An Interview with Eric Foner about his new book: The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution
by Eric Foner, Sara GabbardSara Gabbard: Please explain the significance of the fact that “Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation” was added to the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Eric Foner: The fact that each of the Reconstruction amendments ends with a section empowering Congress to enforce its provisions illustrates the radical change in […]
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Interview with David S. Reynolds regarding his new book “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Time”
by David S. Reynolds, Sara GabbardSara Gabbard: You excel in putting historical figures into the context of their times. In terms of date of birth, Abraham Lincoln was born on the cusp between Enlightenment and Romanticism. Were there traces of both in his life? David Reynolds: He was shaped by both movements. From the Enlightenment, he derived his interest in […]
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An Interview with Allen Guelzo
by Allen C. Guelzo, Sara GabbardSara Gabbard: When you are “on the road” lecturing about Lincoln and the Civil War, what questions do members of the audience ask most frequently? Do responses from your students reflect the same interests? Allen Guelzo: Far and away, the most-frequently-asked question I encounter from audiences is, “Would things have been different if Lincoln had […]
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Books: An Interview with Harold Holzer
by Harold HolzerSara Gabbard: Some of our readers already know, but for those who don’t: Why did Lincoln become your lifelong focus? Harold Holzer: The “why” is harder to isolate than the “how.” It began for me in a fifth grade classroom in a rural neighborhood of New York City (yes, there was such a thing in […]
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