Sunday Jan 17, 2016
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST
Sunday, January 17 from 2:00 until 3:00pm
Beckwith Room at Hildene
1005 Hildene Road
Manchester, VT
Admission is $5. Hildene members are free. For attendees wishing to extend their visit to Hildene on that day, the $5 fee for the talk can be applied to the general admission charge of $20.
On Sunday, January 17, 2:00 to 3:00 pm, Hildene President, Seth Bongartz, will deliver a talk on Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. Bongartz will delve into the meaning, context and present day relevance of the President’s greatest speech, noting that the choice of Martin Luther King weekend for the presentation is opportune.
While Lincoln’s famous inaugural address and Martin Luther King’s historic “I have a Dream Speech” are separated by 100 years, both mark important eras in our nation’s history, both are compelling, and each has had a dramatic impact on the social conscience of the nation. In his, Lincoln spoke the unpleasant truth that all Americans were complicit in the evil of slavery. He viewed the acceptance of this reality as a pre-requisite for reconstruction and national unity. King’s speech focused on the injustice of segregation and the unfinished work resultant of the nation’s failure to follow through on the promise of reconstruction. By so doing, both Americans selflessly faced the dangerous opposition to their positions and both paid the ultimate price.