Please take a minute to silence your phones before we begin. While you are doing so, we have a fair number of members with us tonight. Supporters of president lincolns cottage. In seeing some of the names on the list, i wanted to take a moment to recognize two members who have been dedicated supporters since before we were open to the public. Eric reese has been a member for 12 years. Can you raise your hand . [applause] and thank you to all the other members tonight. I did want to name everyone but i thought the fact since the two of you have been getting since before we open was special, so thank you. At that conclusion, we invite you to the book signing which will be downstairs in the library. Joining us tonight is Sidney Blumenthal and jamie raskin to discuss mr. Blumenthals new book, the third volume in his series on the 16th president. Sidney blumenthal is the author of a selfmade man and wrestling with his angel, the first two volumes in his biography, the political life of Abra
Can you waste your hand . E your hand . [applause] and thank you to all the other members tonight. I did want to name everyone but i thought the fact since the two of you have been getting since before we open was special, so thank you. At that conclusion, we invite you to the book signing which will be downstairs in the library. Joining us tonight is Sidney Blumenthal and jamie raskin to discuss mr. Blumenthals new book, the third volume in his series on the 16th president. Sidney blumenthal is the author of a selfmade man and wrestling with his angel, the first two volumes in his biography, the political life of Abraham Lincoln. He is the former assistant and andor to resident clinton Senior Advisor to former secretary of state hillary clinton. He has been a National Staff reporter for the Washington Post and washington editor and writer for the new yorker. His books includes the clinton wars and the permanent campaign. Raised in illinois, he lived in washington, d. C. Jamie raskin r
And he argues that president lincoln was against slavery, but was willing to accept it in order to preserve the union. This is an hour and a half, hosted by the New York Historical society and the bryant park reading room. Thank you alex castle and paul room arrow. And thanks to the Bryant Park Corporation and the bryant park reading room, and the hsbc corporation and all those who have made it possible for me to appear here tonight. Its a particular privilege to speak here in new york city. Already, in 1860, as it remains today, new york was the nerve center of the nation. The herald, the tribune, the times, the three most influential and widely read newspapers in the United States, were publish right here. Each provides the historian with a wealth of insights, and each informs my presentation tonight. Here is what i am going to talk about. I focus on the fateful series of events in late 1860, and early 1861, when a president ial election triggered a grave crisis, and before long, a c
Provided the video. Good evening everyone. It is my absolute delight and pleasure to have the opportunity to speak with my good friend and professional colleague harold. Feel free to use the question and answer button at the top of your screen and we will get to as many questions as we can towards the end. To let us turn our attention to some objects that help us describe the civil war. Lets see the cover of the book. Civil war and 50 objects. In the museum realm, particularly the history museum, the art, objects and documents on display have the power to stand in for a larger historical narrative and make so much more than what is structurally defining of that object in itself. Harold, about this book, how did this come about and how effective is it and conveying the narrative of the civil war in 50 objects . It is kind of a tactile history that brings you closer to the lived experience of the civil war. That is what made it so exciting for me, and if you are asking how it happened, i
We are now in our third week in this course, and my what ground we have covered thus far. We have more to cover today, because we are coming up to the 1850s now. We are talking about the crises of the 1850s that really begin with the compromise of 1850 that moved into the kansasnebraska act of 1854, and we are going to see still more earthquakes occurring. But as we do this, we have a character that we have to meet who is going to play a central role in this entire course, and that is Abraham Lincoln. Now we touched very briefly in our last session by way of introduction of lincoln, and just to go through some of the details once again Abraham Lincoln is born in 1809, born the 12th of february. His parents are thomas and nancy hanks lincoln, and lincoln himself was born in hodgenville, kentucky, in a log cabin, yes, quite literally. He doesnt stay in kentucky. In 1818, his parents uproot from kentucky and move northwards across the ohio river into southern indiana. That is where lincol