Harold Holzer: Lincoln Scholar

Harold Holzer is one of the country’s leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era. In his new book Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration, Harold Holzer charts Lincoln’s political career through the lens of immigration. He follows Lincoln’s progression from his role as a member of an increasingly nativist political party to his evolution into an immigration champion; a journey that would come at the same time as he refined his views on abolition and Black citizenship. Lincoln visited Farmington in the summer of 1841 for three weeks to spend time with his best friend Joshua Speed. His time in Louisville was the first extended period where he was immersed in the life of a southern plantation, and his stay influenced his views of slavery and emancipation. In fact, Joshua’s brother James became Lincoln’s Attorney General during his presidency and the Speed’s became trusted advisors that helped keep Kentucky in the Union during the Civil War.