Reynolds and Oakes will discuss the long and turning path to the abolition of American slavery that has often been attributed to the equivocations and inconsistencies of antislavery leaders, including Lincoln himself. Michael Burlingame, holder of the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at UIS, will moderate and provide an overview. This topic is not only timely in our national discussion, but also provides a historical perspective on freedom, race and emancipation in Lincoln’s time.