Why we’re still not done with Lincoln
Ben Dickstein, left, is showrunner for the "History This Week" podcast; Jonathan W. White is a Lincoln scholar and editor of the new collection, "Why Lincoln." author photos provided / History Channel / Reedy Press
Abraham Lincoln is often said to be the subject of more books than anyone except Jesus. So what's left to say about the 16th president?
Plenty, according to Jonathan W. White, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin who calls himself an “accidental” Lincoln scholar. White edited Why Lincoln: Preserving an American Legacy, a new collection in which Lincoln scholars explain why they keep coming back to him. White and Ben Dickstein, showrunner and executive producer of the History Channel podcast History This Week, joined The 21st Show to talk about Lincoln's use of presidential power — including his suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War — and what it can tell us about the presidency now.
White and History This Week host Sally Helm will continue the conversation at a live taping of the History This Week podcast at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum on Friday, Nov. 6. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the taping begins at 6:30. It's free, but reservations are required.
Want to go?
What: Live taping of History This Week featuring Lincoln scholar Jonathan W. White and host Sally Helm
When: 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, 2026
Where: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, 212 N Sixth St, Springfield, IL 62701
Admission: Free (reservations required)
Guests
Ben Dickstein
Showrunner and executive producer, History This Week
Jonathan White
Lincoln Scholar and Professor, University of Texas at Austin
Editor, Why Lincoln: Preserving an American Legacy
