Abraham Lincoln’s greatest speech: the second inaugural

Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration took place on 4 March 1865, a little over a month before his assassination. His speech, although less than a fifth of the length of his first inaugural address, is now considered one of the finest in American history. In his second address, Lincoln reflected upon Divine providence and singled out the institution of slavery as the cause of the Civil War.

Ronald C. White is a historian, lecturer, and best-selling author of A. Lincoln: A Biography (2009) and Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural (2002), as well as American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant (2016). He gained his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1972.

This event is open to the public.

A sandwich lunch will be provided.