Historian Michael Burlingame discusses the challenge facing Abraham Lincoln as he takes office, the Fort Sumter crisis, the key to Northern military success, contraband camps, and negotiating for Emancipation.
Michael Burlingame is an American historian noted for his works on Abraham Lincoln. Originally from Washington, D.C., he received a BA from Princeton University where he was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and Fulbright Scholar. His PhD in history is from John Hopkins University. Burlingame was a member of the history department at Connecticut College from 1968 until 2001. He is currently holder of the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at University of Illinois Springfield and author of Abraham Lincoln: A Life (2008); The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln (1994), and Lincoln and the Civil War (2011), as well as the editor of many collections of Lincoln primary source materials.
The Apple TV+ series "Lincoln's Dilemma," features insights from journalists, educators and scholars, as well as rare archival materials, that offer a more nuanced look into the life of the Great Emancipator. Set against the background of the Civil War, "Lincoln's Dilemma" also gives voice to the narratives of enslaved people, shaping a more complete view of an America divided over issues including economy, race and humanity, and underscoring Lincoln's battle to save the country, no matter the cost. The series is narrated by award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright ("Angels in America") and features the voices of actor Bill Camp ("The Night Of") as Lincoln and Leslie Odom Jr. ("Hamilton") as Frederick Douglas.
To view the entire series please visit:
https://tv.apple.com/us/show/lincolns-dilemma/umc.cmc.7003fizrrxznfhz1s20vv7ewy
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Chapter Markers:
00:00 - Introduction
00:08 - The challenge facing Lincoln as he takes office
01:41 - The cause of secession
02:25 - The Crittenden compromise
04:18 - Compensated emancipation
06:34 - Lincoln’s commitment to the Union
09:27 - Lincoln working for his father
11:10 - Young Lincoln’s opposition to slavery
15:41 - An introspective period in Lincoln’s life
22:33 - The second inaugural address
27:30 - The Fort Sumter Crisis
34:45 - Underestimating the South
38:27 - First Battle of Bull Run
40:30 - Lincoln hires George McClellan
43:28 - The key to Northern military success
46:20 - George McClellan’s fear of failure
48:25 - Mistrust between Lincoln and McClellan
52:35 - First attempt to capture Richmond
1:02:47 - Why Robert Lincoln does not join the army
1:04:07 - Lincoln’s capacity for empathy and gradual evolution toward emancipation
1:10:14 - Negotiating emancipation
1:19:04 - Lincoln’s early experiences with Black Americans
1:29:27 - ‘Contraband’ camps
1:35:00 - General Butler protects fugitives
Michael Burlingame, Historian, University of Illinois
Interview Date: November 13, 2020
Interviewed by: Jackie Olive and Barak Goodman
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