3:00 p.m. Strolling Seniors: Lincoln-Douglas(s) Debates

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Our next Strolling Seniors trip will be to the National Archives for a free event: The President Lincoln-Douglas debates that begin at 6:00 PM. Join us for an unusual and lively performance featuring Abraham Lincoln (portrayed by George Buss) and political opponent Stephen A. Douglas (portrayed by Tim Connors) as they look back to their famous debates over slavery and equality in the 1858 U.S. Senate campaign in Illinois. We will eat early at the Parkside Deli and then travel to the Archives.  If you are riding on the van, meet at the church by 3:00 p.m. Contact Fr. Richard at the church office or email rmeadows@graceepiscopalchurch.org for more information or to RSVP.

From the National Archives website:

Join us for an unusual and lively performance featuring Abraham Lincoln (portrayed by George Buss) and political opponent Stephen A. Douglas (portrayed by Tim Connors) as they look back to their famous debates over slavery and equality in the 1858 U.S. Senate campaign in Illinois. Following the first debate, we will present the “Unknown Lincoln-Douglass,” an “imagining” of a debate between Lincoln (as portrayed by Buss) and Frederick Douglass (portrayed by Phil Darius Wallace). This is the Lincoln-Douglass debate that never happened—using words from their actual correspondence and commentary.  Historian Harold Holzer will moderate and bring Lincoln and Douglass face-to-face for an unprecedented confrontation.