Talking about Lincoln
Washington and Lee University’s preeminent Abraham Lincoln scholar, Lucas Morel, the Class of 1960 Professor of Ethics and Politics, is in demand these days during the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
On Nov. 13, he appeared at the Supreme Court Historical Society (he’s a trustee there) to give a talk, “Justice and Justices in Lincoln’s Civil War Presidency,” at its Leon Silverman Lecture Series, which explored themes of the court, the origins of the war and its immediate and long-term impact. The event took place in the Supreme Court chamber, where oral arguments are presented to the justices. Associate Justice Elena Kagan introduced Lucas to the audience, and the event was covered by C-SPAN. You can read a summary of his talk here.
On Nov. 20, he will speak on Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address at John Handley High School, in Winchester, Virginia, which is hosting an exhibit on loan from the Gilder Lehrman Institute, “Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, A Man for All Times.” Lucas said, “The Gilder Lehrman Institute sponsors the prestigious Lincoln Book Prize each year, as well as supports many programs and workshops to encourage the study of American history. I have worked with this Institute for many years, and will be conducting a professional development workshop for high school teachers, in Wichita, Kansas, on Dec. 12, focusing on African Americans in the Civil War era.
Lucas is the past president of the Abraham Lincoln Institute and a board member of the Abraham Lincoln Association. During the 2008-09 academic year, he was the Garwood Visiting Research Fellow at the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. He also teaches in the summer master’s program in American history and government at Ashland University, in Ashland, Ohio, where he also serves on the board of advisors. He has written for the Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor and Richmond Times-Dispatch, and is writing a book entitled “Lincoln and the American Founding.”
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