The Mary and James Beaumont Endowed Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series is the Center for Lincoln Studies' flagship event. It brings our community together to learn about a single topic each year. One speaker deals with that topic in Lincoln's time, and the second speaker discusses how the topic is relevant in our contemporary moment. The lecture is generously supported by a gift from Mary and James Beaumont.
The 23rd annual Beaumont Endowed Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series focused on the topic of Abraham Lincoln and the Age of Disruption.
Lincoln Scholar Jason Emerson discussed how Abraham Lincoln's son Robert dealt with disruptions to Black Americans' civil rights in his role as Secretary of War and head of the Pullman Company.
Colleen Shogan, 11th Archivist of the United States, brought our topic to the present. She warned of the disruptive partisanship creeping into our nation's cultural institutions and made an impassioned plea for civics education to help safeguard our national memory.
Past Lectures:
- 2025 "Lincoln and the Age of Disruption"
- 2024 "Lincoln and Political Conflict"
- 2023 "Lincoln and Digital Humanities"
- 2022 "Lincoln and African Americans"
- 2021 “Lincoln and Anti-Racism”
- 2020 “Lincoln and the American Political Tradition”
- 2019 "Lincoln, Immigration, and Citizenship"
- 2018 "Lincoln vs Douglas"
- 2017 "Lincoln and Education"
- 2016 "Lincoln and Reconstruction"
- 2015 "Lincoln and Voting Rights"
- 2014 "Lincoln's Funeral"
- 2013 "Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address"
- 2012 "Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation"
- 2011 "Lincoln and the Civil War"
- 2010 "Lincoln and Race"
- 2009 "Lincoln and the Environment"
- 2008 "Lincoln and Presidential Campaign Politics"
- 2007 "Lincoln and the Law"
- 2006 "Lincoln and America's Faith"
- 2005 "Lincoln and Economic Opportunity"
- 2004 "Civil Liberties and Lincoln's Presidency"
- 2002 "Lincoln and Race"
2023 Beaumont Lectures 
2025 Beaumont Lectures 
2024 Beaumont Lectures