Michael Vorenberg, Royce Family Professor of History at Brown University, presents "Lincoln's Peace: Struggling to Find the End of a War," in the Benes Rooms of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware.
Vorenberg's presentation is the 2026 Richard W. Smith Lecture in Civil War History. Admission is free.
The Los Angeles Times named Vorenberg's latest book, "Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War," as one of the "top ten books to read in 2025." The book was also a finalist for the Gilder-Lehrman Lincoln Prize and won both the Tom Watson Brown Prize and the John L. Nau Prize, each awarded for the best book on the history of the American Civil War.
Vorenberg's earlier books include "Final Freedom: The Civil War, the Abolition of Slavery, and the Thirteenth Amendment," which was a major source for Steven Spielberg's 2012 film "Lincoln."
OWU's Richard W. Smith Lecture in Civil War History is named in honor of Smith, who taught at the University for 36 years, passed away on July 1, 2025, at age 101. Learn more about Smith and the lecture series at owu.edu/history.