ideas around which america is built, it was abraham lincoln. politicians recognized the power that his name still has and use it. and that vision of lincoln s of a generous, inclusive america has driven this country for more than 200 years. president lincoln not only understood the heartbreak of his country, he also understood the cost of sacrifice. abraham lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation. the president said, and i quote, if my name ever goes down into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it. my whole soul is in it. generations of black people named their children lincoln, because lincoln freed the slaves. but it s a lot more complicated than that. a lot of people think lincoln was a fiery opponent of slavery from the day he was born, and that s not quite true. turns out that a great way to put down the rebellion is to yank the enslaved africans out from under his enemies. and the guy really was freeing the slaves, hope thanks
disappointed but he worked very, very hard to build up his law practice. lincoln was a great spinner of tales for juries. one time they said this reminds me of the little boy on the farm who comes running in his father and says pap, pap, sister is in the barn and she s got her pants down and her friend, joe, got his pants down and he s squatting to do the other thing. the father says you got the facts straight but you come to a wrong conclusion. he turns the the jurors and says, sometimes the facts does not give you the right conc conclusion. oh, no, he s a hybrid. if you want to understand him, you have to understand both sides. 1854, spain, france and britain abolished slavery. it is very much alive in the united states. and may, president franklin signs the kansas, nebraska, act given american the opportunity to expand 500 square miles of new territory. the kansas/nebraska act repealed the compromise which says there could be no slavery. settlers can decide for the
kansas/nebraska act. republican papers praised him and democrats papers are fearful of this rising man. l lincoln is going to win. the moment lincoln is elected, he s confronted with crisis. to white southerners, lincoln s election means the greatest of their fears being realized. they are convinced despite all the things lincoln says he wants to create racial equality. lincoln and his family were subjected to a nerving threat that no other president-elect ever faced. abraham lincoln says i am going to put a spider in your dumpling you god damn people have sent robert lincoln opened this envelope and was unnerved. the situation was required for his father to calm him down. folks in the south using violence to move people into a supporting session. violence creates that sense of triablism and that s what the entire fight is about. it is clear that it could descend into war. when abraham lincoln was elected in 1860. there are nearly 4 million enslaved people in
excitement actually at that point on both sides because people have anticipated this for so long. some people were itching for a fight. they think war is a glorious thing and let s go and do it. but in the spring lincoln s overeager young friend from springfield, elmer ellsworth, a short but very dashing commander of a drill team, would go with the lincoln boys to the roof of the white house and look out with a telescope. and over the river they saw a confederate flag flying from the top of a hotel. and ellsworth, for one, was offended. ellsworth led a band across the river to tear down the confederate flag. as he was walking down the stairs, the owner of the inn took his shotgun and shot him in the chest. he fell down the last few steps, clutching and wrapped in this increasingly blood-soaked flag. lincoln loved this young man, so the war came home really fast for lincoln. with the first cannon fired at ft. sumter in april 1861, the country is thrust into civil war
we do begin this hour with encouraging news for the country worst hit by the coronavirus, but also a crucial, crucial warning. the u.s. is powering through vaccinations. cdc data shows that 1 in 5 americans have now received at least one dose, and more than 1 in 10 are now fully vaccinated. but spring break is here, and many states are easing back on restrictions. travel is picking up to the level it was a year ago. and people are letting their guard down. perhaps adding to an overall sense of relief, americans are starting to receive those $1,400 stimulus checks as well from the biden administration. so it may feel like the u.s. is emerging out of a dark winter into a hopeful spring. but experts still pleading with the public to stay vigilant. here s paul vercammen with that, paul? reporter: coronavirus restrictions are loosening up from coast to coast, but one of the nation s top health experts is warning governors, if there was ever a time to put on a mask, this is it.