More than 150 years after his death, our 16th president maintains his reputation as one of the most gifted orators to hold the nation’s highest office. Abraham Lincoln used his facility with language to help guide the country through the Civil War—the most destructive in its history—and through the massive social and political disruption that accompanied four years of fighting.
Christopher Hamner, professor of history at George Mason University, focuses on how three of Lincoln’s best-known speeches—his First Inaugural (1861), his Gettysburg Address (1863), and his Second Inaugural (1865)—helped to move a war-weary citizenry toward a radical new understanding of the country’s own values and of the meaning of the war and of emancipation.
Patron Information
- If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
- Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program.
- Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
- Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
- View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.
