What Was It About?

 Last week I had the pleasure of attending a lecture at Arizona State by Allen Guelzo, noted historian of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.  He is currently at Princeton University and previously taught at Gettysburg College.  The title of his lecture was "What Was the American Civil War Really About?".  Guelzo's thesis is that it was fundamentally about whether democratic representative government would survive and have a future.  He reminded us that, at the time, the United States was the only successful democracy in the world and that the leading powers in Europe were all eager to see its demise, with the odd exception of Russia.  Our country's survival was the most important outcome, regardless of the failure of Reconstruction.

This reminds me of the very misunderstood notion of American exceptionalism.  Exceptionalism does not mean wonderful or superior.  Exceptionalism was how the European powers saw the American nation when it was founded in the late 18th century.  The idea of a nation founded on a creedal document.  The motto on the seal of the United States is novus ordo seclorum ("a new order for the ages").  Foreigners recognized the new country and its people as something new and different.  Its pretentions to equality and democracy made America a strange, outrageous, and dangerous notion to a world of nations and empires based on monarchy and aristocracy.

Apart from its intellectual content, what was particularly striking about Guelzo was his eloquence, aided by a mellifluous broadcaster type voice.  Many of us were particularly amazed by the Q&A.  His response to questions, many of which were quite challenging, was astonishing well composed.  No ahs or ums.  No awkward pauses and he often pulled lengthy quotes from Lincoln letters and speeches seemingly with no effort.  During his talk and the Q&A he made reference to Lincoln's rhetorical techniques and I realized he was employing them himself, often adding humorous remarks.

I was invited to join some of the other attendees to have dinner with Prof Guelzo and was seated next to him and found him a wonderful dinner companion.  At the end of the dinner he engaged in another Q&A with us and it was as amazing as the one following the lecture.  Truly an extraordinary evening.