By Kathleen Maher
Many of us have seen the movie Lincoln, and some of us may
have even rooted for Daniel Day Lewis to win the Oscar for his portrayal of
history’s favorite president. The timing of this movie is interesting, as is
the White House’s presentation of the award for Movie of the Year, presumably
in case Spielberg’s biopic won. Coincidence? Perhaps. And why might that be?
I’m glad you asked. If desperate times call for desperate
measures, then the orchestrators of controversial measures are less likely to
be questioned if the attention of the people is diverted. Parties are a
perfectly suitable distraction, and Mary Todd Lincoln sure knew how to throw a
soiree. She is the first of the presidents’ wives to go all out decorating and
entertaining in the White House. She recognized and capitalized on the power of
social networking to advance her husband’s agendas long before there was a
twitter to tweet or a facebook to read.
Controversial
measures are not new in the presidency. Lincoln suspended the writ of Habeus
Corpus under the threat of Confederate spying. That means he could detain
anyone he felt was a threat to national security with absolutely no body of
evidence. Sound familiar? It should. Under the current president, drones and a
national security force have been declared a viable option against US citizens
deemed a threat—with no evidence necessary. And then there are the expansions
of executive power.
Like our current president, Lincoln was a master at stretching
the constitution, such as in declaring the first draft.
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My new novella, Bachelor
Buttons is a look at what happened in New York City when Lincoln’s
Conscription Act was enforced. In some ways, the New York City draft riots are
reminiscent of the Occupy Wall street movement. Targeting wealthy republican
presses and business owners, thousands of Irish immigrants took to the streets
to protest the draft in July 1863. Class warfare, racial prejudice and
employment were central issues then, as they are now among the 99%. An element
of Tea Party disgruntlement with government thrown in, the Irish felt that the
expansion of government and cronyism tainted this unfair legislation, favoring
those who could buy their way out of the draft, and exempting freed blacks who
were not yet citizens. The struggling Irish felt targeted, new to the country
and competing for the most basic jobs with the freedmen.
Exceeding the anarchy of Occupiers and the rhetoric of Tea
Partiers, the Civil War draft protest turned violent. Hundreds were killed,
mainly peaceful blacks. Dozens of buildings were destroyed, including a black
orphanage. The Irish community had much to account for. But there were also
instances of heroism, such as an Irish firefighter who fought for hours to save
the orphanage, and other Irish who defended black neighbors and friends. Bachelor Buttons is based on these heroes,
with some of my family history thrown in.
I am offering a copy of Bachelor Buttons, plus some Irish
and Civil War goodies to one lucky commenter. Follow Tina’s blog, and my blog http://kathleenlmaher.blogspot.com for
extra entries. Winner selected Wednesday the 22nd.
Good luck!
You can purchase the novella at Amazon
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