The Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize is among the most prestigious awards in the scholarship of the Civil War. The prize includes a purse of $50,000. This year the Lincoln Prize was jointly awarded to two books.
GILDER LEHRMAN LINCOLN PRIZE WINNERS
2023
Jon Meacham
And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle (Random House)
Jonathan W. White
A House Built by Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House (Rowman & Littlefield)
“We are pleased to be able to honor two outstanding books. Jonathan White’s work provides us with a deeper and important understanding of the view of Lincoln shared by African Americans in the Civil War era. Jon Meacham’s work is a major contribution to the long line of Lincoln biographies that will be read and re-read for decades.” -Larry D. Walker, member of the Gilder Lehrman Prize Board who selected White and Meacham.
James Basker, president of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, said, “‘And There Was Light’ and ‘A House Built by Slaves’ powerfully humanize the story of the Civil War by re-examining the lives and legacies of those who lived it. Thousands of books have been written about Abraham Lincoln and his contemporaries, but these studies by Meacham and White stand out for their narrative skill and interpretive brilliance.”
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