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 28th Annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium

Saturday, March 22, 2025

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Free | General Admission Tickets Required
Accessible
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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.

2025 Symposium Speakers

Hilary Green
Unforgettable Sacrifice: How Black Communities Remembered the Civil War

Jon Grinspan
Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War

Manisha Sinha
The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic, 1860-1920

Harold Holzer
Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration

Michael Vorenberg
Lincoln’s Peace: The Struggle to End the Civil War

The 28th Annual Abraham Lincoln Institute Symposium Book Award

Allen Guelzo
Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment

Past ALI Book Award Winners

Watch Previous Year’s 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