Videos

Historians Edna Greene Medford and Vernon Burton discussed the debate over Confederate monuments and memorials and shared their opinions on when such statues should be removed and what to do with…

Civil War scholars Gary Gallagher, Edna Greene Medford, and Elizabeth Varon discussed the current debate surrounding Confederate monuments. They offered their ideas on how to display and…

A group of historians discussed the different ways women experienced the Civil War, depending on class, race and geography. They examined the relationship between Union generals and their…

Civil War scholar Edna Greene Medford talked about Abraham Lincoln’s approach to abolishing slavery and examined views of emancipation in the North and South. This event was part of the the…

The dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., took place in 1922, almost 60 years after Abraham Lincoln’s death. Harold Holzer talked about his book, Monument Man: The Life and Art…

Historians talked about what life was like for Freedmen after the Civil War and the overall successes and failures of Reconstruction. They spoke about educational opportunities, land…

Frank Williams talked about politics and culture after President Lincoln’s assassination and the Reconstruction Era that followed. This talk was part of the annual Lincoln Forum Symposium.…

Craig Symonds and John Marszalek talked about the April 1865 meeting between Union General William Sherman and Confederate General Joseph Johnston, where Johnston surrendered the last major Confederate…

Historians and authors talked about the legacy of Reconstruction. They speculated on Abraham Lincoln’s plans for the post-Civil War period had he not been assassinated, and they discussed…

Joan Waugh talked about how Union General Ulysses S. Grant conducted the surrender at Appomattox and sought to foster an atmosphere of reconciliation with the defeated Confederates. She…

Historians and authors talked about the 150th anniversary of Reconstruction and examined the challenges faced in the post-Civil War era of reunifying and rebuilding the Union. They spoke about…

Historian James Oakes talked about his book, The Scorpion’s Sting: Antislavery and the Coming of the Civil War, in which he examines a plan intended to produce a peaceful end to slavery prior to the…

Howard University History Department Chair Edna Greene Medford talked about the establishment, challenges, enlistment, and service of the United States Colored Troops during the U.S. Civil…

Edna Greene Medford talked about the Battle of Antietam and its role in President Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. She responded to telephone calls and electronic…

Edna Greene Medford talked about the state of scholarship on the life and career of Abraham Lincoln. She said President Lincoln must be looked at in the context of his era. She responded to…

Professor Edna Medford teaches a course on African-American history at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The day’s lecture focused on the meaning of the Civil War to African Americans. Topics…

In a continuation of his book, Manhunt, Lincoln historian James Swanson presents the chase for Confederate President Jefferson Davis at the end of the Civil War and the 13-day funeral train that took…

Historians discussed the experiences of both enslaved and free blacks during the Civil War. After the presentations, which included illustrations, the panelists responded to questions submitted by members of the audience. Professor Horton moderated. Spencer…

Panelists discussed President Lincoln’s timing of the release of the Emancipation Proclamation. They focused on the legal grounding for the proclamation and what it accomplished. The panelists also responded to questions from…

Judge Williams, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, talked about the reasons that 70 percent of the soldiers of the Union Army voted for Lincoln in the 1864 election.…