By David J. Kent
Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
It's summer (almost), and the Lincoln Group of DC has a ton of special Abraham Lincoln events that are not to be missed.
Check these out:
June 19th - Lincoln's Road to Juneteenth: Our own Craig Howell will host a walking tour beginning at 10 am at the Capitol South Metro station in downtown Washington, DC. Craig will explain the evolution of Abraham Lincoln's political thought on emancipation as we walk from the site of "Abolition House" where he lived as a one-term Congressman until his final public speech at the Executive Mansion three days before his assassination. We'll see the site of Frederick Douglass's first home in DC and end in Lincoln Park, where we will discuss the controversy over the Emancipation Monument, which began with Douglass' famous Dedication Day speech in 1876 and has only intensified ever since. [This is a good preamble to our special September event discussed below] More info at: https://www.lincolnian.org/post/lincoln-group-hosts-lincoln-s-road-to-juneteenth-walking-tour
June 27th - 160th Anniversary of the Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg: John O'Brien will present on Lincoln's military judgments to introduce a discussion of his importance to the success of these critical campaigns. All Lincoln Group members (and friends) are invited to participate in this open interaction Zoom event. More details at: https://www.lincolnian.org/event-details/assessing-lincolns-role-in-the-gettysburg-and-vicksburg-campaigns
September 12th - Dinner event at Maggiano's Little Italy featuring Marcia Cole as Charlotte Scott: We finish out the summer with a special dinner event at Maggiano's. As everyone who joins Craig Juneteenth tour will know, Charlotte Scott was a formerly enslaved woman who donated the first $5 for the memorial to Lincoln that became the Emancipation Monument. Marcia Cole has been performing as Charlotte Scott for many years and will regale us with a first person look at her motivation for honoring Lincoln, and the controversy that continues to this day. More information soon on the Events page at https://www.lincolnian.org/
But wait, there's more!
This summer also features a special display of the Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No. 3 at the National Archives in downtown DC from June 17 to June 19 for extended hours (10 am - 7 pm). More info at: https://archivesfoundation.org/ep/?goal=0_c756ed33da-e4d9516eba-55130595&mc_cid=e4d9516eba&mc_eid=c407096bbf
The Martin Luther King family is planning a 60th anniversary event of MLK's 1963 march on Washington (itself held on the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation). The event is expected to be held at the Lincoln Memorial on August 26th. Check out the NPS website for more info.
The Lincolnian.org website will have a series of special posts on Lincoln's long road to emancipation, so come back often for new articles.
And watch the website for more information on our October debate, the November Lincoln Forum, and our December luncheon. We are also working on additional special events for this summer, so check the website often.