The Statesmanship of Abraham Lincoln - Dr. Allen C. Guelzo

The Institute of World Politics

About the Lecture: In a modern democracy, state and society occupy separate spheres, so that neither the state oppresses society, nor society dispenses with the state and descends into anarchy. The boundary zone between the two is provided by the rule of law. Among the many attributes of Abraham Lincoln as a democratic leader, his respect for the rule of law is the paramount characteristic of his statesmanship. It was a respect which has been seriously questioned, and it was a respect which the pressure of our Civil War’s circumstances gravely challenged. But viewed in proper perspective, no aspect of the Civil war era, or Lincoln’s statecraft, is more remarkable than his maintenance of the rule of law in what would otherwise have been a situation fatal to the American democracy. About the Speaker: Dr. Allen C. Guelzo is the Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era, and Director of Civil War Era Studies at Gettysburg College. He is the author of Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President (1999), Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America (2004) and Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates That Defined America (2008). His book on the battle of Gettysburg, Gettysburg: The Last Invasionwas a New York Times best seller in 2013. He is currently serving as the William L. Garwood Visiting Professor in the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. His website is www.allenguelzo.com.