Exhibit: "Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War"

The New Brunswick Free Public Library will host the traveling exhibition "Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War" from Aug. 15 to Sept. 28. This exhibition tells the story of Abraham Lincoln’s struggle to meet the constitutional challenges of the Civil War.

Lincoln is widely acknowledged as one of America’s greatest presidents, but his historical reputation is contested. Was he a calculating politician willing to accommodate slavery, or a principled leader justly celebrated as the Great Emancipator?

This exhibition provides no easy answers. Abraham Lincoln was confronted with enormous challenges when he was elected president in 1860. The nation was on the brink of Civil War, and Lincoln struggled with issues of secession, slavery and civil liberties—all questions our country’s founding charter left unanswered. President Lincoln used the Constitution to confront these three intertwined crises of war, ultimately reinventing the Constitution and the promise of American life. This exhibition develops a more complete understanding of Abraham Lincoln as president and the Civil War as the nation’s gravest constitutional crisis.

The exhibit will be open to the public during scheduled hours. Click here for the schedule and more information.