After Appomattox: Gregory Downs in Conversation with David Blight

When did the Civil War end? Not with Lee’s surrender to Grant in 1865, Gregory P. Downs argues in his gripping new history, After Appomattox: Military Occupation and the Ends of War. Downs, associate professor at the Graduate Center and City College, and David W. Blight, Bancroft and Douglass-award winning historian from Yale, explore themes from the book, as well as lessons that may be applied to today’s ongoing conflicts.

[@lindahoganson8721]

Thank you for the conversation and introducing Gregory Downs.

[@librosdejoaquine.brotonsbr7753]

Lincoln would have not vetoed the freedman's bureau and the civil rights act of 1866. They were moderate. Johnson vetoed them. Grant was not a politician but I think he deserves some credit for his presidency

[@mns8732]

It's frustrating not to see more AA historians featured in these CW lectures eventhough these guys are the best.

[@noheroespublishing1907]

Sherman - "You can't remake a countryside!" Joseph Stalin - "Hold my beer."

[@johnries5593]

The question that is most frequently neglected when fighting a civil war is what to do with the losers. One can argue that Reconstruction wasn't radical enough, but hardliners always make that argument. As it stood, the counterrevolution in the south that followed Reconstruction (IMHO) set the cause of racial equality back a century and that was largely driven by the resentments of southern whites (which was at least partially driven by the effort to punish them for rebelling). So if we consider what could have been done differently, we have to consider backlash management (not that we're terribly good at that today), which in the years following the Civil War was done badly. I should note that activists and politicians fighting the culture wars don't appear to have any better ideas about how to put society back together after "victory" than Union politicians did during the Civil War.

[@msspi764]

Long since this was done, so I'm not expecting any comment. A lot of this talk assumes a separation between US soldiers and freed people. In parts of the South US Colored Troop Units remained into 1866. While a lot of the US Colored Troop units that were not mustered out immediately were sent to the US Mexico border to discourage Mexico from invading. That was not a universal situation. For example the 5th US Colored Heavy Artillery which as the 9th Louisiana African Descent won the first USCT victory at Milliken's Bend, was stationed in Vicksburg for another year. The 3rd US Colored Cavalry, a unit that saw a lot of rural guerilla fighting in the Mississippi countryside from 1863 into 1865 remained in Southwestern Mississippi until they mustered out in 1866. This seems a different situation than the example from Northern Mississippi that you offer.

[@chrisdennehy9425]

good, thought provoking conversation on this unfortunately and shockingly unknown period of US history (humorous aside, Mr. Downs bears striking resemblance to casino owner Mo Greene in the Godfather)

[@reddyandre]

Good God doesn't anybody know about sound checks?

[@McKendrickFamily]

Miss me with the excuses for the racist Dunning school! T. Thomas Fortune and Arturo Alfonso Schomburg were around the corner from Columbia University living in Harlem!

[@cfcreative1]

Have a great day!

[@librosdejoaquine.brotonsbr7753]

Tragic sense of democracy

[@tungbui568]

If he wasn't racist he would include all the hardships slaves had to go through and talk about that. The United States should reimburse every slave family and give them land and part of profits gained through their slavery. This would show that the US wants to make things right.

[@Eriugena8]

why did you just copy an earlier comment?

[@librosdejoaquine.brotonsbr7753]

A third commentary: why the war ended in 1871? Kkk act?

[@cfcreative1]

Body language is 70% of communication and you can clearly see that he handles this subject with aloof detachment not love and forgiveness.

[@cfcreative1]

If he wasn't racist he would include all the hardships slaves had to go through and talk about that. The United States should reimburse every slave family and give them land and part of profits gained through their slavery. This would show that the US wants to make things right.

[@JPW3]

glc.yale.edu/ Research is your friend.

[@joepuhel2428]

cfcreative1 you do know that blacks sold blacks to whites right?

[@cece2845]

@@joepuhel2428 not anywhere close to the amount that whites sold blacks. I don't see your point at all

[@corra7]

How sad that people nik -pick man’s inhumanity to man. I would be on the side of the “masters” if it meant me not becoming a slave! Let’s get real! It’s all about survival !

[@mns8732]

@@joepuhel2428 And Jews gave Jews away to the Nazis. Do you regret fighting ww2? STFUP.