About the Program
Harold Holzer, cochairmen of the U.S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and author of numerous books on Abraham Lincoln, recalls the four months between President Lincoln's election in November 1860 to his inauguration in March 1861. During this time the President was pressured by Republicans and Democrats from throughout the country to maintain the Union. Mr. Holzer contends that President Lincoln's resistance to heed these calls was due to his desire to stop the continuation of slavery and not from his misunderstanding of the seriousness of secession. The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861 upon the attack of Fort Sumter. This event was hosted by the Abraham Lincoln Bookshop in Chicago.