EUGENE, Ore. -- (Feb. 4, 2009) -- To honor the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, a University of Oregon professor will give a public lecture about the wartime evolution of the emancipation decision and the contested views of Lincoln's role in reaching that decision.

James Mohr will present, "Abraham Lincoln and the Policy Decision to End Slavery" at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12, in the Knight Library browsing room, 1501 Kincaid St. The event is free and open to the public.

Mohr is the UO College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of History and Philip H. Knight Professor of Social Science.

The lecture is part of the Oregon Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, which was appointed by Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski to serve as the state's coordination entity for a national series of events taking place during the Lincoln bicentennial year.

"Though most people think of the Civil War as the war that ended slavery, it did not begin that way. The decision to end slavery - perhaps the single most significant domestic policy decision in U.S. history - was hammered out during the war itself," said Mohr. "We will reflect on how Lincoln dealt with that crucially significant question."

Light refreshments will follow the lecture.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
Source: James Mohr, 541-346-5903, jmohr@uoregon.edu
Link: Oregon Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, http://www.ous.edu/lincoln/about.html

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