Harold Holzer Keynote
Harold Holzer gave a rousing and engaging speach this morning on President Lincoln. By contrasting and comparing Lincoln’s presidency and Barack Obama’s he clearly showed how ”lessons of the past enspirit the future.” This last statement is something we all strive for or should, to show how we as interpretors of the past are relevant for today’s citizens. Holzer entertained us with truly touching stories of Lincoln’s life and presidency as well as President Obama’s such as Lincoln’s strained relationship with his father and Barack Obama’s close relationship with his grandmother. Holzer also spoke of Lincoln’s “unfinished work” and Obama’s presidency as a tremendous step forward in helping fufill the strides made by Lincoln in equality for all Americans. This presentation was filmed by C- Span so if you did not hear it , I urge you to find it on C- Span.
Ken Turino
