I am also very troubled about how deep the political divide is mainly between democrats and republicans but even within the two parties it is restive, it is not settled. People are not happy. For a lot of reasons. We are racially divided you saw that terrible shooting in georgia that got into the news the last couple of dates. Were trying to figure out what it means to be american and weve talked about that many times the book project has helped me a lot to reflect on that larger question and he began with a pretty ordinary way. I was writing a series of blog posts. I wouldnt call them quite articles. It began around 2010. All around the one 50th anniversary of our civil war. In the idea was that we could find younger historians who were comfortable in and the digital the environment to put up more articles about history in the online New York Times that they would have been able to put in the printed paper when it started the online New York Times was kind of like a backyard that no one cared about. It was fine to let a bunch of civil war historians fight there. It is fascinating to see now how things have changed and not that many years where the online environment is basically everything. I was part of a kind of digital experiment to see if history could be done while. We found that it could be done while. In some ways its a better environment to write history. You can put up beautiful photographs all kinds of graphics. Get questions in from readers. It was thrilling. And way back then i was thinking what is a kind of a story i could tell well in a format that wants me to write one post today. That was basically my job for them. What happened 150 years ago. I saw that lincoln had this 13 day train trip. Its the perfect kind of the story. For submitting a daily blog. Here is what lincoln did on day one of the trip. We could put some photographs up of the cities he is passing through. It turned out to be a much better story. For me and ended up literally consuming ten years of my life because it was so deep who is abraham lincoln. Still elusive to a biographer even though more than 15,000 books have been written about him. Why did his speeches and become so good he have given a few important speeches. Lincoln douglas debates are important. He steps it up to an even higher level while traveling under very difficult conditions on a rapidly moving railroad through all of this different cities of the upper midwest. And then how did he deal with some of the worst political problems any incoming president had to deal with. He have a very weak plurality. It was not a mandate. At less than 40 of the vote. The Second Lowest vote of a winning president ial candidate in our history. Its amazing if you think about famous has become to look at that bad hand he was dealt when he won the election. After John Quincy Adams he was a second weakest victor of a president ial race. Seven states secede after he is elected. His only the president elect of half a country. And then as i develop in the book it was not at all certain. He could even make it to washington to become the president of a country called the United States. Believe me i had spent many years studying this type and i was shocked at how much new information i was able to find by really digging into journal accounts from the winter of 1860 and 61 private correspondence between important players. The new york senator and future secretary of state and lincoln basically our democracy was hanging by a thread and the idea of a country called the United States of america was also hanging by a thread because washington was not a very sympathetic capital to the president ial hopes of abraham lincoln. With the unformed party called the Republican Party which was not a grand old party. It was not grant and it was now old. It was barely one party. They are barely coherent and lincoln is as much of a party leader he is an accidental nominee of party bosses thats good for him. And then the situation in washington is terrible the republicans are unpopular there is another president a democrat who is uncooperative with the lincoln and is coming very close to recognizing the new confederate government which doesnt even really have a name yet. They have seceded away from the u. S. But foreign powers are on the verge. Of recognizing this new country without a clear name yet. What i was shocked to discover it was how close to the south came to sending a pretty small set of militia soldiers. A couple hundred meant with guns from virginia and maryland into the city of washington dc which was barely defended at all. And just taking over the u. S. Government. In taking over the u. S. Capitol. They would have have all of the treaties of American History they wouldve have the patents that dictated so much commerce and they would have been able to in the paper records they wouldve indicated themselves the United States of america and then lincoln wouldve been a rogue president elect of Something Else who probably wouldve only been able to make it to philadelphia as the one that wouldve had to rename his country. No one quite knows what wouldve happens. But through incredible moral leadership which gathered huge numbers of americans behind him including people who have not even voted for him and physical courage. I talk a lot about how brave he was to stand out on the train platform and after date night after night where anyone could get very close to him. And that was the whole point. He is defending democracy. And then one really wild ride. An ordinary passenger car. In an ordinary commuter train that went from philadelphia through wilmington and baltimore. The conspiracy to take his life and arrived at don in washington on february 23. And walked up the hill. By arriving safely i argue that he made Everything Possible not just four years of his presidency. Which we now know very well as historians. In my epilogue i argue that so many episodes some of the episodes of americas moral leadership in the world and americas greatness as a country including our late but important entry into world war i and then our transformative role on us as well as the world when we have our allies. We crossed fascism not just a few countries but an ideology that was very powerful it was an economic component as fdr always articulated it as the primary organizing idea of the world. From 1945 on. Fdr dies in 1945. If lincoln doesnt survive his train trip and then when the civil war and in the process revitalize all of those ideas about democracy the document about human rights. In addition to claire declaring clear declaring rights to form a new country. Im not sure if were fighting that war. With an equally powerful southern version of ourselves. We are not able to inspire the world people the way we successfully did. Im very aware that we also had fallen short of our own standards. And very aware that other countries often hold that up against us. The fact that we won a civil war to reassert a better version of ourselves and lincolns language is still important. In learning how we did that in we stood up to fight fascism and then build the International Architecture that this community of listeners know so well. Including and a time a pandemic. The world health organization. All of that is because people can Work Together and they should Work Together. We sell problems more effectively when we are united internationally as well as nationally. It is even more specific than that. In the life of lincoln. But i argue by surviving those 13 days in developing the big concepts that he does develop on that trip. He gave us all the rhetoric to use in every future predicament. And we are were certainly in one now. That is a terrific summary that brings us forward to today and even into the future about how our principles relate to the formation of not only Public Policy but as you are seeing the role in the world. There are some dramatic moments in the book and i want to come back to one of them. I think its really at the core of what you are just saying. If i remember correctly it is washingtons birthday it is when lincolns train arrived in philadelphia and lincoln is called to speak at the independent hall. At that moment maybe you could help the audience understands what actually comes together for lincoln at that time. And compare it to what was happening to his counterparts who was also having a journey of his own. What i took away from that was that actually what inspired the solidarity that youre talking about was the point that lincoln came to and that famous speech in 1861. It became the rally point it became the true north if you will for lincoln, for the union for what the country should be. Thank you joel for that question. That is really the pivot of the entire book. Its a very short speech he gives insight Independence Hall on the morning of february 22, 1861 and is loaded with the drum as you see Jefferson Davis has been racing on a train of his own across the south. And he has arrived. Lincoln is still trying to get to washington in the night before a brilliant female spy in baltimore. There is an extremely serious conspiracy as many as a thousand people who will step in shoot him when he comes through baltimore in the transfer between two train stations. He has taken in the information the night before pretty dark information and hes got to go out and talk about democracy and trust between people. So its a very heavy moment for lincoln they had scheduled the talk for the morning of washingtons birthday. I argued that as a triumph of something we dont always think of 19th century history but then as now they were thinking about the equivalent of photo ops and how to position the president elect. I argue that southern leaders had just as good as claim George Washington is a sudden dinner. They have close personal ties relatives of his and his wife. To fight have fought in the american revolution. Lincoln was smarter in the way that he thought about washingtons birthday and to talk in Independence Hall and washingtons birthday is the second most important day of the year after the fourth of july. The gate and the chance to talk about the declaration of independence. It is a core document. He has been talking about it for years. And he has an almost mystical attachment to that document into specifically the second paragraph with the great soaring language that we hold these truths to be among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is a lot of the Political Program just in the sentences. In fact, affirmation of the declaration of independence was written into the republican platform of 1860. It is unusual that the declaration goes into a political platform but it was really under attack in the 1850s as southerners were saying in more and more aggressive language that was a mistake. And obviously doesnt apply to africanamericans who arent really people in the full sense of the world. And theyre definitely not citizens in any sense. They cant get married they dont have last names. They dont have any civil rights. That was a strong southern position. In jefferson and Jefferson Davis has self goes on record including and his fairly while a speech he goes out of his way to say by the way it does not apply to black people. And lincoln comes in and his calming and unifying language says there is not a political thought i have ever had. That does not stand in some way to the declaration of independence. It is a powerful moment. Through some of the darkest days of the american revolution. He is saying why are we all here. Why did they fight a very difficult war and go through a lot of hardship to create a country to hand off to us. He said it wasnt merely to be separate that was easy. It was to establish a new kind of model for the world. It was a better kind of government in which people run things for themselves. And the adversary to the continentals soldiers was an optical system. In lincolns mind that was still going on. Most of it was run by monarchies. Any systems in which the wealthy have all of the power and the poor had almost no political power. That is not what the founders were fighting for. I think he felt a real sympathy for the plight of the there was a lot of complicated ways to get at his racial thinking. But basically he is the greatest abolitionists in American History. He would not had called himself that word when he couldnt use that word and be elected. He calls for black citizenship. And all of those amendments come through. If he hadnt made it on that trip i dont think any of those things would have happened. I argue that he is purged with Independence Hall. One of the more sacred shrines of its own sinfulness. It have become a holding cell for africanamericans who were rounded up in philadelphia often incorrectly free people of color were rounded up by u. S. Marshals and held in a holding panel on the second floor. Its integrity as well as the country. One of the parts of the book i enjoyed it so much. It comes out of that scene lincoln felt that he had communicated with the founders. They are sort of speaking with them in working things out. And then lincoln joints that. We were talking a little bit about leadership. The simple way of understanding. The founders headed to concerns they certainly have a great concern about a king the whole point of the experiment was to be they feared the king but they also feared the masses. The whole idea of the founding documents it was to somehow work that out im just curious how lincoln he was probably seen by many as a tyrant and then later we see other american leaders. How do you think about this american dna if you well. Anti king idea and how that is kinda plain out. Part of the polarized environment that were in. Distinctly american in a way. Were only going to be taking our direction from the civil authority. Lincoln felt to an unusual degree that he was communicating. I mean the and the strange sense. I think he almost was having private seances with him. There is a fair amount of evidence and i write about this. He wrote poems as a young man. He loved edgar allen poe. There is kind of a dark side to it. The light side is great. There are these strange aspects. Hes trying to correct the kind of gyroscope that the founders created and set spinning. One way it was getting out of whack in 1860 and 61. It was a kind of a temporary inconvenience. With freedom and democracy. Lincoln says that in the cooper union address. As he comes in. Although very weak at the beginning and becomes extraordinarily strong over his possible reinvented at the office the office itself. As totally. That worried many advocates for democracy. He really reinvented with the u. S. Government when he came in by the end of the life administration. Some of those worries have reasons attached to them. He spent the writ of habeas corpus. Insensitive parts of the country. And he runs the rush shot. He never you loses sight of the big picture i would argue he submits to a very difficult Reelection Campaign in 1864 there are moments when it looks like that sack thats i not cannot go his way. You have some slightly funky things to help it go his way he sends soldiers back to their home districts to help in a state like pennsylvania that it could go either way. He never suspends the election itself. On that note i might say parenthetically that is a specific democratic fear that ive feel the 2020 election is very fragile. It could be postponed or the results contested. Its pretty easy to contest a result afterwards from both parties i hope they will keep an eye on the november election and keep it as honest as it can be. And if we have to mail and our ballots. Thats fine. There is very little need to worry about a male only election. I hope we can vote in person. The best thing lincoln does its not just submitting to a Reelection Campaign he talks so beautifully. He gives strength to democracy through his words. He does a better than any speech in American History. It changes the gyroscope they substitute the version of democracy that he likes better over what the founders had written. And then in his second inaugural address and enough for you other minor speeches. He talks a lot about the 20th century. And a lot about the grandchildren of these young men and what they are doing will make democracy safe. That is a great transition into one other part i wanted to raise with you. I wanted to alert all of the people that were watching. Work and have some time for q a if you had questions you would like to post please use the chat function. Thank you for raising this point about the future to what extent with lincoln was he thinking about democracy as an experiment a universal experiment that might go beyond just the union but for the future of the human race. Did he have that big a vision. You mentioned the election today we are thinking so much about our democratic institutions. Is not just the president but how is our society functioning are we moving in a progressive way making the system work. It is an institutional question. Lincoln had a lot on his plate. There was the leadership, there was the vision of all of that. He also connected to the idea of the institutions thanks again. Democracy for all people. He says that in the philadelphia speech. You asked me to talk about. I argue that its the data version. Theyre working out the ideas. He is just talking but he says there that they were working out something. There is not the sentiment in my own a politics that doesnt stem from the declaration of independence. They were working out a new form of government for all people are all time. Which is essentially what he says at gettysburg in the same state two and a half years later. Ill think those two speeches are unrelated. Why lincoln who is also a very canny and practical politician who knows of the defects of democracy very well. Why he has his philosophical and nearly spiritual way of talking about democracy is kind of a mystery because not everyone had that and in fact i think if you been in politics for 20 or 30 years you can go through the ritual of saying a few words about democracy at that quite as elevated as it obviously was for abraham lincoln. Where that comes from im still wrestling to figure out. They had been wrestling with that for a long time. Many of the contemporaries the fe