James Oakes talked about his book, Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865, in which he examines the efforts, ranging from the militaristic to the legislative, to end slavery during the Civil War. The author spoke on a panel with Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Annette Gordon-Reed and James McPherson, Edward Ayers, president of the University of Richmond, and Eric Foner, history professor at Columbia University. The panel was hosted by the National Archives in Washington, D.C.