America’s Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas, and the Compromise That Preserved the Union

• History

In collaboration with the New-York Historical Society and Oxford University Press, the Bryant Park Reading Room presents a series of lectures on popular topics to stimulate your mind, including Civil War history, politics, biography and the economy.

In the aftermath of the Mexican-American War, the debate on how to incorporate the newly acquired western territories created a paralyzing crisis in American government and the longest debate in Senate history. Author Fergus M. Bordewich, in coversation with David Levering Lewis, tells the epic story of the Compromise of 1850 and the two generations of senators who dominated the great debate.

This program will be held at the Reading Room in Bryant Park. The Reading Room is located on the 42nd Street side of the park between 5th and 6th Avenues. Look for the burgundy and white umbrellas. For more information, please visit www.bryantpark.org.