at cooper union hall in new york city. good evening, everyone.sure to welcome you tonight to our his store great home. as we commemorate a profound and lasting expression of political condition that took place in 160 years agoctly today. [applause] as you saw in the video, the great hall occupies an important place in the fabric of our city. sitting here tonight, you are not only occupying a seat where on this day in

at cooper union hall in new york city. good evening, everyone. it is my pleasure to welcome you tonight to our his store great home. as we commemorate a profound and lasting expression of political condition that took place in 160 years agoctly today. [applause] as you saw in the video, the great hall occupies an important place in the fabric of our city. sitting here tonight, you are not only occupying a seat where on this day in 1860, new yorkers listened to them little-known statesmen from illinois deliver a speech that not only altered the course of his life but what impact the future of our nation. scores of day, individuals have filled your seats. eager to explore the issues that define who we are as a country. tonight, you have a seat to another perspective on america's next chapter. inspired by the man who would ultimately reunited country after the most divided time in its history. and preserve the great american experiment. abraham lincoln later viewed that cooper union speech as the turning point for his election to the white house. he

the discussion marked the 160th anniversary of president lincoln's speech at cooper union hall in new york city. >> good evening, everyone. i'm laura sparks, president of the cooper union. it's my pleasure to welcome you tonight to our historic hall as we commemorate a profound and lasting expression of political conviction that took shape in this room exactly 160 years ago today. [applause] as you saw in the video a moment ago, the great hall occupies an important place in the fabric of our city. sitting here tonight, you are not only occupying a seat were on this day in 1860, new yorkers listened to the then little-k nown statesman from illinois deliver a speech that not only altered the course of his life, but what impact the future of our nation. ofce that day, scores individuals have filled your seats, eager to explore issues that define who we are as a country, and tonight you have a seat to another perspective on america's next chapter, inspired by the man who would ultimately reunite a country after the most divided period of its history, and preserve the great american experi

the discussion marked the 160th anniversary of president lincoln's speech at cooper union hall in nework city. >> good evening, everyone. i'm laura sparks, president of the cooper union. it's my pleasure to welcome you tonight to our historic hall as we commemorate a profound and lasting expression of political conviction that took shape in this room exactly 160 years ago today. [applause] as you saw in the video a moment ago, the great hall occupies an important place in the fabric of our city. sitting here

standing here in this great hall at cooper union behind this particular podium, one cannot help but feelhe weight in the insistent voice of history. it is the threat of history that ouro often sought by political leaders in this country and so rarely obtained. the mere ambition to be politically great almost never suffices. it almost never comes without a moment of crisis, a catalyst, a call. spokem lincoln, when he he taught uspodium a lesson by making and articulating what would become the foundation of the republican by talking about the unacceptability of the expansion of slavery. he understood that the south was never going to break on this question. he understood that the moral dimension would eventually lead to a crisis that could tear this country apart, and did. taught that night was that political choices are fundamentally moral choices and that is a lesson that has been too use -- too easily forgotten. i don't like the practice of both-sides-ism. the american political culture has accepted a disconnect between the political and moral dimension of our choices and we are seeing