Many wonder what will come of the deep divisions in American society. What lessons do the Civil War and other historic periods of conflict offer for our own divided time? How can we use history well to understand the present? Join us for a conversation with two of America's greatest historians, Allen Guelzo (Princeton) and James Hankins (Harvard), who will reflect on these conversations in light of the Civil War and the Italian Renaissance.

Allen C. Guelzo is the Senior Research Scholar in the Council of the Humanities at Princeton University and Director of the James Madison Program’s Initiative in Politics and Statesmanship. He is the author of numerous books and articles on Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War, and the Reconstruction era.

James Hankins is Professor of History at Harvard University and the Founder and General Editor of the I Tatti Renaissance Library. He writes on Renaissance intellectual history and has most recently authored Virtue Politics: Soulcraft and Statecraft in Renaissance Italy.

This virtual conversation was held at the Morningside Institute on February 25, 2021. For more information about upcoming events, please visit https://www.morningsideinstitute.org. This event is co-sponsored by the Abigail Adams Institute and the Elm Institute.