On Feb 26, eminent Lincoln historian Douglas L. Wilson presented a convocation address titled “The Language of Abraham Lincoln.” Wilson, who co-directs the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College, is a two-time winner of the Lincoln Prize for his works Honor’s Voice (1999), which examines Lincoln’s pre-presidential years, and Lincoln’s Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words (2007). His Thursday address focused on the development of Lincoln as writer and speech maker, highlighting what the New York Times referred to as his “peculiar” style. While contemporaries often overlooked, and even derided, the “untutored” president’s ability to turn phrase, Wilson demonstrated his simplicity and clarity of statement was one of his greatest assets. For a transcript of “The Language of Abraham Lincoln,” click here.
Lincoln scholar speaks
March 1, 2009
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