Historian Ronald C. White on the message of Abraham Lincoln's 2nd inaugural address

Abraham Lincoln in 1865
Abraham Lincoln in a photograph by Alex Gardner from the last formal portrait sitting, Feb. 5, 1865, in Washington, D.C.
Alex Gardner | Library of Congress

Historian Ronald C. White gives a Chautauqua Lecture about President Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address, which was given on March 4, 1865. It’s best known for the line, "with malice toward none, with charity for all."

Ronald White is author of "Lincoln's Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural," "A. Lincoln" and several other best-selling books about Lincoln and Grant.

He gave this lecture in 2012 at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York.

The program concludes with a short interview on the same subject conducted by MPR News’ Tom Crann with David Reynolds.

Use the audio player above to listen to the program.

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