Michael Gerhardt, Burton Craige Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of North Carolina School of Law and scholar-in-residence at the National Constitution Center, discusses his latest book, Lincoln’s Mentors: The Education of a Leader—an examination of how Abraham Lincoln mastered the art of leadership, and how five men mentored an obscure lawyer with no executive experience to become one of America’s greatest presidents. Gerhardt is joined by leading historians H.W. Brands, professor of history and Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the new book The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the Struggle for American Freedom, and Judith Giesberg, professor of history at Villanova University and director of the Last Seen Project, in conversation moderated by Jeffrey Rosen.
Participants
Michael Gerhardt is the Burton Craige Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence and scholar-in-residence at the National Constitution Center. He is the author of seven books, the most recent of which is Lincoln’s Mentors: The Education of a Leader. Gerhardt has participated in both the impeachment trials of President Clinton and President Trump, during which he also frequently appeared on CNN as an expert and commentator on the impeachment process.
H.W. Brands is the Jack S. Blanton Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. He has written 30 books, including The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the Struggle for American Freedom and Heirs of the Founders: The Epic Rivalry of Henry Clay, John Calhoun and Daniel Webster, the Second Generation of American Giants. Brands is a member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas.
Judith Giesberg is the Robert M. Birmingham Chair in the Humanities and Professor of History at Villanova University. Giesberg is the author of five books, including Sex and the Civil War: Soldiers, Pornography, and the Making of Modern Morality. She also directs a digital project, Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery, that is collecting, digitizing, and transcribing information wanted ads taken out by former slaves looking for family members lost to the domestic slave trade.
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
- Abraham Lincoln, The Lyceum Address (1838)
- Abraham Lincoln, Cooper Union Address (1860)
- Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (1863)
- Ed. Steven Smith, The Writings of Abraham Lincoln
- Ed. Terrence Ball, Lincoln: Political Writings and Speeches
- Michael Gerhardt, Lincoln's Mentors: The Education of a Leader
- Michael Gerhardt, The Forgotten Presidents: Their Untold Constitutional Legacy
- H.W. Brands, The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the Struggle for American Freedom
- H.W. Brands, Heirs of the Founders: Henry Clay, John Calhoun, Daniel Webster, and the Second Generation of American Giants
- Judith Giesberg, “Army at Home”: Women and the Civil War on the Northern Home Front
- The Missouri Compromise (1820)
- Margaret Hogan, The Miller Center at the University of Virginia, "Corrupt Bargain"
- Emile Davis, Memorable Day: The Emile Davis Diares
- Live at the National Constitution Center, "Shakespeare and the Making of America"
- Live at the National Constitution Center, "What the Founders Learned from the Greeks and the Romans"
- Eric Foner, The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery
Subscribe to Live at the National Constitution Center
You can also listen to this program and more as a podcast! Live at the National Constitution Center features live constitutional conversations and debates featuring leading historians, journalists, scholars, and public officials hosted at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and across America. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app. Check out the Media Library for Live at the National Constitution Center podcast episodes.
