On Oct. 13, 2008, the nationally renowned historian and Gustavus alumnus James McPherson will come to Gustavus to present a lecture about the role of President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.
Most Americans know about the Civil War, but not everyone knows about the significant role that President Lincoln played in it as master and commander.
McPherson, who graduated from Gustavus in 1958, lived through one of America’s most turbulent time periods, during which the civil rights movement took place. After Gustavus, McPherson attended graduate school at Johns Hopkins University, concentrating on civil rights, the circumstances of slaves in the reconstruction era and the abolitionists, whose passion and protests helped bring Lincoln to his position and create the social reforms resulting from the war.
McPherson was amazed to see the similarities of the 1960s in comparison to the times 100 years prior: “I was struck by all of these parallels between what was a freedom crusade of the 1860s and a freedom crusade of the 1960s,” said McPherson. The Struggle for Equality: Abolitionists and the Negro in the Civil War and Reconstruction his first major work, published in 1964, captured these interests.
The lecture, entitled “President Lincoln: Master and Commander,” will focus on McPherson’s latest book, Tried By War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander and Chief, which was scheduled to be released on Oct. 7.
This most recent book is McPherson’s 18th novel. In 1988, his most recognized work, Battle Cry For Freedom: Civil War Era, won the Pulitzer Prize. It “sold over 600,000 copies, and it set the standard [for books] about the Civil War,” said Professor of History Kevin Byrne.
McPherson’s other awards include the Anisfield-Wolf Award for The Struggle For Equality, published in 1994. Another major accomplishment came in 2007 when McPherson was presented with $100,000 from the Pritzker Military Literature Award for lifetime achievement in military history. He was the first recipient of the award.
He also won the Lincoln Prize for his work For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War in 1998, which reveals the feelings and thoughts of soldiers on both sides. “Three million soldiers fought in the Union and Confederate armies.
How does a historian discover and analyze the thoughts and feelings of three million people?” asked McPherson. To answer this question, McPherson read over 25,000 diary entries and letters. He found that “both sides look back to the same revolution of 1776 as the inspiration for the liberty that they were fighting for from 1861 to 1865.”
Because McPherson grew up in St. Peter and graduated from Gustavus, it was not difficult to schedule him to give this lecture. “[The Gustavus history department] knew that he was coming to the Midwest for the Lefler Lecture, and we wanted a speaker of prominence to enhance intellectual conversation on campus. We are thrilled that he accepted,” said Byrne.
McPherson’s presentation should be interesting and engaging. “Any president would have had difficulty [during the Civil War], especially since the Civil War is very controversial, with parts of the country wanting to split,” said Byrne.
“His viewpoint will be interesting, given the recent flurry of scholarship with regards to the presidency of Lincoln,” said Senior History Major Anders Ringdahl-Mayland.
In addition to the presentation itself, which will be held in Alumni Hall from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., McPherson will be in Linner Lounge on Tuesday, Oct. 14, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for personal questions. “James is a remarkably receptive individual who loves to engage the audience: they will not be disappointed. They will find him to be a very open historian at work,” said Byrne.
“The presentation will be a better chance to grasp more knowledge in a significant era. It’s a chance to look at Lincoln solely as [commander-in-chief],” said Sophomore history Major David Young.
“[I’m]really looking forward to seeing a world class scholar who is recognized as a top authority figure in the field of study and has such personal ties to the Gustavus community.
Anyone who has ever done anything history-oriented should go to the presentation. It is so rare that we have a speaker who is really unparalleled in their field, with the exception of the Nobel Conference speakers,” said Ringdahl-Mayland.
The presentation “will help people understand the past and help people to see where they are at this point,” said Young. “It will be a good learning experience, even if you are not a history major.”
“James is an eloquent speaker who addresses a topic of enduring interest about an individual who served as president in the moment of the greatest crisis the nation has ever faced. Not only history, individual psychology, political science, but so many different disciplines come together to enhance the historical understanding of the era,” said Byrne.
The lecture is open to the public.