What was Lincoln’s understanding of the importance of majority rule to American democracy and self-government? In this episode of Scholar Talks, James Read, Professor of Political Science at the College of St. Benedict and St. Johns University, joins BRI Senior Fellow Tony Williams to discuss his recent book, Sovereign of a Free People: Abraham Lincoln, Majority Rule, and Slavery.

This episode explores Abraham Lincoln's vision of democracy, highlighting his views on the importance of majority rule, the threat of southern secession, and the impact of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

00:00:00 - 00:01:24 Introduction
00:01:25 - 00:04:03 Lincoln’s Majority Rule
00:04:04 - 00:07:32 Threat of Southern Secession
00:07:33 - 00:12:15 Key Elements of Lincoln's Majority Rule
00:12:16 - 00:18:10 Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854
00:18:11 - 00:22:05 Natural Rights, Majority Rule, and Constitutionalism
00:22:05 - 00:23:16 Outro

Want to learn more about Abraham Lincoln?

Explore some of the Bill of Rights Institute's greatest resources all about the United States' 16th president, Abraham Lincoln: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/pla...

Check out this essay on Kansas-Nebraska Act and Bleeding Kansas: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/ess...
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