Sidney Blumenthal Interview: The Life & Times of Abraham Lincoln

Journalist Sidney Blumenthal discusses the importance of Abraham Lincoln’s House Divided Speech from 1858, the death of Lincoln’s Son Willie in 1862, the practical impact of The Emancipation Proclamation and the role of photography during the Civil War.

Sidney Blumenthal is an American journalist and political operative. He earned a BA in Sociology from Brandeis University in 1969, and began his career in Boston as a journalist who wrote for the Boston Phoenix and the Real Paper. In 1983, Blumenthal became the chief national political correspondent for The New Republic, covering the 1984 Presidential campaign. In 1993, Blumenthal became the chief Washington correspondent for The New Yorker before joining the Clinton Administration in the summer of 1997. He was an aide to President Bill Clinton and confidant of Hillary Clinton and was formerly employed by the Clinton Foundation. As a journalist, Blumenthal is known for his writings about American politics and foreign policy. He is also the author of a multivolume biography of Abraham Lincoln, The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln. Three books of the planned five-volume series have already been published: A Self-Made Man (2017), Wrestling With His Angel (2017), and All the Powers of Earth (2019). Blumenthal has also written for The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, and Salon. He is a regular contributor to the openDemocracy website and was formerly a regular columnist for The Guardian.

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...

Subscribe for access to interviews, series, films, and educational materials that address issues of social justice, history, politics, the arts, and culture by spotlighting relatable human stories of purpose and meaning. Learn about our work and how to support our mission here: https://www.lifestories.org/. For extended versions of these interviews and more, visit:    / @lifestoriesinterviewarchive  

Follow us on Instagram:   / lifestoriesinterviews  

Chapter Markers:
00:00:15:00 - The experiences that shaped Lincoln’s understanding of slavery
00:07:50:00 - A platform opposing the expansion of slavery
00:12:39:00 - The Fort Sumter crisis
00:17:29:00 - Building the Union army
00:20:09:00 - The Confederate strategy of recognition by England
00:25:55:00 - Mistrust and resentment between McClellan and Lincoln
00:28:12:00 - Uncertainty at the end of 1861
00:30:27:00 - The White House was an open house
00:31:39:00 - An unusually astute observer of human nature
00:34:21:00 - Lincoln’s self-discipline
00:36:27:00 - Lincoln’s internal life
00:40:05:00 - Passage of the 1861 Confiscation Act
00:42:26:00 - Lincoln’s strategy to share the Emancipation Proclamation
00:45:04:00 - “The dogmas of the past are inadequate to the stormy present”
00:47:30:00 - A war to defeat ‘Slave Power’
00:48:44:00 - The practical effect of the Emancipation Proclamation within the Civil War
00:52:11:00 - Photography and the Civil War
00:54:31:00 - Civil War hospitals
00:56:13:00 - The importance of Gettysburg
00:58:59:00 - Delivering The Gettysburg Address
01:02:15:00 - The Gettysburg Address in American history
01:05:45:00 - The Second Inaugural Address
01:09:08:00 - Lincoln’s assassination
01:15:20:00 - What Lincoln learned as a one term Congressman

Sidney Blumenthal, Author, The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln
Interviewed by: Jackie Olive and Barak Goodman

© Apple Video Programming, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

#SidneyBlumenthal #kunhardtfilmfoundation