He Has the People: A Dialogue with Jonathan Earle @ Johnson County Museum

Celebrated historian and author Dr. Jonathan Earle joins award-winning journalist David von Drehle for a conversation about Earle’s new book, He Has the People: Abraham Lincoln and the Election of 1860, a bold new analysis of one of the most pivotal elections in American history. When John Brown’s men stormed Harpers Ferry in the fall of 1859, the compromises that had held the country together for decades came undone. Earle captures the full drama of how Lincoln outmaneuvered Democrat Stephen Douglas and presumptive Republican favorite William Henry Seward, harnessing Northern anger, rising antislavery sentiment, and deep fractures within both the Democratic Party and the country itself. Doors open at 5:30 PM, program runs 6-7:30 PM, followed by a reception and book sales and signing. Free. Preregistration required. Offered in conjunction with the semiquincentennial exhibition Everyday Democracy: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness in Johnson County, in partnership with American Public Square. Book sales by Rainy Day Books.