David W. Blight

Learn about how Americans thought about emancipation in 1862, and its shifting meanings since then, as seen through the Emancipation Memorial in Washington D.C., the Civil War centennial commemorations in the height of the Civil Rights Era, and the former capital of the Confederacy today. Finally, hear the voices of former slaves themselves, remembering their first experiences of freedom.

On its 50th anniversary, the hosts find the roots of the march in the radical labor politics of the 1940s, and farther back in the Emancipation Proclamation. Guests who helped organize or attended the march offer personal perspectives on the events and impact of the day. Have we achieved the marchers’ aims for “jobs and freedom”? What impact has King’s “I Have a Dream” speech had on race relations? Is King’s plea for action as necessary today as it was then?

This is the first of a three-part reflection on the Civil War at its sesquicentennial. It explores Lincoln’s election, secession fears, slavery’s role in the conflict, and how Americans have misjudged the war’s devastating impact.