It's Memorial Day weekend, so I thought there might be interest in a video I created a couple of years ago on Union General, Illinois politician, and Vice Presidential candidate John A. Logan.
John had an incredibly interesting life, but there are two things that stand out for me when I think of him:
1) He authored the 1854 Illinois Black Codes, the harshest discriminatory statutes in the free states, yet ten years later was one of the biggest supporters of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments
2). Was the man behind Decoration Day (now Memorial Day), then designated as a national day of remembrance to honor those that died in the Civil War
I greatly enjoyed putting this video together, as John is a great example that prejudiced minds can be changed. He sacrificed a lot for changing his views, but remained committed to helping African Americans until his death. Even abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass singled him out and praised him his work. I hope you find the man as interesting as I do.
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