May 2025 Meeting Summary

At our dinner meeting on May 21st, Dr. Jared Peatman gave a very interesting program based on his book: The Long Shadow of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Dr. Peatman revealed not only Lincoln’s intentions at Gettysburg but also how his words were received, invoked, and interpreted over time. Attendance at the dinner meeting was 54.

After reviewing the events leading up to November 19, 1863, Dr. Peatman discussed immediate responses to the ceremony in New York, Gettysburg itself, Confederate Richmond, and London, showing how parochial concerns and political affiliations shaped initial coverage of the day and led to the censoring of Lincoln’s words in some locales. He then traced how, over time, proponents of certain ideals invoked the particular parts of the address that suited their message, from reunification early in the twentieth century to American democracy and patriotism during the world wars and, finally, to Lincoln’s full intended message of equality during the Civil War centennial commemorations and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.