All the Powers of the Earth: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, 1856–1860

Join us for a conversation tracing Abraham Lincoln’s ascent to power from his famed debates against Stephen Douglas for the U.S. Senate seat to his nomination as the Republican Party’s candidate for the presidency in 1860. As the outbreak of war loomed on the horizon, these formative years set the stage for Lincoln to become one of the nation’s most revered moral leaders.

Sidney Blumenthal is the author of All the Powers of Earth: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln Vol. III, 1856–1860. Sean Wilentz (moderator) is George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History at Princeton University. His latest book is No Property in Man: Slavery and Antislavery at the Nation’s Founding.

Program Update: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Amanda Foreman is no longer available to moderate this discussion.