Tag Archives: lincoln

Civil War Podcast, Episode 23


In which we look at the fact that seven southern states withdrew from the Union between Abraham Lincoln’s election and his inaugural.  We answer the question: What caused the secession of these states?

Our book recommendation for this episode is We Have the War Upon Us: The Onset of the Civil War, November 1860-April 1861 by William J. Cooper.

“Written from the perspectives of Americans who experienced the efforts to forestall disunion and war during the five months between November 1860 and April 1861… this book captures the drama and tensions of those perilous times.  Especially noteworthy is Cooper’s treatment of William H. Seward, whose struggles to patch together a compromise form the main thread running through this important book.”  ~ James M. McPherson


Listen to Episode 23: SecessionFever

Civil War Podcast, Episode 22

This Lincoln photograph by Samuel G. Alschuler in Chicago on
November 25, 1860, shows the president-elect’s new beard.


In which we discuss the reasons behind the collapse of the Democratic Party, the resulting four-way contest for the presidency, and Abraham Lincoln’s victory on Election Day, November 6, 1860.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Year of Meteors: Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the Election that Brought On the Civil War by Douglas R. Egerton.

“Well-informed, judicious, and lively political history.  Douglas Egerton has a sharp eye for telling biographical details, and he deploys them to great analytical and narrative effect.”  ~ Bruce Levine, author of Half Slave and Half Free


Listen to Episode 22: Election1860

Civil War Podcast, Episode 21

The Lincoln portrait that Matthew Brady
took on February 27, 1860.

In which we take a look at the February, 1860 address that was the most important speech of Abraham Lincoln’s political life. The Cooper Union speech in New York City catapulted Abraham Lincoln to the White House.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech that Made Abraham Lincoln President by Harold Holzer.

“Few people know more about Abraham Lincoln than Holzer. This fine new work focuses on a widely known but little studied address that Lincoln delivered in early 1860 in New York City… Surely no one will again overlook this masterful speech.”  ~ Publishers Weekly


Listen to Episode 21: LincolnCooperUnion

Civil War Podcast, Episode 19

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATES (Part the Second)


In which we continue our coverage of the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates in 1858.

Our book recommendations for this episode are:

Stephen A. Douglas by Robert Johannsen.  About this book, Lincoln scholar David Herbert Donald said, “At once a work of enormous scholarship and of deep insight. Here, for the first time, is the full story of a great career, told with such skill that we can now understand why Abraham Lincoln found the ‘Little Giant’ the most formidable political rival he ever faced.”

Lincoln by David Herbert Donald.  About this book, Pulitzer-Prize winning Lincoln historian Mark E. Neely Jr said, “The best biography of Lincoln I have ever read.”


Listen to Episode 19: LincolnDouglasDebatesPartSecond

Civil War Podcast, Episode 18

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATES (Part the First)

Stephen Douglas (1813-1861)

In which we give the background to the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858, and then we start in on our coverage of the debates.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates That Defined America by Allen C. Guelzo.  

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln was known as a successful Illinois lawyer.  Two years later, he was elected president.  What carried this one-term congressman from obscurity to fame was the campaign he mounted for the United States Senate against the country’s most formidable politician.  As this brilliant narrative by the prize-winning Lincoln scholar Allen Guelzo dramatizes, Lincoln would emerge a predominant national figure, the leader of his party, and the man who would bear the burden of the national confrontation. 


Listen to Episode 18: LincolnDouglasDebatesPartFirst

Civil War Podcast, Episode 14

James Buchanan
(1791-1868)

In which we discuss the three-way presidential contest of 1856 & its importance in the stunning rise of the Republican Party.  Plus, we see Abraham Lincoln start to position himself to be a leading national figure in the party.

Our book recommendation for this episode is James Buchanan by Jean H Baker.

Almost no president was as well trained and well prepared for the office as James Buchanan.  he had served in the Pennsylvania state legislature, the U.S. House, and the U.S. Senate; he was Secretary of State and was even offered a seat on the Supreme Court.  And yet, by every measure except his own, James Buchanan was a miserable failure as president.  Historian Jean H. Baker explains that we have rightly placed Buchanan at the bottom of the presidential rankings, but that is no excuse to forget him.  To study Buchanan is to consider the implications of weak leadership in a time of national crisis.  Elegantly written, Baker’s book offers a balanced look at a crucial moment in our nation’s history and explores a man who, when given the opportunity, failed to rise to the challenge.

 
** This episode of the podcast contains explicit language. **

Listen to Episode 14: Election1856

Civil War Podcast, Episode 7

WAR WITH MEXICO (Part the Third)

Winfield Scott (1786-1866)

In which we continue our discussion of America’s war with Mexico.  We follow along as Major General Winfield Scott makes the dramatic decision to cut loose from his supply lines and march on Mexico City.  We also continue putting the spotlight on some American officers, almost all West Point graduates, who fight in Mexico & then go on to some measure of fame in the Civil War.  Plus, a fellow named Abraham Lincoln makes his first appearance in the podcast.

Our book recommendation for this episode is The Class of 1846: From West Point to Appomattox- Stonewall Jackson, George McClellan, and their Brothers by John C Waugh. In this collective biography, Waugh follows this class of West Pointers from the U.S. Military Academy to Mexico to the Civil War. The West Point class of 1846 graduated 59 men: 10 of them- including Stonewall Jackson- became Confederate generals; 12- including George McClellan- wore the stars for the Union.

Listen to Episode 7: MexicanWarPartThird