<p>Historian Richard Etulain will speak about Abraham Lincoln's use of bipartisanship and what current government may be able to learn from it. Submitted photo</p>

ASTORIA – Does Abraham Lincoln’s adept use of bipartisanship during the Civil War offer guidance in dealing with the polarizing controversies of the 21st century? A new program will look at what today’s leaders might learn from Lincoln’s handling of slavery, emancipation and civil rights, political patronage and reconstruction during the Civil War era. Can these lessons serve as a model of bipartisan behavior as we debate healthcare, immigration reform, tax policy and conflicting sources of government power?

This is the focus of “Lessons from Lincoln,” a free conversation with Richard W. Etulain at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at the Judge Guy Boyington Building, 857 Commercial St. The program is hosted by the Lower Columbia Diversity Project and sponsored by Oregon Humanities.

Etulain is professor emeritus of history at the University of New Mexico, where he taught American history and cultures and directed its Center for the American West, and has taught at Northwest Nazarene University and Idaho State University. He holds a doctorate in American history and literature from the University of Oregon. His most recent book is “Lincoln Looks West: From the Mississippi to the Pacific.” He has lectured abroad in several countries, including, most recently, Ukraine and Spain. He is currently working on a new book, “Abraham Lincoln and the Oregon Country.”

The mission of the Lower Columbia Diversity Project (LCDP) is to engage proactively with diversity issues in the region, educate the community about the benefits of diversity, tolerance and inclusion, and provide a forum through which individuals, groups and organizations may address concerns relating to diversity in the community. For more, visit www.lcdiversityproject.org

For more information about this program, contact Scott Lee at (503) 468-8715 or lcdiversityproject@gmail.com

Through the Conversation Project, Oregon Humanities offers free programs that engage community members in thoughtful, challenging conversations about ideas critical to our daily lives and our state’s future.

Oregon Humanities connects Oregonians to ideas to change lives and transform communities. More information about Oregon Humanities’ programs and publications, which include the Conversation Project, Think & Drink, Humanity in Perspective, Happy Camp, Public Program Grants, Responsive Program Grants and Oregon Humanities magazine, can be found at oregonhumanities.org. Oregon Humanities is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and a partner of the Oregon Cultural Trust.