WINNER OF THE LINCOLN FORUM BOOK PRIZE "A Lincoln classic...superb." -The Washington Post "A book for our time."-Doris Kearns Goodwin Lincoln on the Verge tells the dramatic story of America's greatest president discovering his own strength to save the Republic. As a divided nation plunges into the deepest crisis in its history, Abraham Lincoln boards a train for Washington and his inauguration-an inauguration Southerners have vowed to prevent. Lincoln on the Verge charts these pivotal thirteen days of travel, as Lincoln discovers his power, speaks directly to the public, and sees his country up close. Drawing on new research, this riveting account reveals the president-elect as a work in progress, showing him on the verge of greatness, as he foils an assassination attempt, forges an unbreakable bond with the American people, and overcomes formidable obstacles in order to take his oath of office.

Introduced by presidential historian Ted Widmer, this work offers both the original texts and insightful essays by leading historians on each of the presidential inaugural addresses—from George Washington to Joseph Biden. Every four years, the incoming president of the United States delivers an inaugural address in a tradition that dates back to 1789, with the first inauguration of George Washington. The address tells Americans—and peoples around the world—what the country has been and what it has the potential to become. In a speech freighted with importance, they express their fears, their hopes, and their most personal aspirations for the nation and for democracy. This work brings together all of the inaugural addresses—from George Washington's first in 1789 through Joseph Biden's in 2021. What distinguishes it from other compilations of inaugural addresses are brief, original essays by leading scholars, speechwriters, historians, biographers, and editors of presidential papers that contextualize the speech within the presidential administration that followed. Each of the contributors explores what a president expected to be dealing with when entering the highest office in the land and what he hoped to do for the country. The authors examine decisions the president made and how this impacted the nation's trajectory. They also reflect on how the address relates to the president's legacy in and out of office. The essays also offer distinctive approaches: some consider the political, economic, and military status of the country; others the composition of the address itself; and still others the personal circumstances of the president at the time of his inauguration. Covering over 230 of years of American history, My Fellow Americans captures a snapshot of America at unique points in time, with perceptive commentaries by America's finest presidential historians and a broad-ranging introduction by Ted Widmer.

A major new collection of modern commentary from scholars, historians, and Civil War buffs on the significant events of the Civil War, culled from The New York Times' popular Disunion on-line journal Since its debut on November 6, 2010, Disunion, The New York Times' acclaimed journal about the Civil War, has published hundreds of original articles and won multiple awards, including "Best History Website" from the New Media Institute and the History News Network. Following the chronology of the secession crisis and the Civil War, the contributors to Disunion, who include modern scholars, journalists, historians, and Civil War buffs, offer ongoing daily commentary and assessment of the Civil War as it unfolded.Now, for the first time, this fascinating and historically significant commentary has been gathered together and organized in one volume. In The New York Times: Disunion, historian Ted Widmer, has selected more than 100 articles that cover events beginning with Lincoln's presidential victory through the Emancipation Proclamation. Topics include everything from Walt Whitman's wartime diary to the bloody guerrilla campaigns in Missouri and Kansas. Esteemed contributors include William Freehling, Adam Goodheart, and Edward Ayers, among others.The book also compiles new essays that have not been published on the Disunion site by contributors and well-known historians such as David Blight, Gary Gallagher, and Drew Gilpin Faust. Topics include the perspective of African-American slaves and freed men on the war, the secession crisis in the Upper South, the war in the West (that is, past the Appalachians), the war in Texas, the international context, and Civil War era cartography. Portraits, contemporary etchings, and detailed maps round out the book."

"Ark of the Liberties" recovers a long-forgotten success story: America's lengthy and laudatory history of expanding world liberty. Our country's decline in popularity over the past eight years has been nothing short of astonishing, and with wit, brilliance, and deep affection, Ted Widmer reminds us why this great nation had so far to fall. His sweeping history brims with new insights about America's enduringly favorable relationship with the Middle East; why Woodrow Wilson's presidency deserves reappraisal; the Democratic Party's underappreciated foreign-policy achievements; and how the country's long history of successfully advocating for and exporting liberty touches immediately on the choices we face in Iraq today. "Ark of the Liberties" romps through centuries of history--from America's start as a fascinating virgin promised land to its present position as a world superpower--all the while reminding us of the necessity and nobility of our nation's global ambitions.

The first president born after America's independence ushers in a new era of no-holds-barred democracy
The first "professional politician" to become president, the slick and dandyish Martin Van Buren was to all appearances the opposite of his predecessor, the rugged general and Democratic champion Andrew Jackson. Van Buren, a native Dutch speaker, was America's first ethnic president as well as the first New Yorker to hold the office, at a time when Manhattan was bursting with new arrivals. A sharp and adroit political operator, he established himself as a powerhouse in New York, becoming a U.S. senator, secretary of state, and vice president under Jackson, whose election he managed. His ascendancy to the Oval Office was virtually a foregone conclusion.
Once he had the reins of power, however, Van Buren found the road quite a bit rougher. His attempts to find a middle ground on the most pressing issues of his day-such as the growing regional conflict over slavery-eroded his effectiveness. But it was his inability to prevent the great banking panic of 1837, and the ensuing depression, that all but ensured his fall from grace and made him the third president to be denied a second term. His many years of outfoxing his opponents finally caught up with him.
Ted Widmer, a veteran of the Clinton White House, vividly brings to life the chaos and contention that plagued Van Buren's presidency-and ultimately offered an early lesson in the power of democracy.