James Oakes Interview: Examining Abraham Lincoln's Commitment to Freedom

Historian James Oakes says Abraham Lincoln is the only president whose entire term of office is consumed by war. He describes the scale of the crisis Lincoln confronted as unprecedented and that it has never been matched since.
James Oakes is one of the leading historians of nineteenth-century America. He holds a degree from Baruch College as well as M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. He has been on the faculty of the Graduate Center at City College since 1997 and the holder of the Graduate School Humanities Chair since 1998. He has previously taught at Princeton and Northwestern Universities. In a series of influential books and essays, he tackled the history of the United States from the Revolution through the Civil War. His early work focused on the South, examining slavery as an economic and social system that shaped Southern life. His books include The Ruling Race (1982); Slavery and Freedom: An Interpretation of the Old South (1998); The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics (2007); and Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865 (2013). The latter two garnered, respectively, the 2008 and 2013 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, an annual award for the finest scholarly work in English on Abraham Lincoln or the American Civil War era.
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:
tv.apple.com/us/show/lincolns...
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James Oakes, Historian
Interview Date: November 18, 2020
Interviewed by: Jackie Olive and Barak Goodman
© Apple Video Programming, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
#JamesOakes #kunhardtfilmfoundation

[@josephfreedman9422]

This is an excellent series, and I appreciate listening to James Oakes, an historian whom I've heard of but haven't known. His explanation of an anti-slavery Constitution, and the process of confiscation & emancipation was illuminating to me, as well as his explanation of the Dred Scott decision and how the Supreme Court was regarded in those times.

[@rodgerasai]

Excellent - Thank You!

[@justmyopinion9883]

After listening to Mr Oakes lecture, I am more than ever in support of reparations for the descendants of African slaves.

[@ricksamericana749]

Perhaps the most significant error the slavery was NOT the cause of the Civil War crew make is to ignore the events preceding the war. This should be mandatory viewing in every high school in America.

[@johnschuh8616]

Slavery is at bottom a system of forced labor and general exploitation of the less powerful. As he reminds us, war is the root cause of slavery. . The Ottoman Empire was as much as the Roman Empire before it, based on slavery. It is amusing to me to see the Islamists in the west who are passing themselves off as non-whites when the rulers of their home countries were among the chief enslavers of black Africa and Islam has no inclination to human liberty as well understand it. They enslavecd Europeans as much or more than Africans. when they were at the height of their power.

[@shipwreckedpoet3]

37:00

[@BeefCake1012]

I’ve listened to countless historians on the American Civil War. Jon Meacham, James McPherson, H.W. Brands, Ron Chernow, Shelby Foote, Gary Gallagher, Ed Bearss, Gary Adelman, Doris Kearns Goodwin, etc.
But I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard somebody so eloquently articulate the foundational reasons for the war, slavery’s role within it, emancipation and Lincoln’s true views on addressing the immense difficulties he faced while office.
This historian has a new fan! 🔥🤌🏼👍🏼

[@matthewhall4995]

Oakes elides "anti-slavery' and "abolitionist." The much smaller number of genuine abolitionists was revealed by the limitations of reconstruction.

[@johnschuh8616]

Original perspective. Given the racist views of most Amnericans. it was startling to see black men in Union uniforms. Distasteful to many northerners as well as hateful to the southerners. He doesn’t mention that many Union soldiers quit the Army when they could because of the enlistment of black troops. And of course, black troops were not widely accepted by white troops. But those who were strongly Unionists accepted the necessity and/or loved the way they could rub the faces of the Confederates in the new reality. A few Confederate Commanders such as Pat Cleburne thought that, hell, do tit for tack. and enlist the slaves already does work for the army and promise them their freedom. At the end, even Lee went in this direction, too late of course. A bridge too far.