by jewish americans, a german americans. People from all walks of life and you can tell from their addresses which is sort of its a nominating petition for Public Office that it runs the gamut and also has quite a few famous signatures in. Vanderbilts, dodges, phelps all signing on to this idea that the union should except black troops which it had not done for the first year. First year of the civil war. It was also won john brown who signed it to right . Yes. I think it probably has a few fake names in their, who could resist a little graffiti . So john brown who we discussed last week with an authentic object, even though he had been dead three years, he signed a petition. Yes thats very funny. Just a question about lincoln, this is your subject area for sure. Why was he reluctant to accept black soldiers in the service . Its hard to imagine, but the notion of African Americans bearing arms was frightening to many white americans. Especially in the border states like kentucky and maryland and delaware that had not succeeded from the union but where slavery was still legal and would be legal throughout the civil war. Lincoln thought that he encourage African Americans to join the service than those border states would leave the union and joined the confederacy. The ironic thing about this is that this petition is dated july 20th so lets assume the best of circumstances it comes to the weather white house or version of it two days later. On that very day, like untold his cabinet that he wanted to issue an emancipation proclamation. Theres not a shoe to deal with the issue of black troops but hes willing to free the black people in the confederate states. Even that day, even with the petition of the of the white house, his cabinet advised him almost two managers too soon to go ahead with the sort of act. And the white house, and the cabinet in congress, except for the real advanced abolitionists so its a point of pride for new york as they were the first to come up with the with the notion. They didnt send the whole scroll to the white house. They sent a highlight reel. Who is good because they wanted to get the president s attention. The short version exists and the lincoln papers and was preserved by a staff but he never applied it just put it outside frolic as he knew this was about to embark on his own Journey Towards freedom without six months. Exactly. Georges president of the federal cup of qatar said that the black ribbon was about to. Sale slaves would make good soldiers, our whole theory of slavery is wrong. Three years later, Jefferson Davis in a desperate move to save the foundling confederacy what offer freedom to enslave people who took up arms against union. Not surprisingly, there were no takers because his war had been predicated that africans americans deserve to remain and slave people forever. Enslaved petition of this object he charged lincoln summer of 1862 freezing blocks of laborers as opposed to soldiers. He called out lincoln for suffering from that capacity to do better. Its interesting, very forceful in that regard. As you said, on january 1st, 1863, lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation. How does this change the narrative when it puts African Americans in military. Service changes it with these anomalous sentences in the proclamation. One of the sentences says i admonish all and slave people not to turn to violence about their masters. And in the very next sentence lincoln says i encourage African Americans to join the military service. If you join the military service, you can take up arms against the former owners but that was the prevailing message. And encouraged and within a month to Congress Passed a law authorizing the military services to accept African Americans in the service. African americans have been in the navy before. Technically as laborers but they had mentioned some had been employed in the union army as teamsters. The idea of them bearing arms was new not all the military leaders embrace this idea. For those who bought the may be watching a grand historys many series on the History Channel, and episode to be less ulysses as grant watched as an African American laborer take a gun and shoot a confederate when its owners shocked at first. You see in grants eyes all this is the way of the future. In fact grant did not think it was a great idea at first to welcome African Americans into his army. His chief lieutenant sherman, did not like the idea. General bird side was not taken as seriously by those two at the time, did not like the idea. General mcclelland who, was seen in a tent with lincoln in october 1862. For months after that basically told lincoln my soldiers are gonna fight to restore the union but dont expect this to fight for blacks. This shows you how long that the race the military was racist. Here is very much of our second objective recruitment written by douglas. We see the image of that place . So what was the significance of this broadside . So douglas at this point at a monthly newspaper. Douglas is which is always a little bit behind for the times. Hes admonishing lincoln and his september issue, september 62 even as lincoln issued a proclamation. Sort of a monthly newspaper, i used to entered and weekly newspaper. Its hard to be current with a weekly little on a monthly. So we he wrote an editorial around the same time the petition appeared. And for African American soldiers to be recruited into the indian army. When the proclamation comes a, and congress does the authorization for and blacklisting, douglas is encouraged by several abolitionists leaders to really hit the road and or rate as only he could persuasively ignorantly the get African Americans to enlist. So he turned his editorial into a broadside which is a one page she. Most of them were just pasted to walls, distributed to people. Its kind of a remarkable thing that the New York New YorkHistorical Society on such a copy. When we wrote the book i dont know if you remember but we dated its acquisition to just about the time it was issued. Exactly yes yes. Typically new york a store nickel. It is typical . Right objects to 9 11, and objects to the current pandemic. Now it new york Historical Society is kind of a contemporary museum. Its the record of what will be his feet down the. Row so this document, its got some great lines in as ali douglas can write. Liberty won by white men alone5x ally half is left. Who must be free. Better theory than to die freedom to live a slave. To have impact . Absolutely. By wars and, almost 200,000 men of color and joined the union army. Who is not easy. They were not treated as people, soldiers at the beginning. They were relegated to all black units, their officers almost to a person white. Also by the way, they were not treated as prisoners of war when they were captured. Confederacy threatens and did put them back to into slavery or executed them after they throw down. Arms not surprisingly, the casualty rate among African American soldier was higher than that of the white soldiers. We just see the image of Frederick Douglass the, front piece of one of his great books to get a sense of a towering presence of this great intellectual . He was just unprecedented port and African American abolitionist, statesman, orator everything like that. Having his opinion on this matter is extremely valuable to the recruitment cause . And water an imposing guy. As historians have proven in the recent, years he was just about the most photographed american alltime white or black. Make sure is photographed almost every time is on the lecture circuit. You can see what a great look at manny was. This was eight years before the broadside. Too often we see him portrayed as though old man. Truth is he was still a vigorous man during the civil war. Before that he had his first visit to the white house. Spent his time imploring him to equalize the paint between white and black soldiers. White soldiers not only earn more money, but they got a bonus to buy uniforms. Or as black soldiers got money docked underpay to buy uniforms. Lincoln was very cautious and worried about why Public Opinion about the recruitment of African Americans. He simply told douglas that the day will come but please be patient. I was the beginning of what became a very close relationship, between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. So we winding it hours we have maybe ten more minutes of this conversation before we bring it up to cue. A wrapping up or objects. This evening its very small, but nine inches by 13 inches. On the spot sketch by one frederik b shell was a special artist for frank leslie we see that object please . Its common there it is. And inspired no major headlines at the time that it is historically important to be one of the objects in your book. Why . Tell us about. This okay. I would just finish the douglas part by saying douglas encouragement for black recruitment included the raising of the 54th massachusetts ridges regiment them achieve mortality. His own son join that unit. They were killed and horrible numbers. Folks will remember that school story from the movie about the civil war. We are still in service i have legal freedom may have heard one of the greats ministries of the civil war about how. Sell for the most part and slave people freed themselves on the basis of their legal right to liberty to the proclamation when union armies were near to which they could attach themselves. We can go back to the drawing for a minute, ill tell the story. Slow and getting to but i wanted to set the stage. Keep in mind that the culture of the day that these artists are tasked union armies covering the action, its not a great idea looked era sketchbook while shelves are flying over your head. One day, during the siege of vicksburg, and the steel tell what is interesting. Wall grabbed this beseeching the city of vicksburg on the mississippi for several months, warren more African Americans in the region realize the grant, that there is a bombardment at the union armies near. So they flare their plantations and attach himself to grants army. Thats really how the dream of emancipation came true. This day knit french excel captured a bunch of African Americans straggled with the grants army pittsburgh, what was remarkable about them . Until a day before, they were technically owned by Jefferson Davis at his plantation a few miles away. A little by little, i have been peeling off from the pound plantation. This group was captured by cell as they marched into the army now technically free. Not only were they legally for the free themselves and made their family safe. Here you see them to the left of that figure on horseback as other soldiers look on straggling into camp. By the way, ive always thought that the officer who sort of leaning on a tree on the righthand side. It looks a little bit too much luck ulyssesesque rant. Too much of a coincidence. So maybe shall put that in as a little joke, inside joke. But here they are and by the way we Jefferson Davis heard about this, he was furious. Why would block people leave the comforts of that wonderful plantation and life that i provided for them but they could labour seven days a week for no pay . I was i was a status moment in history of the civil war. See that of what you say you let you not see that scrap . With that right . With that hat. He was an informal fellow. There is Jefferson Davis who was not an informal fellow but had a ban in his plantation for quote unquote Public Service to function as the president of the confederate sea. Again he believes the slaves had no legal right to us their freedom and expect that the south would win independence even petition for ownership. As we know thats not what happened. A few days after that incident, maybe we can look next at the newspaper versions. Yes. So we have essentially the adaptation of of the drawing into would cut driving august and i 1863. Not a big stories he said. The significant difference between the sketch and it would cut version. Not the normal abdication for the day. The sketch is used to be tends to be rather rough an engraver back in new york clean them up a little bit. They added details. I think whats lost here are the depictions of the African Americans are little more caricature. The fat of impressionism elect the original because of impressionistic feel and. This is a little more static but it has the virtue of being adapted so that tens of thousands of readers could marvel at this remarkable incident. Otherwise, shells drugs remained his private property. Again, remarkably some of those illustrated tries came into the collection of the new york Historical Society. The high society is a trove these original drives. We have one last at just rounds out this narrative and by the way, keep you questions coming please. Here is an equipment poster from 1863. Beautiful colors. Do you want to talk a little bit about this . This is not one of our official objects but it does help out round up our story here. We put it last because its so wonderful. The illustration for the douglas broadside. This is also recruiting poster. African american soldiers, think the color a little bit faded and. Some of the aspects of the sprints would be little blower. Now they are, hurly African American recruits posing with their white officer and the message is clear. Come and join this great effort. Fight for your freedom and be part of the story. Wonderful. We have time now for some questions. First. The lincoln ever see douglas is newspaper peace and if so what was his reaction lincolns reaction . So we have no evidence that lincoln subscribe to douglas is paper. In those days, having a subscription to an abolition abolitionists newspaper, thats last an abolitionist newspaper published by an africanamerican was like a to subscribing to pornography by mail. Not equating into that. But the reaction would be similar to. So lincoln as far as i know, unless he saw newspapers that were subscribe to by his rather liberal law partner back in illinois, did not see liberator. You do not see douglas elaborate newspapers near various forms. But he surely knew what douglas was writing. He surely knew at douglas called in the slave tax, attacked his first inaugural address, attacked him, and he pushed it. Hes one of the ones of his nudging along. Did he read the newspaper that we know for sure no . Next question. Says many slaves were not learn to read. Was Frederick Douglas is broadside read by a few and then the word spread . How is the word disseminated . Thats a great question men i would say that men of color to arms was aimed at free