On Thursday, March 3, 2011, I recorded an essay for National Public Radio on the meaning of Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address which was delivered 150 years ago on March 4, 1861. Here is a link to the text of the essay: “150 Years Later, Lincoln’s Words Still Resonate.” It may also be on the radio version of NPR, but that is not certain, nor is the date certain. In a tour of the NPR studios in Washington I learned that Friday is the busiest news day — all the more busy right now with all that is happening in the Middle East.
My essay begins:
“At a moment of impending civil war in America, our most eloquent president spoke to the nation.
In this era of speech writers, I am asked often: Are Lincoln’s speeches Lincoln’s speeches? The answer is yes, with one notable exception — the First Inaugural Address.”
Click [here] to read the full piece on the NPR website.
