Steve Inskeep, co-host of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, discussed his  book Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America on Tuesday evening, April 8, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall as part of the Oregon Historical Society’s Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series.

Inskeep’s book is about sixteen people who encountered Abraham Lincoln face-to-face before and during his presidency and differed with him either in background, experience, or opinion.  In each of these meetings one or both people wanted something. As Inskeep stated succinctly: “These interactions show a master politician’s practical and moral choices, along with his sometimes mysterious character.”  These meetings showed how Lincoln matched wits with both his allies and his adversaries.

Lincoln told stories, made jokes, and studied people. Even though Lincoln had a minimal education, he read a lot and was a fine writer. Mostly, though, he was a very good listener.

 Inskeep mentioned that Lincoln was extremely adept at managing people whom he studied. Lincoln was able to tell stories to convince people and enlist their support. Inskeep told the story of how Lincoln wrote a letter to his best friend Joshua Speed, who lived in Kentucky. Even though the two men disagreed on politics, Lincoln never castigated him. Lincoln’s letter ended with “Disagree We Must” (the title of Inskeep’s book) and signed it, “Your friend forever, Abraham Lincoln.” Years later, Speed ended up supporting Lincoln by ensuring that Kentucky would stay in the union during the Civil War.

Inskeep gave another example of Lincoln’s ability to try to convince people to believe in his cause: the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Both Stephen Douglas and Lincoln were running for the Illinois Senate seat in 1858, and had a series of debates on the issue of slavery. During the debates, Lincoln first made use of the Declaration of Independence and stated “All Men Are Created Equal” to justify ending slavery.  He used terms that the audience could understand, saying that people needed to be paid for their labor.  Even though Lincoln lost the race to Douglas, his experience served him well when he ran for president in 1860, and he even used the same theme in the Gettysburg Address.

Inskeep also discussed Joseph Gillespie, the popular Nativist senator from Illinois.  Nativists (or “Know Nothings”) were anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic. Lincoln believed that he needed the votes of the “Know Nothing Party” to win the presidency in 1860. 

During the 1860 presidential campaign, Lincoln spoke at several “Know Nothing Party” rallies. He did not pander to them, and said he did not believe in their cause. In fact, Lincoln once wrote that if the Nativists came into power he would rather move to Russia. The “Know Nothings” believed in Lincoln and helped to elect him to the presidency in 1860.  Lincoln’s election marked the first time that an antislavery candidate had been elected president.

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After Lincoln was elected to the presidency, he began to talk to reporters on a regular basis.  Newspapers of the day were part of the political system. The press and the telegraph revolutionized the speed of things during Lincoln’s presidency: As a result of the newspaper and the telegraph, he could get his views quickly to the people. Lincoln also wanted to keep the country together by making sure its people were informed.  At the same time, he would say only what he wanted to say to the press.

Inskeep also discussed Frederick Douglass, one of the most important American orators, writers, and activists of this era.  Douglas regularly both praised and criticized Lincoln on the issue of slavery. Douglas believed that Lincoln did not move fast enough to try to end slavery in the United States. Inskeep stressed that Douglas was an extremely important figure in American history, and his ideas still stand up today.

Inskeep told the story of Mary Todd Lincoln. The marriage between Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln was a troubled one: She was very well-educated but frustrated with being Abraham Lincoln’s wife. After his assassination, she had to quickly leave the White House and find a suitable income. She was finally able to lobby Congress for a pension. Her son committed her to an asylum in 1875, but she was able to obtain her release. Her final act was to organize the burial of her husband in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.

Inskeep believed that Lincoln was committed to containing slavery. He did not want slavery to spread across the United States. At the same time, he wanted to observe the rule of law and felt that was more important than getting his way. Lincoln believed that if the rule of law was not followed, chaos would result. It was Lincoln’s belief that the debate to end slavery might take longer, but that when change finally happened it would become more permanent.

Inskeep skillfully showed the audience that Lincoln discovered people always act in their own self-interest. As a politician, he tried to bring people together for a larger cause (to elect him to the presidency) and overcome their own self-interest.

Lincoln used the argument with white Americans that they had to overcome their own self-interest if they wanted to restrict slavery and prevent it spreading to their state. Lincoln pointed out to white Americans that slave owners were extremely powerful individuals and the only way to thwart them was to end slavery through their efforts. Lincoln was successful in activating people’s self-interest toward ending slavery.

On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared “that all persons held as slaves” in the rebellious states, “are, henceforward shall be free.” Lincoln maintained that he needed to outlaw slavery forever or else a future president could bring it back. Even though the Republican Party had lost the mid-term elections in Illinois, Lincoln sent a letter that was read to the people at a mass meeting. He said the Union army was signing up large numbers of Black Americans who were helping to bring victories against the Confederate side. Lincoln ended his letter by saying Black Americans were fighting for white Americans because of what he did by freeing them. 

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According to Inskeep, Lincoln did not always succeed in convincing people to accept his opinions on the issues of the day, but he always kept them close. Lincoln’s success as a politician was that he would try to manipulate the person. If that did not work with an individual, he would still try to learn something from the encounter.  

Inskeep’s presentation was very good, because he used many examples of the various crises that Lincoln encountered and placed them in a modern context.  Inskeep’s quotation on Lincoln summed up his presentation extremely well: “In all that he said or did, he considered his audience, making calculations based on a straightforward understanding of human nature.”

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Inskeep ended his talk on Lincoln by commenting on American politics in 2025.  It is his belief that the Trump administration wants to wage war on the media. He maintains that angry and extreme statements get the attention of the fragmented attention span of the public. 

Having sustained attention by the public, he told his audience, allows them to figure things out. Inskeep believes that the more you learn about a person the better you understand their point of view on issues, and the only way that this can be done is by having sustained attention. He feels that the public needs to find ways to engage with others, read more about current events, and to become better informed about them. 

Inskeep’s view is that people need to do a better job of getting the facts on issues and have a commitment to obtaining those facts. He thinks that everyone needs to create a space for themselves to process what is going on the United States today. Also, he maintains that people need to ask questions of others, such as “Why do you feel that way?,” and give them the time and space to finish their ideas.

Finally, he believes that people need to try to understand the whole person and what their opinions are on the important issues of the day. Inskeep maintains that by doing these things, Americans will be better informed and be able to discuss issues such as why President Trump is raising taxes without the authorization of Congress, the use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, and the deportation of migrants to other countries.

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