This month marks the 100th Anniversary of the Lincoln Memorial. To honor this momentous occasion, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society will host an in-person and live-streamed event to explore the legacy of, arguably, our nation’s greatest president. On May 24, our panel of experts will discuss the surprisingly hostile Congressional debate over the construction of the Lincoln Memorial. They will answer: Why was America’s most visited monument almost never built? Why did the Speaker of the House once proclaim, “So long as I live, I’ll never let a memorial to Abraham Lincoln be erected in that God d— swamp”? How did Lincoln’s son work to preserve his father’s memory? How has politics shaped our remembrance of Lincoln, the Civil War, and their lessons to us today? And what role did Congress serve in transforming the Memorial, and National Mall, into hallowed American ground?

All in-person attendees are guaranteed a free boxed lunch if they register 48 hours in advance or earlier. All in-person attendees will also be granted a free voucher for an outside Capitol tour hosted by the USCHS.

Our panel will feature:

Roger Aden, Ohio University Professor of Communication, Author & Scholar on U.S. Public Memory

Brian Keefe, President of Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home

Susan Mandel, Editor & Former Freelance Writer, Author of “The Lincoln Conspirator” (Washington Post Magazine)

Chandra Manning, Georgetown University Professor of History, Author and Scholar on Lincoln, Emancipation, & the Civil War

Shema Mbyirukira, J.D. University of Texas DC Archer Center Lecturer on the Politics of National Memory

We would like to thank our partners for this event: The Archer Center, Hildene: The Lincoln Family Home, and The Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia.