americans, and the pursuit of racial equality. noah feldman is the chair of society fellows and founding director of the jewelers illiterate program on jewish israeli law at harvard university. he s the author of nine books, including three lives of james madison, genius president, and the latest book which we will be discussing tonight. the broken constitution, lincoln, slavery in the re-founding of america. diana shaub is a professor you leila university. and a fellow at the university she is the author of several books, including what so proudly we hail the american soul and story speech and song. her new book is, his greatest speeches. how lincoln move the nation. welcome noah feldman and diana schaub. michael burlingame let us begin with you. tell our friends why you argue in your new book that lincoln was the black man s president. you have several speeches of frederick douglass that you begin with, including in 1865, the eulogy on lincoln. he said no class of people
speeches and what they revealed about his views on the constitution. the national constitution center in philadelphia is the host of this event. and now it is such a pleasure to introduce our extremely distinguished panel of americas leading lincoln scholars to discuss lincoln s speeches and the american idea. michael burlingham holds the chancellor naomi b lynn, distinguished chair and lincoln studies of the university of illinois springfield. he s the author of several books of lincoln, including lincoln observed, the inner world of abraham lincoln and the two volume american law around lincoln s life as well as his new book, which he will be discussing tonight, the black man s president, abraham lincoln, african americans, and the pursuit of racial equality. noah feldman is the felix frankfurter professor of law, chair of the society of fellows, and founding director of the julis-rabinowitz program on jewish and israeli law at harvard university. he s the author of nine
Lincoln quote. Because on todays topic as with most subjects, Abraham Lincoln expressed himself better than almost anyone. And as he said in 1849, the better part of ones life consists of his friendships. Well, we want to look today as what, if anything, he meant by that, how sincere he was or how well he understood his own commitment to and concept of friendship. And i have a group of very accomplished friends to explore that topic with me. Chuck strosier, who has spoken at the Lincoln Forum who brings his experience as a psychoanalyst, psychobiographer, a onetime resident of springfield. By which i mean he knows about springfield. And of course as an authority which is the subject of his latest book on the complex relationship between Abraham Lincoln and his only really close friend joshua speed. Well hear more about that in the panel. Ed edna green, who has written and lectured here on the subject of lincoln, emancipation, race, equality and africanamerican life and lives. We welcom
We will hear in this talk about how lincoln crafted and refined it. [applause] Sidney Blumenthal well, thank you very much for those kind and generous words. I have been delighted to spend a number of years in the 19th century, and im looking forward to spending more of them there. [laughter] [applause] Sidney Blumenthal i am deeply honored for this invitation to address the lincoln forum, and i thank chief williams, the chairman, and carol hauser, the vicechairman, who have both devoted themselves for decades to writing and education on abraham lincoln. And i particularly pleased to be here on the 21st lincoln forum. As frank noted, this year i published the first of a multivolume political biography of lincoln entitled the selfmade man. It describes a poor, stunted and oppressed boy who hammers together, on his own, the elements of the men who will be lincoln. The second volume, to be published next year, entitled wrestling with his angel places lincoln entering the political wildern
We will hear in this talk about how lincoln crafted and refined it. [applause] Sidney Blumenthal well, thank you very much for those kind and generous words. I have been delighted to spend a number of years in the 19th century, and im looking forward to spending more of them there. [laughter] [applause] Sidney Blumenthal i am deeply honored for this invitation to address the lincoln forum, and i thank chief williams, the chairman, and carol hauser, the vicechairman, who have both devoted themselves for decades to writing and education on abraham lincoln. And i particularly pleased to be here on the 21st lincoln forum. As frank noted, this year i published the first of a multivolume political biography of lincoln entitled the selfmade man. It describes a poor, stunted and oppressed boy who hammers together, on his own, the elements of the men who will be lincoln. The second volume, to be published next year, entitled wrestling with his angel places lincoln entering the political wildern