Who was Gabor Boritt? Gabor Boritt was a Hungarian refugee, not in Lincoln’s time but in ours.

A tribute to Gabor Boritt, a great Lincoln historian

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Did Lincoln write a campaign memoir? It seems like nowadays you simply cannot run for president without first writing a memoir.

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Lots of presidential candidates are writing memoirs. Lincoln did, too, sort of.

‘A partisan and politician’: Abraham Lincoln and the art of the deal | Politics books Some historians are wary of discussing their work in light of modern events, comparing subjects to current political players. Not Matthew Pinsker of Dickinson College, the author of both a major new book, Boss Lincoln: The Partisan Life of Abraham Lincoln, and the Substack What Would Lincoln Do?. “I’m not running away from it, that’s for sure,” Pinsker said from Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

‘A partisan and politician’: Abraham Lincoln and the art of the deal | Politics books

Some historians are wary of discussing their work in light of modern events, comparing subjects to current political players. Not Matthew Pinsker of Dickinson College, the author of both a major new book, Boss…

Did Lincoln support birthright citizenship? Abraham Lincoln did more than support birthright citizenship.

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Lincoln has some surprising connections to the Wong Kim Ark case

The Author’s Corner with Matthew Pinsker Matthew Pinsker holds the Brian Pohanka Chair of Civil War History at Dickinson College where he also serves as Director of the House Divided Project. This interview is based on his new book, Boss …

The Author's Corner with Matthew Pinsker, *Boss Lincoln: The Partisan Life of Abraham Lincoln* thewayofimprovement.blog/2026/02/24/t...

Who were the profiles in democracy? One of the goals of this Substack is to celebrate some of the ordinary people who followed Abraham Lincoln.

A growing collection of short profiles of ordinary Americans who did extraordinary things during the Civil War era.

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Did Lincoln plagiarize the Gettysburg Address? Everybody knows that Lincoln was evocative in his Gettysburg Address.

Did Lincoln plagiarize the Gettysburg Address? The answer is more inspiring than you might think.

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House renames press gallery after Frederick Douglass in bipartisan recognition of Black history The press gallery overlooking the U.S. House chamber has been renamed after the prominent abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

I missed this story a few days ago - the US House of Representatives naming its press gallery in honor of Frederick Douglass

tbh, it strikes me less as bipartisan than as another step in conservative efforts to appropriate Frederick Douglass

How Lincoln would navigate today’s politics "What would Lincoln do?" Author and historian Matthew Pinsker's substack uses this question as a framework to explore modern politics. He talks with Geoff Bennett about his latest book, "Boss Lincoln," which examines how Lincoln still shapes our country today. PBS News is supported by Source link #Lincoln #navigate #todays #politics

How Lincoln would navigate today’s politics

"What would Lincoln do?" Author and historian Matthew Pinsker's substack uses this question as a framework to explore modern politics. He talks with Geoff Bennett about his latest book, "Boss Lincoln," which examines how Lincoln still shapes our country…

What were vigilance committees? There is a line in the Emancipation Proclamation that deserves greater attention.

Recalling William Still and others for Black History Month

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BOSS LINCOLN: A Conversation With Matthew Pinsker Thanks to Matthew Pinsker for spending some time with me to talk about his fantastic new book, Boss Lincoln: The Partisan Life of Abraham Lincoln.

BOSS LINCOLN: A Conversation With Matthew Pinsker 🗃️ open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...

What else is there to say about Lincoln? Boss Lincoln got its official launch this week.

On Lincoln's birthday, here are 15 new insights from Boss Lincoln, a book the Wall Street Journal calls a "landmark" and "Team of Rivals on steroids."

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njs.libraries.rutgers.edu NJS: An Interdisciplinary Journal Summer 2025 The New Jersey Miscount: The 1860 Census and the Accidental Humanization of Enslaved Individuals By Luke Voyles DOI: 10.14713/njs.v1112.362 Abstract: The 1860 census is the only example in U.S. history when the U.S. government systematically recorded the names and ages of enslaved individuals of a state. Because government officials underestimated the number of enslaved people in New Jersey, there was no slave schedule in the state. Therefore, the names of enslaved individuals appeared within the households of their enslavers in the regular 1860 census. The official census statistics only listed 18 individuals as enslaved in 1860, but a close examination of every 1860 census page for New Jersey uncovers 64 names tied to slavery. This essay explores the context behind the census, and how the census accidentally humanized people whom it often marginalized.

Some years ago, I was chatting with a Retropolis reader, a young history student, and I mentioned there were several dozen people enslaved in New Jersey up until the day the 13th Amendment kicked in in December 1865.

Y’all. He identified every one of them.
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Why did personal liberty laws matter? In his 1861 inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln asked a sly question about fugitive slaves.

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Trump warns that Mayor Frey is "playing with fire." But he's actually invoking a principle deeply rooted in American "history and tradition."

A More Perfect Union

A song that starts with Lincoln's Lyceum Speech and ends with William Lloyd Garrison?! On a Civil War-themed concept album?! I realize this is from 2010 but I heard it for the first time yesterday and I can't stop listening. Speaks to the present moment as well.
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Are Americans waking up "stark mad Abolitionists"? “I put my face in my hands and wept.

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"We went to bed one night old fashioned, conservative, Compromise Union Whigs & waked up stark mad Abolitionists." --Amos A. Lawrence, 1854

Did Seward really want Greenland? I have been teaching US Diplomatic History for over two decades and yet before this semester never once had I uttered the word “Greenland” in class.

I have been teaching US diplomatic history for over two decades and have never mentioned Greenland before. That's about to change.

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Are we heading toward Civil War? President Trump threatened yesterday to invoke the Insurrection Act to send troops to Minneapolis.

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Insights from 1859-60, when Lincoln and his fellow Republicans were falsely accused of being insurrectionists

Why did Lincoln seek this woman's endorsement? Women could not vote for Abraham Lincoln, but they did sometimes endorse him.

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The story of Anna Dickinson is one that should appear in every US history textbook.

How would Lincoln remember Jan. 6th? Today marks the 5th anniversary of the January 6th insurrection.

Reflections on January 6

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Did anyone live long enough to vote for both Washington and Lincoln? On Friday, November 2, 1792, a 32-year-old farmer from Sturbridge, Massachusetts cast a ballot to help reelect George Washington in what was essentially the nation’s first popular election for US pres...

There was a man from Massachusetts who voted for both Washington and Lincoln. You should know his name.

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How did Lincoln handle post-election "autopsies"? Late last week DNC chairman Ken Martin announced the Democrats would not be releasing their official “autopsy” on the party’s 2024 electoral defeat.

It turns out Lincoln was a data analytics guy

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Why was there no "Lincoln Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine? We seem to be in the middle of an undeclared war with Venezuela.

Why was there no "Lincoln Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine?

Unlike TR, Abraham Lincoln was one great Republican statesman who remained a consistent skeptic of US interventionism in Latin America. Read more on Substack:

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National Park Service Receives One Final Punch in the Gut From the Trump Administration You would think that after all the uncertainty and challenges experienced by National Park Service staff during the shutdown of the federal government, they would be allowed to finish out the year in ...

National Park Service Receives One Final Punch in the Gut From the Trump Administration #NationalParks open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...

Ohio’s “Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act” and the politics of teaching U.S. history On November 19, 2025, the Ohio House of Representatives passed the Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act (House Bill 486). Written by Republican representatives Gary Click and Mike Dovilla, the bill s…

As the "Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act" now moves to the
Ohio Senate, I decided to break it down: thewayofimprovement.blog/2025/12/12/o...

Why did Lincoln dump his Secretary of War? The Washington sharks are circling around Pete Hegseth.

Spoiler alert: he called him "Selfish" and "Obnoxious"
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What would Lincoln think about Trump's ballroom plans? President Trump and his architect are at odds about plans for the new White House ballroom.

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"I happen temporarily to occupy this big White House." Abraham Lincoln, August 22, 1864

Did Lincoln go shopping? In honor of “Black Friday,” it’s time to discuss Lincoln’s shopping habits.

A special Black Friday post about Lincoln's surprising shopping habits
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What happened when Lincoln met with a Democratic mayor of New York? Zohran Mamdani’s recent visit with Donald Trump still has everyone talking.

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What was Lincoln's favorite advice? In his private letters and public speeches, Lincoln always liked to give advice.

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Some wisdom about forgiveness