Panelists discussed the reaction to President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation such as New York’s response of ousting Republicans from statewide office, heightening the criticism of the president, and by rioting against the draft in Manhattan in July 1863. Topics included the national response and President Lincoln’s role in quelling the riots and battling back for military conscription, black recruitment, and a new social order. The panelists also responded to questions from members of the audience. Harold Holzer moderated. The program was opened by George Buss portraying President Lincoln reading the Gettysburg Address.
Barnet Schecter is the author of The Devil’s Own Work: The Civil War Draft Riots and the Fight to Reconstruct America, published by Walker and Company.
“New York Reacts-The Draft Riots” was the first session of “Lincoln & Emancipation: An Anniversary Symposium,"which was part of "The Lincoln Series” at the New York Historical Society. The all-day conference on Saturday January 23, 2010, marked the 147th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863.