Six people sit on a stage in front of microphones, next to a podium that says "Ford's Theatre."
Dr. Edna Greene Medford, Fred L. Hord, Diana Schaub, David J. Kent, Terry Alford and Jon Meacham speak in a panel discussion on March 25, 2023, during the 2023 Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium at Ford’s Theatre. Photo by Andrew Buchsbaum.

The 27th Annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium

Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The Abraham Lincoln Institute (ALI) and Ford’s Theatre Society present a free symposium focused on the life, career and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln, at Ford’s Theatre.

2024 Symposium Speakers

Callie Hawkins
“Reflections on Grief and Child Loss,” exhibit at President Lincoln’s Cottage, Washington, D.C. 

Steve Inskeep 
Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America  

Gordon Leidner
Abraham Lincoln and the Bible: A Complete Compendium

George Rable
Conflict of Command: George McClellan, Abraham Lincoln, and the Politics of War

Michael Zuckert
A Nation So Conceived: Abraham Lincoln and the Paradox of Democratic Sovereignty

Cost: Free

The 27th Annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium Book Award

  • Edward Achorn for The Lincoln Miracle: Inside the Republican Convention That Changed History 
  • Fred Lee Hord and Matthew D. Norman for Knowing Him By Heart: African Americans on Abraham Lincoln

The Abraham Lincoln Institute and Ford’s Theatre Society are proud to announce Jon Meacham as the recipient of the 26th Annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Book Award. This prestigious award was presented to Meacham by Michael Burlingame at our annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium this Saturday, March 25, in partnership with the Abraham Lincoln Institute.

This is the first time this Book Award has been presented in-person since 2019. Meacham was recognized for his captivating book, And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. said of the book: “In his captivating new book, Jon Meacham has given us the Lincoln for our time.”

Watch Last Years Speeches

26th Annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium – Terry Alford
26th Annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium – Fred L. Hord
26th Annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium – David J. Kent
26th Annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium – Jon Meacham
26th Annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium – Diana Schaub
Panel discussion of the 26th Annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium speakers at Ford’s Theatre