By David J. Kent Washington, DC Sunday, January 11, 2026 The Abraham Lincoln Institute, with co-sponsorship from the Lincoln Group of D.C., will present the annual ALI Symposium at Ford's Theatre on Saturday, March 21, 2026 . As I previewed before , the Lincoln Group proposed that ALI do a special program that honors Abraham Lincoln's commitment to the Declaration of Independence and the aspiration that "all men are created equal" to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declarat

By Jeffrey Boutwell and William F. Walsh Jan. 7 2026 It’s always fun to find unusual connections between famous people, especially those living in different centuries and from very different walks of life.  The two of us found such a connection, extending from Abraham Lincoln to Jane Goodall, as follows:   One: Jeffrey and Bill meet through their membership in the Lincoln Group of D.C.  Two:  While corresponding by email, Bill notices that Jeffrey lives on Ring Dove Lane in C

By Ed Epstein Washington, D.C. Dec. 31, 2025 Lincoln250.org The dawning year of 2026 will bring the 250th anniversary -- the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence -- and amid all the celebrations it's important to remember the message of Abraham Lincoln, the Declaration's fiercest, most-steadfast advocate. Lincoln understood that the Declaration's "proposition that all men (all people in today's terms) are created equal" was not a statement of fact, but rather

By Bill Shepherd Friday, December 26, 2025 (This article originally appeared on Lincoln250.org , our separate website dedicated to Abraham Lincoln and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.) Abraham Lincoln’s faith in the promise of the Declaration of Independence - that all people are created equal and that they should get opportunities to succeed in life - was shaped in good part by his often-overlooked ancestral roots in Virginia’s Shenandoah Val

Washington, D.C. Dec. 23, 2025 Abraham Lincoln was known for being rather indifferent about food, but one recollection from his youth made it clear that one of his favorite foods was the gingerbread man cookies he recalled that his mother baked for him. At holiday time, which is also cookie time, it's worth remembering his favorite. During one of the Lincoln-Douglas debates in1858 Lincoln told a light-hearted story about his boyhood in Indiana, where his family moved in 1816,

By David J. Kent Washington, DC Wednesday, December 17, 2025 Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freed those enslaved in the areas still in rebellion against the United States. Lincoln then fought for passage of the 13th Amendment ending slavery forever. Despite these actions and the 14th and 15th Amendments that followed from them, basic civil rights for African Americans remained elusive. It would be actions taken nearly 100 years after Lincoln's efforts that finall

Author Stacy Lynn joined the Lincoln Group of DC on December 9, to discuss her book Loving Lincoln: A Personal History of the Women who Shaped Lincoln’s Life and Legacy . She also talked about her long career researching and cataloging Abraham Lincoln's paper and then engaged in a discussion with LGDC members. Lynn is a professional Lincoln historian and editor who says she grew frustrated that male historians often overlooked Lincoln's love for, and friendships with, women a

By John A. O'Brien Denver, Colorado Monday, December 8, 2025 The Lincoln Forum at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in November was a glorious experience for any Lincoln buff. There was a superb lineup of Lincoln scholars introducing their latest books and papers. The annual conference occurs about the time of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and includes appropriate commemoration ceremonies. This year the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia was particularly well represented. Thirt

By David J. Kent Washington, D.C. Monday, December 1, 2025 Ronald Rietveld passed away  on November 27, 2025, at the age of 88. Rietveld was a professor of history at California State University–Fullerton for many years, although he is best known for his discovery at the age of 14 of the only known photograph of Abraham Lincoln in his coffin, taken April 24, 1865, as he lay in repose in New York during the long train ride back to Springfield. Rietveld's discovery shocked hist

By Ed Epstein Washington D.C. Friday, November 21, 2025 What does the visiting governor of Illinois get the first Chicago-born pope as a gift when he visits the pontiff at the Vatican? Lincoln: The Life and Legacy that Defined a Nation in 100 Object s, a new book featuring dozens of objects from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. The book, authored by Christina Shutt, the ALPLM's executive director, and Ian Hunt, director of acquisitions, was

By Ed Epstein Washington, D.C. Thursday, November 20, 2025 Lincoln Group member Michelle A. Krowl became the first woman to read out Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address yesterday at the annual Dedication Day ceremony in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Holding American flags presented to them on Wednesday are Jonathan W. White and Michelle A. Krowl. The reading of the address, first delivered on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the new cemetery where Union soldiers k

By Ed Epstein Washington, D.C. Tuesday, November 11, 2025 Names by the thousands were read aloud today as the Lincoln Group joined in honoring the 209,154 men -- mostly freed slaves -- who enlisted in the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War to fight against the pro-slavery Confederacy. USCT names were read aloud simultaneously at 10 microphones. The reading of names went on for long hours on a cold, blustery Veterans Day at the African American Civil War Memoria

By Ed Epstein Washington, D.C. Monday, November 3, 2025 It's been a few weeks since Lincoln250.org and Instagram's A.Lincoln250 launched to spread the word--next year's 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is very much about Abraham Lincoln, who was a fierce advocate of the Declaration's daring proposition that "all men are created equal." The logo for Lincoln250.org . Help spread the word. We assume that if you're reading this, you are interested in Lincoln

By David J. Kent Washington, D.C. Monday, October 27, 2025 The Lincoln Group of DC reached out to all of the Abraham Lincoln-related groups in 2023 seeking collaborations on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—and the United States—occurring in 2026. We recently announced  one of those collaborations in which we teamed up with the Abraham Lincoln Association (ALA) to create Lincoln250.org , a website to highlight Abraham Lincoln's strong admiration for th

By Ed Epstein Washington, D.C. Oct. 23, 2025 A museum that tells the story of the 209,154 members of the United States Colored Troops who fought for the Union cause in the Civil War after President Abraham Lincoln called for their enlistment in the Emancipation Proclamation will reopen next month. Statue of Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation, outside the new museum The private, non-profit African American Civil War Memorial museum in Washington, D.C.'s historic Sha

Washington D.C. Oct. 13, 2025 Author Richard Carwardine joined the Lincoln Group on Oct. 11 to discuss his thought-provoking new book "Righteous Strife: How Warring Religious Nationalists Forged Lincoln's Union." The recording of his presentation and of the question-and-answer session that followed is now available on the Lincoln Group's YouTube channel: Carwardine, a Welshman by birth, is a professor emeritus at Oxford University, where he served as Rhodes Professor of Ameri

By David J. Kent Washington, DC Sunday, October 12, 2025 Michelle Krowl, Lucas Morel, Jonathan White, Callie Hawkins at President...

By Ed Epstein Washington, D.C. Wednesday, October 8, 2025 There was no fiercer defender of the promise of the Declaration of...

By Ed Epstein Washington, D.C. Monday, October 6, 2025 One of America's great 20th-century philanthropists, whose long life of giving was...

Debbie M. Jackson Washington, D.C. Thursday, October 2, 2025 Best-selling Lincoln scholar Richard Carwardine will attend a combined...