Brought Forth on this Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration

In his new book Brought Forth on this Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration, prize-winning Lincoln historian Harold Holzer describes the 16th President's efforts to come to terms with the politics of immigration in the decades leading up to the Civil War. Holzer writes, “The Civil War could not have been won without Lincoln’s leadership; but it could not have been fought without the immigrant soldiers who served and, by the tens of thousands, died that the ‘nation might live.’”

Harold Holzer, winner of the 2015 Gilder-Lehrman Lincoln Prize, is one of the country's leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era. A prolific writer and lecturer, and frequent guest on television, Holzer served for six years (2010–2016) as Chairman of The Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation. For the previous 10 years he co-chaired the U. S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, appointed by President Clinton. President Bush awarded Holzer the National Humanities Medal in 2008. And in 2013, Holzer wrote an essay on Lincoln for the official program at the re-inauguration of President Obama. He is now chairman of The Lincoln Forum.

Thomas J. Ruller recently retired from his position as New York State Archivist. An active professional for 35 years, he is the author of several peer-reviewed journal articles and reviews on the use of technology in Archives and the preservation of records in electronic form.Tom has been a consultant for several state governments and other organizations focusing on electronic records management and preservation. He remains actively engaged as a Board Member and Steward of the Archives Partnership Trust.