Category Archives: 1860

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