Direct Download: 20081113-jamesmc.mp3

James McPherson | Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief

A professor emeritus of History at Princeton University, James McPherson won the Pulitzer Prize for Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, his single-volume treatment of the Civil War that set a benchmark for scholarship in the field. He is the author of nearly 20 additional books, each focused on a particular aspect of the Civil War, including This Mighty Scourge: Perspectives on the Civil War, Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg, and Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam. Painting an intricate portrait of a complex man, Tried by War is an analysis of the leadership of Abraham Lincoln during one of the nation’s most pressing crises.

David Hackett Fischer | Champlain's Dream David Hackett Fischer is a Professor of History at Brandeis University specializing in early American and revolutionary history. Fischer received the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for Washington's Crossing, an account of George Washington's famed crossing of the Delaware River and the subsequent defeat of the British at Princeton. Champlain's Dream brings to life one of the great figures in North American history, Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec 400 years ago, establishing a colony where respect for the native people and religious tolerance were practiced.

Ellis Wachs Endowed Lecture