Masur is Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University. Masur is a cultural historian whose publications include books on capital punishment, the events of a single year, the first World Series, a transformative photograph, and a seminal rock ‘n’ roll album. Masur’s most recent work focuses on Lincoln and the Civil War and includes Lincoln's Last Speech: Wartime Reconstruction and the Crisis of Reunion (2015) and Lincoln's Hundred Days: The Emancipation Proclamation and the War for the Union (2012). Masur is the author of The Civil War: A Concise History (2011). Masur’s essays and reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, and Los Angeles Times.