Dark Days Before Lincoln Issued the Emancipation Proclamation
On July 12, 1862, Abraham Lincoln spoke for the first time of his intention to free the slaves, and on January 1, 1863, he signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The intervening six months were likely the most tumultuous of his presidency—he fought bitterly with his generals, disappointed his cabinet, and had painful bouts of depression. Todd Brewster tells the story of how Lincoln agonized over the decision and was wracked by private doubts almost up until the moment when he signed the decree that would change the nation. Brewster is the author of Lincoln's Gamble: The Tumultuous Six Months that Gave America the Emancipation Proclamation and Changed the Course of the Civil War. This is a rebroadcast of a conversation that originally aired on September 24, 2014.
