SPRINGFIELD – Jon Meacham, historical biography author and widely-known television commentator, will be the featured speaker at the annual Abraham Lincoln Association (ALA) Birthday Banquet on Saturday, February 12 in Springfield.
Three renowned Lincoln authors and historians will highlight the Benjamin P. Thomas Symposium on February 12, which will feature discussions on Lincoln and Native Americans, Lincoln and Salmon P. Chase, and Lincoln in private.
Meacham is the author of books on presidents Jefferson, Jackson and George H.W. Bush; the World War II friendship of President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill; civil rights pioneer John Lewis; American Gospel music; God and the Founding Fathers; and an examination of Jesus’ last words. Meacham is the co-author with singer Tim McGraw of “Songs of America,” and he has nearly completed a book about Lincoln. Meacham’s most recent No. 1 New York Times Best Seller is “The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels,” examining current political and social events by looking to critical times in our past when hope overcame division and fear. He co-authored the recently re-released book “Impeachment: An American History.” Meacham’s essays and reviews have appeared in all major print outlets, and he serves as a commentator on CNN and MSNBC.
The banquet, held to observe the 213th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, will take place at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel in downtown Springfield. A reception starts at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $95 each and can be obtained online at www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org or by calling (217) 546-2656 (217-LINCOLN).
The banquet is one of many activities scheduled each year to commemorate Lincoln’s birthday. The Abraham Lincoln Association’s annual Benjamin P. Thomas Symposium will be held Saturday, February 12 at 11 a.m. at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield. The free presentations begin with “Lincoln and Native Americans” presented by Michael S. Green, associate professor of history at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas. Green is author or editor of three books on the Civil War, including his new “Lincoln and Native Americans” as well as “Lincoln and the Election of 1860.”
The 11:45 a.m. session, “Lincoln and Chase,” will be presented by Walter Stahr, author of “John Jay: Founding Father,” “Seward: Lincoln’s Indispensable Man,” “Stanton: Lincoln’s War Secretary,” and his newest book, “Salmon P. Chase: Lincoln’s Vital Rival.”
The Thomas F. Schwartz Symposium Luncheon begins at 12:45 p.m. at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, and the featured speaker will be Ronald C. White, Jr., who will present “Lincoln in Private.” White is well-known for his books on Grant, Lincoln, and Lincoln’s famed Second Inaugural. White’s newest book is “Lincoln in Private: What His Most Personal Reflections Tell Us About Our Greatest President.”
A roundtable discussion led by Prof. Michael Burlingame, ALA President, follows from 1:45 to 2:30 p.m. All four authors will sign their books at 3:15 p.m. at Books on the Square, 5th and Washington Streets.
The Symposium talks and roundtable discussion are free and open to the public. Lunch will be offered and reservations are required. The luncheon is $35 per person and reservations can be made at
www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org or by calling (217) 546-2656 (217-LINCOLN). The reservation deadline for the banquet and symposium lunch is January 28.
The Symposium is named for Benjamin P. Thomas (1902-1956), the renowned Lincoln biographer and one-time Executive Secretary of The Abraham Lincoln Association. The symposium is supported by a generous gift of Thomas’s daughter, Sarah Thomas, and her family to The Abraham Lincoln Association Endowment Fund. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is a sponsor of the Symposium. For more information about the Abraham Lincoln Association, visit www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org.