Lincoln Poll in USA TODAY

[Laurie Verge]

Gene, you have used much the same logic that my staff and volunteers use in interpreting Lincoln at Surratt House. He did what he had to do in order to protect the Union. We bring out the suspension of habeas corpus, the sending of 10,000 troops into Maryland immediately, etc. and build the discussion (depending on the ages of the group) around constitutionality vs. executive order in times of necessity. The latter has led to some interesting adult discussions based on exactly what constitutes "necessity" in the current use of executive orders.