Author Richard Carwardine live on Zoom, October 11

Debbie M. Jackson

Washington, D.C.

Thursday, October 2, 2025

Best-selling Lincoln scholar Richard Carwardine will attend a combined meeting of the Lincoln Study Forum and the Lincoln Group of D.C. on Saturday, October 11, at noon. The Study Forum meets monthly on Saturdays and often is able to have authors participate with them. We are now reading Carwardine's latest work, Righteous Strife: How Warring Religious Nationalists Forged Lincoln's Union.

In this book, Carwardine examines the pivotal role of religion in the American Civil War. He argues that the conflict was not only a battle over slavery but also a clash of visions regarding God's will for the future of the United States. Carwardine describes how three styles of religious nationalism influenced public opinion and political decisions during this tumultuous period. The war was dominated by the conflict between Bible-believing nationalists in both the north and south who were certain that God supported their anti- or pro-slavery side. Within the north there was another division between antislavery religious nationalists and conservative religious pro-slavery constitutionalists. The stories behind these intense faith-driven positions reveal a fascinating portrait of how American values were (and likely are) affected.  

Richard Carwardine is a professor emeritus at Oxford University, where he served as Rhodes Professor of American History from 2002 to 2009 and as president of Corpus Christi College from 2010 to 2016. His analytical biography Lincoln won the Lincoln Prize in 2004 and was subsequently published in the United States as Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power. 

The study forum will begin its regular meeting at 11AM (instead of the usual 10 AM) to discuss the recent sections of the book. Former LGDC President John O'Brien, a Lincoln scholar in his own right, will be facilitating. Professor Carwardine will join us at 12 noon for a special membership meeting with the full Lincoln Group of D.C. There will be no admissions to the Study Forum after 11AM until noon, when the Lincoln Group meeting begins.

The Zoom link for both meetings is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82325778546

The Study Forum is open to all LGDC members. Visitors and guests are also welcome to try us out. Just submit the contact information on the form at the bottom of the website page. This is a perfect opportunity to see why the LGDC Study Forum is so popular and has been around for over 10 years! 

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