William Evitts earned his doctorate in American History at Johns Hopkins under the tutelage of pre-eminent Lincoln scholar David Herbert Donald. His research and teaching interests center on 19th century America, the Civil War, the South, slavery, Lincoln, and Maryland. He has published three books (two of them for young people), edited others, written numerous articles, and served on the faculties of Hopkins, Hollins University, State University of New York at Buffalo, MICA and Towson University.