By Ed Epstein Washington, D.C. Sunday, May 10, 2026 When I became Lincoln Group president in May 2024, I got into the habit of keeping a list of the monthly programs we put on for our members. I’m sure if you read on below to the complete list, you’ll agree with me that it’s an impressive array that would appeal to anyone with an interest in the life, legacy and vision of Abraham Lincoln. So, as you read this, consider joining the Lincoln Group of D.C. to enjoy these members-

By David J. Kent Washington, DC Thursday, April 30, 2026 You never know where you're going to run into Lincoln connections. Unexpectedly, I ran into one in my own hometown of Ipswich, Massachusetts. Twice. I return to my hometown northeast of Boston periodically to visit family. This time I'm here for a series of presentations for my book about Lincoln's two trips to New England. Part of the concept started right here because a mural painted on the side of an old cotton texti

By Ed Epstein Washington D.C. Monday, April 20, 2026 A museum of more than 20,000 square feet celebrating the life and vision of Thaddeus Stevens, the Radical Republican from Pennsylvania who prodded President Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation and then pushed for the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery, will open on May 2 in downtown Lancaster, Pa., the town where he lived for many years and where he is buried. The new museum in downtown Lancaster, Pa., open

By Jeffrey Boutwell Columbia, Md. Monday, April 6, 2026 Redlands, California, an hour east of Pasadena on the way to Palm Springs in the desert, would seem an unlikely spot for a heartfelt memorial to Abraham Lincoln. Though our 16th president and wife Mary had expressed hopes of visiting California and the American West following his second term in office, it wasn’t to be. Instead, Lincoln’s presence in Southern California would have to wait until 1932, when Robert and Alma

by David J. Kent Washington, DC Monday, March 30, 2026 Washington's Emancipation Memorial, often called the Freedmen's Memorial, celebrates the 150th anniversary of its dedication on Saturday April 11, 2026. And the Lincoln Group of DC will be represented. Everyone's invited to this free program. Immediately after hearing of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, a formerly enslaved woman named Charlotte Scott offered $5 to create a memorial honoring Lincoln. She was soon followed

By Wendy Swanson Washington, D.C, Saturday, March 27, 2026 The Emancipation Proclamation Display in the National Archives Rotunda Last night, March 27, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. EDT, the National Archives unveiled the permanent display of the Emancipation Proclamation in the Archives Rotunda. The unveiling of a second historic document, the 19 th Amendment, occurred moments later. The event marked the first time permanent displays have been added to the Rotunda’s “Charters of Freed

By John A. O'Brien Denver, Colorado Wednesday, March 18, 2026 I suspect that anyone who studies Lincoln might have wondered at some time what it would have been like to be in the crowd at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863, to hear him deliver his “few appropriate remarks” to dedicate the new cemetery. Certainly, there is no recording or time machine to allow us anything like the authentic experience. There is now, however, an amazing alternative that helps to give a glimpse of

By Ed Epstein Washington, D.C. Friday, March 13, 2026 President Abraham Lincoln will again arrive by steam train at Gettysburg, Pa., this time on November 18, 2026, just as he did back in 1863 on the day before he delivered his 272-word Gettysburg Address, a speech that still resonates today. This November's arrival of Lincoln, portrayed by actor Billy Campbell, will kick off two days of festivities to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and help the public fo

by David J. Kent Washington, DC Thursday, March 12, 2026 The annual Abraham Lincoln Institute (ALI) Symposium will be held at Ford's Theatre on March 21, 2026, and the very special program is not to be missed. This is the third of a series of posts highlighting the upcoming symposium. The ALI Symposium this year will have four panels featuring some of the most preeminent scholars on their topics in a discussion moderated by a renowned journalist. Each panel has a theme relate

by David J. Kent Washington, DC Saturday, March 7, 2026 The annual Abraham Lincoln Institute (ALI) Symposium will be held at Ford's Theatre on March 21, 2026, and the very special program is not to be missed. This is the second of a series of posts highlighting the upcoming symposium. The ALI Symposium this year will have four panels featuring some of the most preeminent scholars on their topics in a discussion moderated by a renowned journalist. Each panel has a theme relate

by David J. Kent Washington, DC Tuesday, March 3, 2026 In recognition of the release day of the Lincoln Group of DC Immediate Past President David J. Kent's new book, Lincoln in New England: In Search of His Forgotten Tours , David have begun posting a series of short videos about Lincoln and the New England states . Each video is less than ten minutes in length and covers Lincoln's connections to one state per video. There is info about Lincoln's visits (if any) and tidbits

By Ed Epstein Washington, D.C. Friday, February 27, 2026 Author George Saunders best-selling and award-winning 2017 novel Lincoln in the Bardo , about President Abraham Lincoln's love and overwhelming feeling of loss over the 1862 death of his 11-year-old son Willie from typhoid fever, is being turned into a feature movie starring one of Hollywood's biggest stars and an elaborate Metropolitan Opera production that will premiere in October. Willie Lincoln Saunders work, which

by David J. Kent Washington, DC Friday, February 20, 2026 The annual Abraham Lincoln Institute (ALI) Symposium will be held at Ford's Theatre on March 21, 2026, and the Lincoln Group of DC will be featured. This is the first of a series of posts highlighting the upcoming symposium. As mentioned previously , the ALI Symposium this year is a huge change from previous years. Rather than five authors speaking about their books, 2026 will have four panels, each with a pair of spea

By Ed Epstein Washington, D.C. February 12, 2026 For a guy who's been gone since 1865, Abraham Lincoln proved today on his 217th birthday that he can still draw a crowd. The Lincoln Group's memorial wreath inside the Lincoln Memorial chamber. Some two dozen memorial wreaths were placed at the foot of the epic sculpture by Daniel Chester French of a seated Lincoln inside the Lincoln Memorial at the west end of the National Mall in the nation's capital. The wreaths came from th

By Ed Epstein Washington, D.C. Friday, January 23, 2026 The Trump administration wants to hold an IndyCar race this summer on the National Mall, including around the Lincoln Memorial, but the idea faces opposition from congressional Democrats, according to reports. Punchbowl News , a daily newsletter that covers Congress in detail, reported this morning that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has told congressional leaders the plan calls for a race on Friday, August 21. The

by David J. Kent Washington, D.C. Thursday, January 22, 2026 The Lincoln Group of DC is co-sponsoring the annual Abraham Lincoln Institute (ALI) Symposium at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC on March 21, 2026. And now you can order your free tickets. Order here: https://fords.org/event/abraham-lincoln-institute-symposium/ We highly recommend you reserve your free tickets now as this year we have a special format and many special guests, including David Rubenstein, some Pulitz

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 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

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