Diana Schaub on Lincoln's Political Thought: The Lyceum Address and The Gettysburg Address

Interpreting two of Abraham Lincoln's great speeches. Click "Show more" to view all chapters. For more conversations, visit www.conversatio...
Chapter 1 (00:15 - 41:40): The Lyceum Address
Chapter 2 (41:40 - 1:23:07): The Gettysburg Address
The speeches of Abraham Lincoln are well known for their enduring importance in the history of the United States. But they also remain incredibly significant as texts-works of political rhetoric that have much to teach us about the nature of politics and the American regime. In this Conversation, Diana Schaub, a professor of political science at Loyola University Maryland and a preeminent scholar of American political thought, demonstrates the depth of Lincoln’s speeches through an interpretation of two of his greatest orations: “The Lyceum Address” (1838) and “The Gettysburg Address” (1863). Schaub considers “The Lyceum Address” as a profound reflection on the dangers of democracy and why “rational reverence” for the law will be indispensable for the perpetuation of America’s political institutions. In a magnificent interpretation of the “The Gettysburg Address,” she explains how, for Lincoln, the Civil War was a trial not only about the future of the United States, but about the very possibility of self-government. This is a must-see Conversation for anyone interested in American history, political philosophy, and statesmanship.