By Debbie Jackson
Washington, D.C.
Monday, August 7, 2023
The Lincoln Group of D.C. Study Forum is 10-Years Old!! Come join the celebration!! Saturday, August 19, 10AM -- Noon Eastern Time
Special Guest – Jonathan W. White!
Have you wondered how a group could meet monthly for TEN Years and discuss books about Abraham Lincoln? Well, now is your chance to attend an open session and see what could bring people together month after month, year after year and read books about the 16th President.
In the Spring 2023 Lincolnian, David J. Kent described the group’s evolution from the early days when we met in person at several venues, including the Ford's Leadership Center directly across from the Ford's Theatre. [A shorter version of that article is here] With the pandemic, the group pivoted to Zoom and will remain digital for the foreseeable future, a bonus to include national participation, including our facilitator, former LGDC President John O’Brien who moved to Colorado.
The book selections have been a Who’s Who of Lincoln scholars, ranging from both volumes of Michael Burlingame’s Lincoln—A Life, to Heather Cox Richardson’s How the South Won the Civil War, to Michael S. Greene’s Lincoln and Native Americans, to Diana Schaub’s His Greatest Speeches, Craig Symonds’ on his Admirals, and so many more. The discussion structure provides a unique opportunity for everyone to be involved in analyzing the information, not just in the discussion, but in the very beginning, by creating the questions! The group reads a specific number of pages or sections each month, develops questions they’d like to cover, then the questions are compiled and discussed for full involvement and sometimes heated discussions. It’s amazing how the historical issues can have “torn from the headlines” relevance today.
The group just finished A House Built by Slaves by Jonathan W. White and Jonathan will be joining us the first hour of the August 19th meeting as part of the 10-Year celebration! All are invited to hear his remarks and engage with him about the book and the group. The second hour will be an “Open Forum” where we’ll consider what the Study Forum has meant to us over the years, the impact on our lives, and thoughts for future development.
So, now is your chance to find out for yourself what kind of people could get a thrill out of reading books about Lincoln and sharing their ideas with others. Who knows, you might discover that you are one of those people. You might even be compelled to join us on the next book, Redeemer President, by Allen C. Guelzo in September. But first things first -- come join us August 19th and see what it’s all about.
This Open Forum is as it says - Open to Everyone - whether you are a past Study Forum member, a current member, a potential future member, or just really, really curious about Abraham Lincoln!
For further information about the Lincoln Group Study Forum and to secure the Zoom Link, please sign up via “Contact Us” on the bottom of the website.