Reconstruction: What Went Wrong?
by Frank J. WilliamsBy Hon. Frank J. Williams Winning on the battlefield may be relatively “easy” compared to winning the peace afterward. Abraham Lincoln was a political genius in keeping together conservatives, moderates and Radicals during the American Civil War, especially after he found generals who could win battles. But things change and the longer that time passes, […]
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Edwin McMasters Stanton
by Frank J. WilliamsEdwin McMasters Stanton by Frank J. Williams Edwin M. Stanton, 1861 LN-2113 Edwin McMasters Stanton was born in Steubenville, Ohio, on December 19, 1814. On the eve of achieving his life’s dream, chronic asthma caused his death on December 24, 1869. His lifelong struggle with poor health also contributed to his volatile temper, as did […]
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The Debate over the Debates: Debating Those Debates: The Historians Weigh In
by Douglas L. Wilson, Edna Greene, Frank J. Williams, Harold HolzerModerated by Harold Holzer A public sensation in the seven Illinois towns that hosted them—reprinted in the press at the time, in book form shortly thereafter, and in many editions since—the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates are remembered today, 160 years after they took place, as a political and cultural phenomenon. But as much as they attracted […]
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Abraham Lincoln on Civil Liberties
by Frank J. WilliamsBy Hon. Frank J. Williams Imagine, if you will, that the United States suffers an unexpected attack. The president deploys the armed forces and assumes extraordinary powers that go well beyond what the Constitution seems to allow. Thousands of persons suspected of aiding the enemy are arrested and held without charge, or tried before military […]
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An Interview with Hon. Frank J. Williams on the Concept of Just War
by Frank J. WilliamsUnidentified Indiana Soldiers, LN-2353 Sara Gabbard: How far back in history can you trace the concept of Just War? Frank Williams: In the first millennium, Christians in the Roman Empire, who originally rejected any form of warfare in accordance with their beliefs, ultimately adopted a “Just War” rationale to the use of force against nations […]
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