It Was An Honor to Speak at The Lincoln Forum’s 30th Annual Symposium Held in Gettysburg!
In November 2025, I was honored, humbled, and grateful to be invited to speak at the 30th Annual Symposium of The Lincoln Forum in Gettysburg, PA! The Lincoln Forum is an assembly of people who share a deep interest in the life and times of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era. Through a roster of activities including symposia, tours, student essay competitions, teacher scholarships, a newsletter, and annual awards to recognize special contributions to the field of Lincoln studies, the Forum endeavors to enhance the understanding and preserve the memory of Abraham Lincoln.
Based on my book, The Great Abolitionist: Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union, I spoke on a panel entitled “The Voice of the People: Lincoln and Congress.” I am shown in the group shot with (from left), moderator Michelle Krowl from the Library of Congress; Cecily Zander, author of The Army Under Fire: The Politics of Antimilitarism in the Civil War Era; and Jeffrey Boutwell, author of Boutwell: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy. I’m happy to say that more than 300 people packed our discussion, and I enjoyed it thoroughly!
I also had fun at an all-author book signing during which speakers and panelists who were authors got to meet and sign books for so many wonderful attendees. The Gettysburg event was an extra special event for me because I was accompanied by my wife and biggest supporter, Kate, and my sister-in-law, Pat Doyle, who was kind enough to take numerous great photos. I also want to mention and give thanks to Shelley Fischer of Las Vegas, Nevada, who was instrumental in my being invited to the conference in the first place. Shelley, who has read several of my books, has been a long-time attendee of The Lincoln Forum Annual Symposium and (politely) lobbied organizers to invite me to speak. I’m shown with Shelley at the famous painting entitled The Peacekeepers, painted by George P.A. Healy in 1868, which depicts a famous meeting involving President Abraham Lincoln, Generals William Tecumseh Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant, and Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter, where they discussed the future of the South in late March 1865 at Grant’s headquarters in City Point, Virginia.
My deep thanks to Harold Holzer, Chairman and co-founder of The Lincoln Forum; Jonathan White, Vice Chairman; The Lincoln Forum faculty – and everyone associated with the symposium for this honor!
