November 19, 2021, marks the 158th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. This week’s episode highlights the landmark speech, its historical and constitutional significance, and its continued relevance today. Host Jeffrey Rosen is joined by historians Kate Masur of Northwestern University and Sean Wilentz of Princeton University. Through a close, line-by-line read of the speech they analyze its rhetoric, highlight its references to other founding documents including the Declaration of Independence, and illuminate its dire historical context memorializing the Civil War’s bloodiest battle at a crucial turning point.
FULL PODCAST
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This episode was produced by Jackie McDermott and engineered by Greg Scheckler. Research was provided by Michael Esposito, Chase Hanson, Nicholas Mosvick, and Lana Ulrich.
PARTICIPANTS
Kate Masur is a professor of history at Northwestern University. She is the author of Until Justice Be Done: America’s First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction.
Sean Wilentz is the George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History at Princeton University. He is the author of No Property in Man: Slavery and Antislavery at America’s Founding and is currently writing a book entitled The Triumph of American Antislavery.
Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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No Property in Man: Slavery and Antislavery at America’s Founding by Sean Wilentz
- Until Justice Be Done: America’s First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction by Kate Masur
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