Hello, my name is kai bird, from cuny, City University of new york. And were from the foundation to do events like this to promote the arts and crafts of biographies. And weve been a sponsor of the National Book festival for some yea years. Were here on a session off the 20th anniversary of the National Book festival and the theme this year is american ingenuity. Were going to be talking tonight with two notable public intellectuals. Harold holzer is one of the leading lincoln scholars. Currently the director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at hunter college. Ted widmer, the author of eight books. Professor widmer is on the faculty of mccauleys honors college. Today well discuss his latest book, lincoln on the verge. A story about the 13day train journey that lincoln took from illinois to washington d. C. To be inaugurated as president. These are two very different books. Im going to hold up each of them. This is literally a mini biography, well, not so mini, its a subst
Hello. My name is kai bird. And executive director of the leon leavy center for biography at City University of new york, and we are sponsored by the Leavy Foundation when we do events like this to promote the arts and crafts a biography among other things. We had been a sponsor of the National Book festival for some years, and were here on a session with of the 20th anniversary i chose of the National Book festival and the theme this year is american ingenuity. We are going to be talking tonight with two notable intellectuals, Harold Holzer is one of the countries leading lincoln scholars big is currently the director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at hunter college. Ted widmer is himself the author of eight books. Professor is now on the faculty of holy Honors College for today will be discussing his latest book, lincoln on the verge, story about a 13 day train journey that lincoln took from illinois to washington, d. C. , to be inaugurated as president. These are two
Hello, my name is kai bird, im the executive director of the leon leavy centers for biography at cuny, university of new york. We are sponsored by Sheldon Whitehouse and the abto promote the arts and crafts and biography among other things. We been a sponsor of the National Book festival for some years. We are here on a session with the 20th anniversary actually of the National Book festival, the theme this year is american ingenuity. We are going to be talking tonight with two notable publican intellectuals, Harold Holzer is one of the countries leading lincoln scholar, currently the director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at hunter college. Ted widmer is himself the author of eight books, professor witmer is now on my faculty abwe will be discussing his latest book lincoln on the verge thirteen days to washington. These are two very different books. Im going to hold up each of them. This is literally a mini biography, not so many, its a substantial book, focuses on 13
And lincoln forium chair. Welcome back to cspan, sir. Guest thank you for having me. Host you had a recent op ed talking about the topic of confederate monments and statues and a position now youre taking that with a little bit different. Whats your position now . Guest well, if i could go back briefly. A few years ago i had the honor of speaking at the getiesburg National Cemetery where the flag behind me is from the anniversary of the getiesburg address. I made a suggest sort of impor tuned people to consider contect liesing confederate monments. Making sure that there were alternative monments. And frankly Nothing Happened in the three subsequent years. Its not an easy thing to make occur. Its expensive, time consuming, requires consensus on text and methodology, and it didnt work. And since that time, other convullsive events have occurred most recently of course the killing of george floyd and the response has been directed at monments among other institutions that are deemed by m
Whats your position now . Guest well, if i could go back briefly. A few years ago i had the honor of speaking at the getiesburg National Cemetery where the flag behind me is from the anniversary of the getiesburg address. I made a suggest sort of impor tuned people to consider contect liesing confederate monments. Making sure that there were alternative monments. And frankly Nothing Happened in the three subsequent years. Its not an easy thing to make occur. Its expensive, time consuming, requires consensus on text and methodology, and it didnt work. And since that time, other convullsive events have occurred most recently of course the killing of george floyd and the response has been directed at monments among other institutions that are deemed by many to be op pressive particularly confederate monments in the Public Square. And i did write an op ed recently during which i said that i think i was wrong. That weve had enough time, weve had a century for these statues of those who foug