Join me and author Michael Vorenberg on Thursday, March 13, 2025, for the White House Historical Association’s History Happy Hour. The program is free and begins at 6 pm ET. Register Here to receive the Zoom link.
The White House Historical Association (WHHA) is “a private, nonprofit, educational organization with a mission to enhance the understanding and appreciation of the Executive Mansion.” One of their many initiatives is History Happy Hour, which enables experts to present topics related to the White House and the presidency. True to its name, the Happy Hour begins with a cocktail created by James coming to us from the Publick House in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
Last year I presented a program for the History Happy Hour on my book, Lincoln: The Fire of Genius, focusing on how Lincoln helped institutionalize science and technology in the federal government [Click the link to watch the video]. This time I will be moderating the program, which features a presentation by Brown University history professor Michael Vorenberg. He’ll be discussing his newest book, Lincoln’s Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War. Then I will moderate and lead the Q&A with Michael for the rest of the program.
Again, the program is free, but you’ll need to Register Here to get the Zoom link.
The title of the book, and the cover, is based on “The Peacemakers,” an 1868 painting by George P.A. Healy, which has been an important part of the White House Collection since 1947. The piece depicts President Abraham Lincoln and his top military commanders, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and Rear Adm. David D. Porter, seated in the after cabin of the Union steamer River Queen less than a week before the fall of Petersburg, Virginia to plan the end of the Civil War and the nature of the peace terms to follow on March 27, 1865. Two weeks later, Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox.
Although Healy’s painting tells a story of a glorious, peaceful end to the war, through artistic choices, such as the rainbow glowing just beyond Lincoln’s tilted head, Michael Vorenberg’s new book, “Lincoln’s Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War,” which bears this image on its cover, reveals an alternative narrative. Within its pages, he details an end filled with chaos and strife rather than one pioneered by peace.
So, how and when did the Civil War? Tune in on Thursday, March 13, 2025, to find out!
[Photo compliments of Michael Vorenberg]
Coming in February 2026: Unable to Escape This Toil
Available now – Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America is available at booksellers nationwide.
Limited signed copies are available via this website. The book also listed on Goodreads, the database where I keep track of my reading. Click on the “Want to Read” button to put it on your reading list. Please leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon if you like the book.
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David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America and Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America.
His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.
