Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America

February 27, 2025 is the 165th anniversary of the Right Makes Might speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln to a New York City audience in The Cooper Union’s Great Hall. A speech of great consequence, it has been credited with propelling the then-Illinois statesman to the White House.

To mark the occasion, The Cooper Union is pleased to present Steve Inskeep, the author of Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America and cohost of NPR’s Morning Edition, in conversation with ABC News anchor Linsey Davis about a great politician's strategy in a country divided and lessons for our own disorderly present. Many of Lincoln’s greatest acts came about through his engagement with people who disagreed with him; for better or worse, Inskeep argues, that's what democracy requires.

This free, public program is part of The Cooper Union’s Gardiner Foundation Great Hall Forum series. Rizzoli Bookstore will sell books at the event.

Registration on EventBrite is required. However, an EventBrite ticket does not guarantee entry as this is a first-come-first-served free event.

Steve Inskeep is a cohost of NPR’s Morning Edition, the most widely heard radio program in the United States, and of NPR’s Up First, one of the nation’s most popular podcasts. His reporting has taken him across the US, the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, Pakistan, and China. Known for interviews with presidents and Congressional leaders, Inskeep also has a passion for stories of the less famous: Pennsylvania truck drivers, Kentucky coal miners, US-Mexico border detainees, and more. He received a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for "The Price of African Oil" on conflict in Nigeria. His search for the full story behind the news has led him to history, and he is the author of several books on American history including Jacksonland, a history of President Andrew Jackson's long-running conflict with John Ross, a Cherokee chief who resisted the removal of Indians from the eastern US in 1830, and Imperfect Union, a couple who were instrumental in the westward expansion of the US in the 1800s.

Linsey Davis is an Emmy-award winning anchor of “ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis,” ABC News’ streaming evening newscast, and weekend “World News Tonight” on Sundays. She is a correspondent filing reports for “World News Tonight,” “Good Morning America,” “20/20,” and “Nightline.” Davis has conducted powerful exclusive interviews with celebrities, major influential figures, health officials, and politicians. She helped lead ABC News’ coverage of the 2024 Presidential Election, notably co-hosting the 2024 Presidential Debate alongside David Muir, showcasing her tough but fair moderating skills as she fact-checked candidates in real time. Notable interviews include, Boris Johnson, shortly after he left his position as UK prime minister; Vice President Kamala Harris; former Vice President Mike Pence; Dr. Anthony Fauci; Anita Hill; Bill Gates; and nearly two dozen senators from both sides of the aisle and dozens of House representatives.

Host or Publisher Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & Art