HUDLIN'S HUDDLE - LINCOLN AND OBAMA

[Reginald Hudlin]

I'm going to be starting a new feature here at Hudlin Entertainment. A select group will be blogging on the site.  The topics will be very broad...like the forums are now. 

Right now, the essays will be available through the blog link on the main page, but soon those essays will have links here to the forum pages for discussion, and There will be a link on this page that takes you back to the blogger page. 

We're also going to be doing some design upgrades on the site in the next couple of months. Get it nice and spiffy for the relaunch of BLACK PANTHER the comic, the launch of the BLACK PANTHER animated series, and make it a cool entity in itself. 

Here's one of the first blogs posted, from my mentor David Evans.  Please read and discuss:

With the inauguration of Barack Obama in little more than a month and the Bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth in  two months, it's interesting to read Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation--for what it did (and didn't) do.  I knew that it only freed the slaves in those states in rebellion against the United States (see link below), but I didn't know how much of Louisiana and Virginia WERE NOT covered by the Proclamation.

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/transcript.html

Slaves in the likes of Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey (yes) and others non-rebellious states as well as those excepted areas of Louisiana and Virginia had to await national adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment (December 6, 1865) for their freedom.  Although overruled my national ratification, in some states it took awhile for even the SYMBOLIC adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment.  In fact, Kentucky only ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution on March 18, 1976 and Mississippi on March 16, 1995!!!

This gives an even greater context to the thought of President Barack H. Obama's presiding over the national celebration of the coming Lincoln Bicentennial.

[Mastrmynd]

Nice Idea.
I look forward to the revamped HEF.
2009 is gonna be huge for not only, T'challa and Black Panther, but you as well.
Merry Christmas Brother Hudlin.
Now let me read the essay.

[Lion]

I notice a lot of attention in the media has been spent showing how Obama draws inspiration from Lincoln. Everything from Malia wanting to write papers in the Lincoln Bedroom to Obama planning to use Lincoln's Bible for the inauguration ceremony.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/169170

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-rutten19mar19,0,5754610.column

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16569.html

There are likely hundreds more. I'd say to a certain extent there is a some symbolism, there. Junior senators from Illinois who went on to be president. The ideals of the party at the times. Deep divisions of ideology. (Though hopefully without the part of seceding states.)

I can see why the right-wingers are having aneurysms.

[Battle]

With the inauguration of Barack Obama in little more than a month and the Bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth in  two months, it's interesting to read Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation--for what it did (and didn't) do.  I knew that it only freed the slaves in those states in rebellion against the United States (see link below), but I didn't know how much of Louisiana and Virginia WERE NOT covered by the Proclamation.  --- Reginald Hudlin

There was a national tour of America's most treasured documents and antiquities called American Originals  that started around 2001 which  probably ended in 2003. When the show reached the New York Public Library I couldn't resist missing the opportunity because I  knew that the 4 pieces of Lincoln's hand-written Emancipation Proclamation was to be on display. I was surprised that one of the pieces was a photostat copy.

I was also amazed at Lincoln's steady American-styled script.  He had amazingly large, handwriting. This image of the pamphlet shows the handwriting superimposed in the background.  It's not ledgible on this scale but one does get an idea of Lincoln's incredible penmanship. 

LET ME JUST ADD:

Slaves in the likes of Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey (yes) and others non-rebellious states as well as those excepted areas of Louisiana and Virginia had to await national adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment (December 6, 1865) for their freedom.  Although overruled my national ratification, in some states it took awhile for even the SYMBOLIC adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment.  In fact, Kentucky only ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution on March 18, 1976 and Mississippi on March 16, 1995!!! --- Reginald Hudlin

It's all coming back to me now...A lot was going on that year. Windows 95 was just released in August of that year and the issue of slavery never being struck from the record in Mississippi.
I was in Meridian, Mississippi when this was all going down and this issue was definetly the talk of the locals.  Slavery was never legally stricken from the records in MS because no one checked the court records. All citizens just assumed that it was.

[Battle]

Ah! A new artifact!

WASHINGTON -The National Archives added to its collection a short letter written by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 to help the son-in-law of an Oregon senator. 

The letter is written on yellowed stationery simply marked Executive Mansion, Washington, with a dashed line where the date -- Nov. 14, 1863 -- was filled in by hand. This was five days before Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. The White House wasn't called that until Theodore Roosevelt's administration.

It says:



Hon. Sec. of Treasury

My dear Sir

Mr. Stevens, late Superintendent of the Mint at San Francisco, asks to have a copy, or be permitted to examine, and take extracts, of the evidence upon which he was removed. Please oblige him in one way or the other.

Yours truly, A. Lincoln.

Read on, reader...