In the four months between Abraham Lincoln’s election and inauguration, the president-elect made the most important decision of his coming presidency: there would be no compromise on slavery or secession of the slaveholding states, even at the cost of an inevitable Civil War. Two scholars examine this pivotal four-month period, Lincoln’s public stance, and the momentous consequences as he first demonstrated his determination and leadership. Harold Holzer is co-chairman of the U.S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and has written or edited more than 30 books on Lincoln and the Civil War. His most recent book is Lincoln, President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter, 1860-1861. Jonathan Alter is a senior editor for Newsweek and a contributing correspondent for NBC News. He is the author of The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and The Triumph of Hope. This event was held by the New-York Historical Society.