Four Score Speaker Series: Mr. Edward McClelland

Join us Thursday, November 14, 2024, at 7 p.m. CT, for an impassioned discussion of Chorus of the Union: How Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas Set Aside Their Rivalry to Save the Nation with author Edward ‘Ted’ McClelland.

Chorus of the Union is a timely exploration of Abraham Lincoln’s long-time rivalry—and eventual alliance—with Stephen Douglas. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas are a misunderstood duo. History remembers them as antagonists, and for most of the years, the two men knew each other; they were.

The story of how Lincoln and Douglas put aside their rivalry to work together for the preservation of the Union has important lessons for our time. We have just been through a presidential election where the loser refused to concede defeat, with violent consequences. Not only did Douglas accept his loss, but he also spent the final days of his campaign barnstorming the country to build support for his opponent’s impending victory, setting aside his long-held desire for the presidency for the higher principle of national unity.

Also, by focusing on the importance of Illinois to Lincoln’s political development, Chorus of the Union will challenge the notion that Lincoln was an indispensable “great man.” Lincoln was the right person to lead the country through the Civil War, but he became president because he was from the right place.

Edward McClelland is a native of Lansing, Mich., which is also the birthplace of Burt Reynolds and the Oldsmobile. In addition to Chorus of the Union, he is also the author of Midnight in Vehicle City: General Motors, Flint, and the Strike That Built the Middle Class, and How to Speak Midwestern among others including Young Mr. Obama: Chicago and the Making of a Black President and The Third Coast: Sailors, Strippers, Fishermen, Folksingers, Long-Haired Ojibway Painters and God-Save-the-Queen Monarchists of the Great Lakes.

Ted’s writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Columbia Journalism Review, Salon, Slate, and Playboy.