Edward Ayers Interview: The Evolution of Abraham Lincoln's Thinking

[@JR-pr8jb]

Wonderfully relaxed, clear and insightful discussion by Prof. Ayres. We can read all the history books including his, and this still adds to our understanding.

[@claytoncochrane4583]

A superb historian who makes a masterful explanation of such a complicated set of competing agendas and goals.

[@ttacking_you]

I disagree, he goes through all these different reasons citizens of the confederacy "told themselves" to justify fighting the civil war and never once said _they just didn't like black people_ or _they were shitty, dumbass people_

[@JR-pr8jb]

Tragic America did not deserve Lincoln. And yet he was given to us in our most critical hour.

[@rickpaton7538]

This is a truly masterful presentation by a treasure of a historian! Complex yet presented very clearly.

[@lifestoriesinterviews]

Thank you! Your comment means so much to us here at Life Stories. And, we agree - Edward Ayers is an incredible historian. We have an expansive interview archive with many impressive historians on our website, www.lifestories.org/. Be sure to check it out and enjoy!

[@DrTimWhatleyDDS]

This is completely fascinating. I’ve always known that Lincoln and my understanding of the Civil War were much more nuanced than my limited understanding, but this was such a clear articulation of the complexity of that time. Thank you.

[@lifestoriesinterviews]

Thank you for your kind words! For more interview content like this, make sure to subscribe to our channel and turn on your notifications to keep up to date with our latest releases. Enjoy!

[@55cook]

Thank you Edward Ayers. We need more scholars of your character and people, citizens curious enough to discover you and your colleagues.

[@playsauce]

Epic

[@thomaswilliams373]

1:08:00 amazing how the Republicans of today sound like the Democrats of August 1864

[@avenaoat]

A Southern historian speaks about Lincoln. Very interesting.

[@haitianfella84]

It's one area where I don't think home field is an advantage.

[@avenaoat]

Andrew Johnson was only a small negative obstacle in the hand of the Congress. The true leader of the country was the Congress untill presidency of General Grant. An obstacle, but his effect was not catastrophic. What a pity we do not know Lincoln's future plans after the peace! Excellent historical overviews about Lincoln! Lincoln was excellent politician and he followed the exact steps for save the USA. I learnt something new, Lincoln was Constitutian lawyer so he found the original Constitution did not say anything about the slavery, so he (+Congess and the states) could put into an article against the slavery. However the Constitution of Confederacy put article for the forever slavery, so the Lincoln's Constitution invention a mirror idea from the Constitution of the Confederacy. I could say EXCELLENT Mr Lincoln, as General Butlers's idea about the Contrabandation! ( Funny but the Constitution of the Confederacy contained the States had no right to secede! (When I learnt this I started laughing) Moreover the Habeas Corpus can be suspended in a state of war according to the Southern Confederacy's Constitution! Lincoln had this possibility (after Fort Sumter!) in the original Constitution!

[@chriskule4663]

Die was cast when the French Revolution overthrew the monarchy and the U.S. defaulted on its debt to France. This not only enabled Jay's Treaty, but it consolidated the Reign of Terror, which laid the foundation for Napoleon's takeover and his defeat on the Peninsula and at Trafalgar, which consolidated London's status as the world's financial center. As a result, France's focus turned to continental Europe and Jefferson saw the opportunity to employ London credit to complete the Louisiana Purchase and open up Oregon. The English negotiated with the U.S. because land could be collateralized to expand credit to finance English empire building. Once Napoleon turned inward, Continental finance relocated to London and the cotton boom was on. The reason why abolitionism had stopped at the water's edge in Britain was because Great Britain took over from Hamburg the Continental financial market. Slavocracy thought London finance would finance slave expansionism directly and cut out the middlemen in New York, Boston and Philadelphia. They did not expect Lincoln to find new sources for finance. Lincoln broke the financial lock London bankers had enjoyed under Hamiltonian financing by tapping German and Dutch credit reserves relocated to London. Hamburg credit had broken the English monopoly on financing North America.

[@Hannah2012able]

Revolting

[@timothymeehan181]

I may regret asking you this, but……..how do you mean?