Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1052459
E ach spring, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society pres- ents a scholarly symposium focused on an aspect or period of congressional history. The 2018 iteration, on May 4, continued our exploration of the Reconstruction period, with speakers detailing the issues surrounding the Fourteenth Amendment, citizenship, and the impeach- ment of Andrew Johnson. Reconstructing the Constitution, Remaking Citi- zenship, and Reconsidering a Presidential Succes- sion opened with a morning session centered on the Fourteenth Amendment. Vernon Burton (Clemson University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Cham- paign) began the session by exploring some of the rea- sons for and effects of the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment. Then a panel of three speakers took on more specific questions about the amendment and citi- zenship. Paul Finkelman (Gratz College) discussed the way the amendment resolved some questions about who was considered a citizen and effectively reversed the Dred Scott decision. Jack Chin (UC Davis School of Law) analyzed certain ways that the amendment did not apply to all—it was long interpreted as offering citi- zenship only to black Americans and not, for instance, to Chinese immigrants and their children. Alysa Landry (journalist and doctoral student at Gratz College) dis- cussed the ways this issue of who can be a citizen has played out for Native Americans around and since the time of the Fourteenth Amendment's passage. Brandi Brimmer (Morgan State University) opened the afternoon session and continued the con- versation about citizenship as she examined the lives of black Union widows who applied for pensions after the Civil War. Their survivor's benefits depended on an agreement that they and their Union soldier husbands were citizens; their benefits and status as citizens also turned on questions about their marital status and sex- uality in a way that men's pensions did not. Next, Rebecca Zietlow (University of Toledo College of Law) discussed Rep. James Mitchell Ashley, an anti- slavery politician who also supported increased rights for "free" (white) labor and a more egalitarian ver- sion of liberty that addressed both racial and economic discrimination. Mark Summers (University of Ken- tucky) gave the final presentation, a lively history of the Andrew Johnson impeachment in which he argued that while Johnson remained in office, the impeachment effort was enough to effectively neutralize him. The day concluded with all the speakers taking questions from the audience. Occasionally, other audi- ence members answered questions too! It was, as is usual at a USCHS symposium, a lively and thoughtful exchange among the speakers and between them and audience members. Most of the sessions are now available on c-span. org. Search for "Capitol Historical Society symposium" to watch them online. Annual Symposium Focused on Reconstruction and the Fourteenth Amendment Audience members line up to ask questions after one of the speakers concluded a presentation. Symposium co-director Paul Finkelman moderated the final Q&A session with all the speakers. Seated, from left: Mark Summers, Jack Chin, Vernon Burton, Rebecca Ziet- low, Brandi Brimmer, and Alysa Landry. C-SPAN camera crews were present to record most of the talks. 54 THE CAPITOL DOME