No historical figure has attracted more attention over the past year than Abraham Lincoln. He is America’s most famous icon, the subject of more than 16,000 publications and perhaps our most revered President—an accolade made more stunning by the fact that he resided in the White House just one month beyond his first term.

 

Although Lincoln did not move to Illinois until he reached adulthood, the influences within the Prairie State shaped his ideals, and sharpened and honed his skills. Between 1830 and 1860, Lincoln developed into a superlative speechmaker, an outstanding debater, and a top-notch politician. Our July program has been designed to provide an understanding of this.

 

Our panel of scholars will present two mornings of presentations that will detail Lincoln as a lawyer, a speaker, and a debater. One of these presentations, on Friday morning, will be a re-creation of one of Lincoln’s most famous pre-Presidential moments – his famous “House Divided Speech” of 1858, by George A. Buss.

 

All three days of our program will feature tours of Lincoln’s life and career in Illinois. On Thursday afternoon, July 23, we will visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. On Friday afternoon, July 24, we will visit famous Lincoln sites in Springfield, including Lincoln’s Home on the corner of 8^th and Jackson Streets, the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office, the Lincoln Tomb, and the Old State Capitol.

 

On Friday evening, after our group dinner, we will be treated to a presentation by one of America’s most celebrated Lincoln scholars, retired Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, Frank J. Williams, on the topic of Abraham Lincoln and Leadership.

 

Saturday will be dedicated to a full day of Lincoln off the beaten path. We will visit sites associated with Lincoln’s quarter-century career on the 8^th Judicial Circuit. Featured on this tour will be stops in Bloomington (the most underrated town associated with Lincoln’s path to greatness) and Decatur, the town where Lincoln first lived in Illinois and the site of the state convention where the Railsplitter image was born.

 

This program will provide you with an excellent opportunity to experience the life of Lincoln and his “Prelude to Greatness” in Illinois—in the bicentennial year of his birth. If you should wish to attend only a part of this program, contact us at 800-298-1861 and we will tailor your registration fee accordingly. We hope you’ll join us!

Faculty

 

GARY ECELBARGER is the author and co-author of seven books and a dozen articles about 19^th Century events and personalities. His latest two Lincoln publications are The Great Comeback: How Abraham Lincoln Beat the Odds to Win the 1860 Republican Nomination and Before Cooper Union: Abraham Lincoln’s 1859 Cincinnati Speech

ROGER D. BRIDGES is Executive Director Emeritus of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center which he directed from 1988 to 2003.  Previously, he was founding editor of the Lincoln Legal Papers, and director of the Illinois State Historical Library in Springfield. He has published numerous articles on Lincoln, slavery and civil rights, and Illinois history, and with Rodney Davis edited Illinois: Its History and Legacy.

GEORGE A. BUSS is a nationally recognized Lincoln interpreter. For fifteen years, he and the late Rich Sokup interpreted Lincoln and Stephen Douglas nearly 400 times before audiences in such places as Ford’s Theater, Gettysburg, Chicago, Atlanta and New Orleans. They appeared twice in live broadcasts of the 1994 C-Span Lincoln Douglas Debates. Since 2007 George has teamed with Tim Connors in portraying Lincoln and Douglas, traveling more than 6,300 miles and appearing before 13,000 people. In 2008, as a part of the Illinois Sesquicentennial Debate Celebration, they appeared at all seven original debate locations.

GUY C. FRAKER is a Bloomington attorney and an expert on Abraham Lincoln and the 8^th Judicial Circuit of Illinois. His work has appeared in the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association and recently on a PBS telecast of Lincoln’s Illinois years. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Abraham Lincoln Association and the Advisory Committee to the National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

ROBERT J. LENZ is a Bloomington attorney, vice-president of the Abraham Lincoln Association and past president of the David Davis Mansion Foundation.

MARK A. PLUMMER, Professor of History Emeritus at Illinois State University, is the author of Lincoln’s Rail Splitter: Richard J. Oglesby. He has written or contributed to seven books and authored a score of articles, mostly on nineteenth century politicians.

DANIEL W. STOWELL served as the editor of the Lincoln Legal Papers and has been the director/editor of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln for the past 10 years. He has edited, written, or co-written eight books and authored numerous articles, essays and reviews for historical publications.

FRANK J. WILLIAMS recently retired as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. A member of the U. S. Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, he has served as chairman of the Lincoln Forum since he co-founded it in 1996. Previously he served for twelve years as president of the Lincoln Group of Boston, and nine years as president of the Abraham Lincoln Association – both while serving as president of the Ulysses S. Grant Association. He is the author or co-author of a dozen books including Judging Lincoln, a collection of his essays, and The Emancipation Proclamation: Three Views (co-authored with Harold Holzer and Edna Greene Medford.) He co-edited Abraham Lincoln: Sources and Style of Leadership and Abraham Lincoln: Contemporary, and with Harold Holzer, authored Lincoln's Deathbed in Art and Memory: The "Rubber Room" Phenomenon.

 

Program Schedule

 

Wednesday, July 22

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM       Welcome Reception (Cash Bar) - President Abraham Lincoln Hotel
& Conference Center, Springfield, Illinois

Thursday, July 23

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM      Lincoln and the Legal Profession - Daniel W. Stowell: 

9:45 AM – 10:45 AM   Race and the Lincoln-Douglas Debates - Roger D. Bridges

11:00 AM – 12:00 N    Lincoln’s Other Lost Speech (Found in 1893)

and its Impact on His Nomination - Gary Ecelbarger

12:15 PM – 1:15 PM   Group Lunch

1:30 PM – 4:30 PM       Tour Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum

and Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library

Friday, July 24

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM     Lincoln and the Eighth Judicial Circuit – Guy C. Fraker

9:45 AM – 10:45 AM    Emancipation Defended: Lincoln’s letter and the Great Springfield Rally of September 3, 1863 - Mark A. Plummer

11:00 AM – 12:00 N    A Re-creation of Lincoln’s “House Divided Speech”

- George A. Buss

12:15 PM – 1:15 PM  Group Lunch

1:30 PM – 5:00 PM       Tours of Lincoln Home, Lincoln-Herndon Law Office,

Lincoln Tomb and Old State Capitol

6:15 PM – 7:00 PM       Cash Bar

7:00 PM – 8:15 PM       Dinner

8:15 PM – 9:00 PM       Abraham Lincoln and Leadership – Frank J. Williams

Saturday, July 25

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM       Bus tour of Lincoln sites outside of Springfield: Decatur, Bloomington, and other sites along the 8^th Judicial Circuit

 – Robert J. Lenz and Guy C. Fraker

 

REGISTRATION FEES (lodging not included):

q $595 if Paid by Credit Card              q $495 if Paid by Check, Credit Voucher or Other Credits

 

If You Must Cancel we will refund 100% of your fees paid within 30 days of your cancellation notice

                                                         

What is Included in your Full Program Registration Fee:

·        the services of expert historians chosen for their knowledge and experience

·        transportation to sites as indicated

·        Thursday, Friday & Saturday lunches

·        Friday evening banquet

 

BASE HOTEL & LODGING: Our program will be based at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel & Conference Center, 701 East Adams Street, Springfield, IL where we have reserved a block of sleeping rooms at the special nightly rate of $84 + tax – Single, Double, Triple or Quad. To reserve a room under our block, call 866-788-1860 and identify yourself as a registrant for the Civil War Education Association program.