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Presidents on the Brink

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin breaks down high-stakes presidential moments in our exclusive video series Command Decisions.

6 videos

Lincoln Issues Emancipation Proclamation

As the Civil War teetered, Lincoln weighed the Emancipation Proclamation—an audacious act that reshaped the nation’s course.

7:56m watch

U.S. Presidents

Eisenhower and War or Peace in Korea

As global tensions spiral toward the brink, Eisenhower must decide how far he’s willing to go to project American power.

U.S. Presidents

JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis

When U.S. spy planes discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba, John F. Kennedy faced the greatest test of the nuclear age.

U.S. Presidents

Truman and the Berlin Airlift

When the Cold War’s first great showdown erupts, Truman is forced to choose between backing down or risking everything to stand firm.

U.S. Presidents

LBJ Signs the Civil Rights Act

Doris Kearns Goodwin shares how President Lyndon B. Johnson, despite fierce resistance, rose to meet a defining moment in U.S. history.

FDR and the Atlantic Charter

With Europe under Nazi rule and Britain low on funds, Roosevelt and Churchill met in secret to strike a bold wartime agreement.

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U.S. Presidents

Lincoln Issues Emancipation Proclamation

As the Civil War teetered, Lincoln weighed the Emancipation Proclamation—an audacious act that reshaped the nation’s course.