When the name William H. Seward
is mentioned, most people remember him as the guy who bought Alaska from the
Russians, and if they know a little history they also know that he was
Secretary of State in the Lincoln administration. While those two things are true, they come
far short of a full appreciation of one of the greatest leaders this nation has
ever seen, and it must be noted during Black History Month, possibly the leader
that did more than any other to uplift African America.
To start to get a feel for the
man, let us hearken back to March of 1846.
A free Black man, one William Freeman, recently released from five years
in prison after it was learned he had been wrongly convicted, went on a
rampage, murdering an entire family in Seward's hometown of Auburn, New
York. There was no doubt as to the man's
guilt in this case, and the prisoner barely made it past the lynch mob to
jail. In court, no lawyer was willing to
take the case, probably since the citizens of Auburn let it be known they would
kill any who dared. In the courtroom,
when the judge asked if any would defend him, William Seward, a practicing
attorney and by then a former governor of the state and not yet running for the
senate, stepped forward, at great personal and career risk and against the
advice of political allies, to defend the obviously guilty Mr. Freeman on the
basis of his insanity.
He lost the case, but in making
it he gave a rousing defense, which established his national reputation, of the
humanity of Black people, arguing that if the defendant was white, the jury
would find him insane and commit him to life in a mental institution. So in
many ways, William Seward actually lived out, in 1846, the heroic roles
portrayed in the movies “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and “A Time to Kill.”
Even earlier in his life, his
wife and he, while not in favor of slavery, decided, in his typically open
minded and congenial way, to go down South and see things for themselves. Barely into Virginia in their southbound
carriage, they encountered a group of slave boys being driven to market,
chained and naked. The sight so repulsed
both Mr. and Mrs. Seward that they immediately turned around and never again
visited the South. They were passionate abolitionists from that day
forward. They fought slavery and anti
Black bigotry in every way they could, passing laws in New York, and working
tirelessly for the cause on the national level.
Their house in Auburn was a well frequented stop on the underground
railroad.
Once elected to the Senate,
Senator Seward was the leading voice for abolition and lifting the Black, or
what was called at the time, the Negro population. This earned him the undying hatred of slave
owners. Once, in the heat of battle
leading to the Civil War, some southern Senator, letting the false mask of
civility slip, used the N-word in a speech in the senate. Senator Seward, in his response, let it be
known that no one would ever be president who spells “Negro with two g's.” Statements like that, and he made many in
favor of freedom and justice for Negros, marked him in the South as their
greatest enemy.
By 1860, with the North turning
against slavery, and the Republican Party congealing around the issue, it was
assumed that the greatest advocate of emancipation, William Seward, would be
the nominee. No one, however, had
reckoned on the political acumen of that country lawyer from Illinois, so
Abraham Lincoln won the nomination for president.
Although undoubtedly greatly
disappointed, William Seward bore the loss well, and in his typical noble
manner, campaigned vigorously for Lincoln, for the cause of emancipation and
union. After the Republican won, Senator
Seward was anticipating completing his term in the Senate and retiring to
Auburn. It was not to be, because
Abraham Lincoln was not only a canny politician, he was a truly wise leader.
Seward was expecting a pro forma
invitation from Lincoln to join the administration, and it was expected he
would, in similar pro forma fashion, turn down the offer. But Lincoln sent a second letter with the pro
forma one, and its sincerity and wisdom convinced Seward to accept the
appointment as Secretary of State. It
was probably the best decision either man ever made, as it brought together two
of the greatest minds in the country in the battle for union and freedom.
Even before Lincoln's
inauguration but after the election, then still Senator Seward proved his
mettle by helping to thwart a confederate plot to take over Washington just
before the inauguration and thereby win the war without firing a shot. Edwin Stanton, also later in Lincoln's
cabinet, was in Buchanan's cabinet, privy to the treasonous conversations going
on in the Oval office, and secretly relaying that information to Seward. Seward's actions were instrumental in
preserving the union before the war even started.
From day one of his
administration, Lincoln and Seward had a close working relationship, going so
far as Lincoln allowing Seward to modify the language in his inaugural
address. Their on going collaboration
was vital throughout the conduct of the war, especially in meeting the goal of
keeping the border states in the union.
What's more, Seward had
previously traveled extensively in Europe, his strong abolitionist stance
opening many doors on the continent. He
used those connections effectively in preventing England and France from
recognizing the Confederacy, and otherwise convincing them to stay neutral in
the war.
The night Lincoln was
assassinated, another assassin on the team tried to kill William Seward and his
son. He used a knife and stabbed the
Secretary repeatedly in the face. The
only reason it did not kill him was that he had recently suffered a broken jaw
in a carriage accident, and had a metal brace on his jaw which deflected the
knife from hitting his jugular vein. His
son was even more grievously wounded but both men survived the assault. Their family, however, did not. Due to the tremendous stress, his wife
Frances, a fine and noble woman who supported her husband in every issue, died
six weeks later. His daughter also died
shortly thereafter.
Seward recovered and stayed on as
Secretary of State under Andrew Johnson, which is how he was in a position to
arrange and conclude our purchase of Alaska.
He died in 1872 at 71 years of age.
Much of the information in this
essay was gleaned from reading “Team of Rivals,” by Doris Kearns Goodwin (can't
be recommended highly enough). On the
cover of that book is a posed photo of Lincoln and his cabinet, with Lincoln and
Seward seated and facing toward each other.
After reading the book, one might be struck (as I was) by the notion
that arguably the greatest man in that photo is William Seward.
So why isn't he already
remembered highly. Well, history has a
way of being written by the winners, and the survivors. In the chaos of war and
reconstruction, and the national grief at President Lincoln's death, a lot of
Seward's deeds got forgotten. What's
more, virtually none of his family survived the tumultuous times to fight for
his memory.
So it is time that we remember
him, today. What's more, even though he
and this author are both White, it is totally fitting for his life to be
remembered during Black History Month, because William Henry Seward deserves as
much or more credit for preserving the union and ending slavery as anyone,
including Abraham Lincoln. He had a huge
and positive impact on Black history. He was not only one of the greatest
Americans ever born, he was one of the most noble human beings in history. The contributions of such leaders should
never be forgotten.
On a related note, let me
add. A lot of White folks kind of don't
like Black History Month, with the yearly refrain of “why don't we have White
history month?”
I rather enjoy learning of Black
leaders and exceptional figures from the past.
I had never heard of folks like Roberts Smalls, or Harriet Tubman before
Black History Month began, and I am better for learning of their
contributions. Rather than ending this
yearly history lesson, I hope it can be expanded to include truly great people,
like William Seward, from all quarters of our national history. I know the Native American leader Crazy Horse
should be more highly remembered. Ceasar
Chavez, and others of various ethnic groups, including many Whites, should
likewise not be forgotten. Maybe instead
of Black History Month, or focusing any other particular group, let us
transition to a never ending history lesson every day that reminds us of all
the great figures from our collective past.
This will be a unifying way of reminding us of who we are, where we came
from, how we got here, and maybe even help us in deciding where we want to go
in the future.
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