Historian Sean Wilentz examines the contradictory idea of slavery and democracy coexisting in the 1800s and discusses how the consequences of emancipation, and the consequences of the Civil War are "still very much with us.“

Sean Wilentz studies U.S. political and social history. He received his Ph.D. in history from Yale University after earning bachelor’s degrees from Columbia University and Balliol College, Oxford University. His many books include Chants Democratic (1984), The Kingdom of Matthias (1994) and The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln (2005), which was awarded the Bancroft Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His study, No Property in Man: Slavery and Antislavery at the Nation’s Founding (2018), was the recipient of the annual Thomas A. Cooley Book Prize for the best book on the Constitution, awarded by the Georgetown University Law Center. He was formerly a contributing editor to The New Republic, and currently a member of the editorial boards of Dissent and Democracy, he lectures frequently and has contributed some four hundred articles, reviews, and op-ed pieces to publications such as the New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, the London Review of Books, The American Scholar, The Nation, Le Monde, and Der Spiegel. He has also given congressional testimony, notably before the House Judiciary Committee in 1998. His writings on American music have earned him two Grammy nominations and two Deems Taylor-ASCAP awards.

The Apple TV+ series "Lincoln's Dilemma," features insights from journalists, educators and scholars, as well as rare archival materials, that offer a more nuanced look into the life of the Great Emancipator. Set against the background of the Civil War, "Lincoln's Dilemma" also gives voice to the narratives of enslaved people, shaping a more complete view of an America divided over issues including economy, race and humanity, and underscoring Lincoln's battle to save the country, no matter the cost. The series is narrated by award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright ("Angels in America") and features the voices of actor Bill Camp ("The Night Of") as Lincoln and Leslie Odom Jr. ("Hamilton") as Frederick Douglas.

To view the entire series please visit:
https://tv.apple.com/us/show/lincolns...

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Sean Wilentz, Historian, Princeton University
Interview Date: December 10, 2020
Interviewed by: Jackie Olive and Barak Goodman

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