Historian Ted Widmer discusses the sectional politics of American slavery’s expansion before the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln’s unlikely road to the White House and Lincoln’s belief in the Declaration of Independence.
Edward (Ted) Widmer is a historian, writer, librarian, and musician who obtained a B.A. in the history and literature of France and the United States, an M.A. in history, and a Ph.D. in the history of American civilization from Harvard University. At Harvard, he was an editor at the Harvard Lampoon. Widmer was appointed lecturer on history and literature at Harvard University from 1993 until 1997. From 1997 to 2001, he worked in the White House as a special assistant to President Bill Clinton, foreign policy speech writer and Senior Advisor for Special Projects. He was the first director of the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience from 2001 to 2006 and an associate professor of history at Washington College from 2001. While there he created the George Washington Book Prize, an annual award given to the best book on the founding fathers. In 2006 he was appointed Director and Librarian of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. From 2012 to 2013, Widmer was a senior advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Between 2010 and 2015, he helped to create and often contributed to The New York Times “Disunion,” a digital history of the Civil War. In October, 2016, Widmer was appointed Director of the Kluge Center at the Library of Congress and began as professor in the Macaulay Honors College at City University of New York.
The Apple TV+ series "Lincoln's Dilemma," features insights from journalists, educators and scholars, as well as rare archival materials, that offer a more nuanced look into the life of the Great Emancipator. Set against the background of the Civil War, "Lincoln's Dilemma" also gives voice to the narratives of enslaved people, shaping a more complete view of an America divided over issues including economy, race and humanity, and underscoring Lincoln's battle to save the country, no matter the cost. The series is narrated by award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright ("Angels in America") and features the voices of actor Bill Camp ("The Night Of") as Lincoln and Leslie Odom Jr. ("Hamilton") as Frederick Douglas.
To view the entire series please visit:
tv.apple.com/us/show/lincolns...
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Chapter Markers:
00:00 - Introduction
00:08 - The heightening conflicts around slavery
01:37 - The Kansas-Nebraska Act
03:30 - The sectional politics of slavery’s expansion
06:59 - Lincoln’s position on slavery
09:51 - Lincoln’s views on the founding documents
15:17 - Lincoln’s road to the White House
22:41 - Lincoln’s upbringing
26:01 - Lincoln’s Republican nomination
32:04 - Southern views of Lincoln after the nomination
36:14 - The 1860 election
39:48 - Southern reaction to Lincoln’s election
47:31 - The secession movement
51:49 - Lincoln in the months before taking office
55:21 - The inaugural train
1:02:18 - Assassination plots
1:08:44 - Lincoln’s arrival in Washington, D.C.
1:14:05 - Lincoln’s first inaugural address
1:24:24 - The Gettysburg Address
1:27:37 - Lincoln’s leadership
Ted Widmer, Historian, City University of New York
Interview Date: November 18, 2020
Interviewed by: Jackie Olive and Barak Goodman
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