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"A magnificent achievement." - David Walker Howe, author of What Hath God Wrought

Far more than slavery was at stake in 1858, when challenger Abraham Lincoln debated incumbent Stephen Douglas seven times in the race for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois. In Lincoln's Tragic Pragmatism, literary critic John Burt examines the overarching and still relevant questions posed by the Lincoln-Douglas debates: Can a liberal political system be used to mediate moral disputes? And if it cannot, is violence inevitable?

Join us for an evening with Brandeis English professor John Burt, as he discusses what historian John Stauffer has called, "A brilliant, ground-breaking book with fresh insights on almost every page."

Parking is available directly behind Back Pages in the Crescent Street Lot (no charge after 6 PM).