The Copperhead Conspiracy
A group of Northerners, angry at President Lincoln, conspired with Confederates to plan an armed insurrection intended to topple the governments of several midwestern states and free tens of thousands of Confederate prisoners from Union prisons, hoping they would force an end to the Civil War with the Confederacy intact and slavery still legal. It would have worked, except for a Union spy who was embedded in their midst.
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Episode List
The Copperhead Conspiracy Trailer
Episode One: Introduction
During the Civil War, a group of Northern Democrats known as Copperheads came together to oppose the policies of Abraham Lincoln and his Republican Party. As the war progressed, they became progressively more radicalized and began to consider taking violent action in a strategic alliance with the Confederates.
Episode Two: Birth of a Movement
The Copperhead movement was a coalition of several groups with varied histories and political goals, the seeds of which went back to the early years of the nation. But the election of Republican Abraham Lincoln in 1860 activated their worst fears and inspired them to come together to fight against a common foe.
Episode Three: The Union Fights Back
Episode Four: Oh Canada
The summer of 1863 was a momentous period in the Civil War with the Battle of Gettysburg and the Fall of Vicksburg. It was also a turning point in a different kind of war being fought against Copperhead insurrectionists, who were starting to be taken very seriously by Union military officials. To counteract the threat, they started to spy on their own citizens.
Episode Five: Fire and Pestilence
Episode Six: Aftermath
The Copperhead Conspiracy was produced with funding and scholarly assistance from Ohio Humanities and is produced by award-winning public radio producer Dan Gediman, producer of the public radio series This I Believe, the Audible series The Homefront: America During World War II, and, most recently, the public radio and podcast series The Reckoning: Facing the Legacy of Slavery in America.
Our historical consultant was Dr. Stephen Rockenbach. Voice actors were Alec Volz and Barrett Cooper. Our theme music was composed by Jecorey Arthur, with other music licensed from Blue Dot Sessions. Special thanks to Neenah Ellis, Louisville Public Media, and to Loretta Williams for editorial guidance.
Major support for the series was provided by Arccon Construction with additional support from Jay and Susan Giles, Doreen Uhas Sauer, Lopa Mehrotra, and Douglas and Marisa Brown.
This podcast was aired in partnership with The Reckoning Radio.
