The
New-York Historical Society hosted a reception on Monday, November
10, 2008 to celebrate the publication of Lincoln President-Elect:
Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter 1860 – 1861 by
Harold Holzer, one of the most eminent Lincoln scholars, winner of
a Lincoln Prize for his Lincoln at Cooper Union and Chief
Historian for the Society's 2009 Lincoln and New York exhibition.
The book by Harold Holzer examines the four months between Lincoln's
election and inauguration, when the president-elect made the most important
decision of his coming presidency—there would be no compromise
on slavery or secession of the slaveholding states even at the cost
of an inevitable Civil War. Lincoln President-Elect is the
first book to concentrate on Abraham Lincoln's public stance
during these months and the momentous consequences when he first demonstrated
his determination and leadership, rejecting compromises urged on him
that might have preserved the Union for a little while longer but enshrined
slavery for generations.
Guests included:Tony Bennett, Jonathan Bing, Tom Campbell, Christy
Ferer, Eric Foner, E.A. Livingston, Donald Marron, James McNamara,
Liam Neeson, Jed Perl, Emily K. Rafferty, Jack Rosenthal, Max Rudin,
Bernard Schwartz, Gary Zarr, and other notable guests.
