Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

See a webcast of this interview: McPherson

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Conversations with History host Harry Kreisler welcomes Pulitzer Prize winning historian and Princeton Professor Emeritus James M. McPherson for a discussion of his new book, Trial by War. Their discussion focuses on the qualities that defined Abraham Lincoln's leadership, how he came to define the role of commander in chief, the evolution of his thinking on national policy with regard to slavery, how his goal of saving the Union shaped the politics of the war, his relationship to his generals, and the thinking and circumstances that led to his suspension of habeas corpus and the initiation of military tribunals.  Professor McPherson reflects on the lessons to be learned from Lincoln's conduct of the civil war and its implications for today's wars.

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