MSU鈥檚 Marshall named elite finalist for 2026 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, shares expertise on C-SPAN
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥Anne E. Marshall, Mississippi State Department of History professor and executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, is a finalist for the 2026 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, one of the most significant honors for scholarship in the field of American history.
Marshall is being recognized for her book 鈥淐assius Marcellus Clay: The Life of an Antislavery Slaveholder and the Paradox of American Reform,鈥 published by the University of North Carolina Press last year. It examines the complex life of Cassius Marcellus Clay and explores the contradictions at the heart of 19th-century American reform and antislavery politics.
Marshall discussed her work this month with a wider public audience on 鈥淏ooknotes,鈥 a podcast hosted by journalist and longtime C-SPAN leader Brian Lamb, best known for creating and hosting the author-interview program. Marshall and Lamb explored the themes of the award-worthy book and discussed the life and legacy of Cassius Marcellus Clay. Visit to listen to the podcast.
The Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize honors outstanding scholarship that advances public understanding of former President Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War soldier or the era in general. Marshall鈥檚 work was selected as one of seven finalists from a pool of 90 submissions reviewed by a national jury of historians.
鈥淚 am humbled and gratified to be a finalist for this meaningful book prize,鈥 said Marshall, who also serves as the executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association. Clay was, in many ways, a very unique character, so much so it is easy to overlook the ways in which he was very typical of Americans at the time. The more I researched his life, the more I realized that he could tell us about the important and complicated issues with which Civil War-era Americans wrestled.鈥
James G. Basker, president and CEO of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, said the seven finalists represent the very finest Civil War-era scholarship.
鈥淭hese books deepen our understanding of how the Civil War reshaped American politics, society and lived experience,鈥 he said.
The 2026 laureate will be announced in early March. All finalists will be honored at an awards event in April at the Yale Club in New York City, where the winner will receive a $50,000 prize and a bronze replica of Augustus Saint-Gaudens鈥檚 bust 鈥淟incoln the Man.鈥
Located in MSU鈥檚 Mitchell Memorial Library, the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library is a premier research and museum facility preserving the papers, artifacts and memorabilia of the 18th president of the U.S. With a collection spanning Grant鈥檚 early life, Civil War service and presidency, the library offers scholars, students and visitors a comprehensive look at a pivotal era in American history. For more information, visit .
For more information about听MSU's听College of Arts and Sciences听and听the Department of History, visit听听and .
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