ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ Professor Emeritus to Present ‘Lincoln’s Successor, Andrew Johnson: States Rights’ Advocate or White Supremacist?’ on April 13

04022015a-lg.png

Professor Emeritus Gerald S. Henig

  • April 2, 2015

Gerald S. Henig, ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ emeritus professor of history, will present “Lincoln’s Successor, Andrew Johnson: States Rights’ Advocate or White Supremacist?” at 1 p.m., April 13, in the University library.

The talk coincides with the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865, and kicks off the library’s National Library Week events.

Henig asserts that in the immediate months after the Confederacy surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia, Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson, had a golden opportunity to advance racial justice in America. Instead of attempting to extend Lincoln’s legacy, though, Johnson did just the opposite.

In his talk, Henig will explore Johnson’s early background, his political philosophy, and his racial views to explain why America’s 17th president did everything in his power to block congressional efforts to transform the South into a more equitable society for blacks. Henig, who taught at CSUEB for 40 years, remains one of the university’s most honored professors. He received the Outstanding Professor Award and was a four-time winner of the Pi Kappa Delta Best Lecturer Award.

Henig earned his bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College, his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, and his doctorate in American history from The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY). The Graduate Center, CUNY, also honored Henig with its Annual Alumni Achievement Award in 2008.

The author of numerous articles on the political and military history of the Civil War, as well as “Henry Winter Davis: Antebellum and Civil War Congressman from Maryland,” Henig also co-authored “Civil War Firsts: The Legacies of America’s Bloodiest Conflict,” which was a selection of the History Book Club and the Military Book Club. In April 2007, the book was published in paperback with numerous photos and illustrations and a new title: “A Nation Transformed: How the Civil War Changed America Forever.” Autographed copies of the book will be available for purchase at the conclusion of Henig’s lecture.

The free public talk is sponsored by CSUEB’s library. Light refreshments will be served.