Robert Cwiklik, guest author, discusses the pivotal moments following Lee's surrender on April 9, 1865. President Lincoln, addressing a jubilant crowd, tentatively endorsed voting rights for African-Americans, specifically those who served in the Union Ar

Robert Cwiklik, guest author, discusses the pivotal moments following Lee's surrender on April 9, 1865. President Lincoln, addressing a jubilant crowd, tentatively endorsed voting rights for African-Americans, specifically those who served in the Union Army or demonstrated "intelligence." This stance was influenced by his 1864 meeting with New Orleans intellectuals John Baptist Roudanez and Arnold Bertonneau, who advocated for Black suffrage in occupied Louisiana. Lincoln viewed a loyal Black electorate as essential for reknitting the Union, especially in states like Louisiana where the Black population exceeded 50%. However, this suggestion of citizenship and franchise was so inflammatory that it served as the primary motivator for John Wilkes Booth to proceed with assassination just days later. The New Orleans Tribune, founded by Roudanez and Bertonneau, became a central voice for these radical changes, setting the stage for the violent resistance that would characterize the post-war South. Sheridan's Secret Mission: How the South Won the War After the Civil War (1)