Kinder Institute: “Lincoln, the Founding, and the Challenge of Self-Government”
The Kinder Institute at the University of Missouri, a JMC partner program, will be hosting a virtual colloquium with Lucas Morel on “Lincoln, the Founding, and the Challenge of Self-Government.” In a talk delivered on Lincoln’s Birthday (Feb. 12), Professor Morel, John K. Boardman, Jr. Professor of Politics and Head of the Politics Department at Washington and Lee University, will examine Lincoln’s political thought through the lens of how it was influenced by the principles of the U.S. Founding and the structures and political practices of the early American republic:
“Lincoln, the Founding, and the Challenge of Self-Government” argues that the most important influence on Lincoln’s political thought and practice is what he learned from the principles of the Founding—especially the Declaration of Independence—and the structures and political practices of the early American republic, especially the U.S. Constitution, federalism, and the rule of law. At moments of political crisis, statesmen typically hark back to the fundamentals of the regime. In Lincoln’s case, he thought the growing agitation over slavery’s future could best be addressed by reclaiming the principle of human equality found in the Declaration of Independence and working toward the ultimate extinction of slavery. He also thought the founding attitude toward slavery was not an acceptance of slavery but a toleration of it as a necessary evil. It was not created by the founders but was a pre-existing condition, which they anticipated would be eliminated over time through the operation of the free principles and institutions put into motion by the American Revolution.
Friday, February 12, 2021
A virtual event through Zoom • 4:30 PM EST
Free – parties interested in attending may contact Thomas Kane, KaneTC@missouri.edu for a Zoom link , which will be sent on the morning of the talk.
Lucas Morel is the John K. Boardman, Jr. Professor of Politics and Head of the Politics Department at Washington and Lee University. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Claremont Graduate University. His research interests include Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Ralph Ellison. Professor Morel is former president of the Abraham Lincoln Institute, a consultant on Library of Congress exhibits on Lincoln and the Civil War, and currently serves on the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which will plan activities to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. He is the author/editor of several books, most recently authoring Lincoln and the American Founding (2020). Additionally, Professor Morel teaches in the Master’s Program in American History and Government at Ashland University in Ohio, summer programs for the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy, and high school teacher workshops sponsored by the Gilder-Lehrman Institute, the John M. Ashbrook Center, the Jack Miller Center, and the Liberty Fund.
Learn more about Lucas Morel >>
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