Lincoln and the Fight for Peace

National Archives Museum
Online

In Lincoln and the Fight for Peace, author John Avlon discusses the power of Lincoln’s personal example in the closing days of the Civil War. He offers a portrait of a peacemaker who did not demonize people he disagreed with but used humor, logic, and scripture to depolarize bitter debates. Even during the war, surrounded by reactionaries and radicals, he refused to back down from his belief that there is more that unites us than divides us. But he also understood that peace needs to be waged with as much intensity as war. Joining the author in conversation will be author and historian Mark Updegrove.