Lincoln Birthday Presentation by Historian Jon Meacham (viaZoom).

The Lincoln Group of DC and the Civil War Round Table of DC present Pulitzer Prize winning historian Jon Meacham who will give the keynote address for our annual joint Lincoln Birthday banquet. Meacham will speak on the topic of “A Sacred Effort: Lincoln’s American Theology,” based on his bestselling book, And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle. This book traces Lincoln’s life from frontier Kentucky to his leadership during the Civil War and assassination. According to Meacham, “Lincoln’s story illustrates the ways and means of politics in a democracy, the roots and durability of racism, and the capacity of conscience to shape events.”

The in-person dinner at Ft. Myer begins at 6 pm and Jon Meacham will join us by Zoom at approximately 6:45 pm. This will be an in-person event in the Patton Hall Officers’ Club at Ft. Myer. We will have the usual Lincoln birthday dinner. However, due to teaching commitments at Vanderbilt University, Meacham will address the group via Zoom connection. There will also be a Zoom connection for those members who cannot attend in person, although in-person attendance is encouraged as there will be additional special guests.

For more details and to register go to the Civil War Round Table DC website at https://cwrtdc-meetings.blogspot.com/. Use the pull-down menu on the right side of the page to RSVP and pay in advance. Also, there are instructions for filling out the online request for a pass to get into Ft. Myer. The new online system makes the process easy but must be done in advance to facilitate entry. Finally, all attendees must bring evidence they are fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID.

Remember: This is our annual joint LGDC/CWRTDC Lincoln Birthday Banquet, so we encourage everyone from both groups to attend. 

Meacham won the Pulitzer Prize for his earlier treatment of Andrew Jackson in American Lion. His current book, And There Was Light, was a New York Times bestseller and has received numerous accolades. Meacham was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and currently holds the Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Endowed Chair in American Presidency at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He was previously an executive at Random House, a contributing writer to the New York Times Book Review, and former editor-in-chief of Newsweek.

[Photo provided by Heidi Ross on behalf of Jon Meacham]