The Abraham Lincoln Institute (ALI), founded in 1997, is an American

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

promoting scholarly research on the subject of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

.Abraham Lincoln Institute
Official homepage. Retrieved May 3, 2010. The institute uses dissertation prizes, book awards, and an annual Lincoln symposium to encourage and present scholarship on the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. These annual symposia, presented at the National Archives in College Park, MD and more recently at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC, are a venue for both emerging and highly renowned Lincoln scholars to present the findings of their current research. They are attended by the general public and have been frequently filmed by organizations such as the National Archives and C-SPAN.Video: C-SPAN'S Lincoln 200 Years Programming
C-SPAN, 2008–2009. Retrieved May 3, 2010.

Founding and organization

The Abraham Lincoln Institute was incorporated in the State of Maryland on 9 June 1997. Its formal membership consists solely of a board of directors, the majority of whom must be nationally recognized scholars on the subjects of Abraham Lincoln or the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. The board of directors meets at least twice a year for the purpose of planning educational programs and the symposium, election of officers, and discussion of other business, such as the annual dissertation and book awards. The board of directors is guided by an executive committee. The board of directors includes: * Terry Alford * John Barr * Michael F. Bishop * Michael Burlingame (Vice-President) * Joan E. Cashin * Joshua Claybourn * Jason Emerson * Clark Evans (General Secretary) * Stephen Goldman * William C. Harris * Thomas A. Horrocks * Charles M. Hubbard * David J. Kent * Donald R. Kennon * Michelle Krowl * Gordon Leidner (Treasurer) * Fred J. Martin, Jr. * Stacy Pratt McDermott * Edna Greene Medford * Lucas E. Morel * Michael P. Musick * Trevor K. Plante * Rodney A. Ross *

Scott Sandage Scott A. Sandage is a cultural historian at Carnegie Mellon University. He is best known as the author of ''Born Losers: A History of Failure in America'', which was selected as an "Editor's Choice" book by ''Atlantic Monthly'', and was awarded the ...

* David Seddelmeyer * John R. Sellers * Ron Soodalter (President) * Paul R. Tetreault * Derek Webb * Jonathan W. White (chairman of the board) * Robert S. Willard *

Douglas L. Wilson Douglas L. Wilson (born November 10, 1935) is the George A. Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of English at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where he taught from 1961 to 1994. He then was the founding director of the Robert H. S ...

Dissertation and book awards

The ALI Board of Directors presents two awards annually. The Hay-Nicolay Dissertation Prize is given in conjunction with the Abraham Lincoln Association for what these two organizations consider to be the previous year's most noteworthy dissertation on the subject of Abraham Lincoln. The Abraham Lincoln Institute book award is given for the previous year's most noteworthy book on the subject of Abraham Lincoln. Book award winners in the past include

Allen Guelzo Allen Carl Guelzo (born 1953) is an American historian who serves as Senior Research Scholar in the Council of the Humanities and Director of the Initiative on Politics and Statesmanship in the James Madison Program at Princeton University. He f ...

for ''Redeemer President'' (2000) and Cullom Davis on behalf of the landmark ''Lincoln Legal Papers'' (2001).

Annual symposium

Beginning in 1998, in the spring of each year, the institute has held a day-long symposium entitled ''The Latest in Lincoln Scholarship''. At this symposium, Lincoln scholars present the results of their current research on the subject of Abraham Lincoln. The annual dissertation and book awards are also announced at this event. The symposium is held in the Washington, D.C., area and the general public is invited to attend, free of charge. Past speakers at symposium have included Lincoln scholars

, Allen Guelzo, Michael Burlingame, Cullom Davis, and

Gabor Boritt Gabor S. Boritt (born 1940 in Budapest, Hungary) is an American historian. He was the Robert Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies and Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. Born and raised in Hungary, he participated as a t ...

. Speakers have also included Lincoln researchers such as

Doris Kearns Goodwin Doris Helen Kearns Goodwin (born January 4, 1943) is an American biographer, historian, former sports journalist, and political commentator. She has written biographies of several U.S. presidents, including ''Lyndon Johnson and the American Drea ...

and Lewis Lehrman.Abraham Lincoln Institute Fifth Annual Symposium
Library of Congress, 2002. Retrieved May 3, 2010.

References

External links

Abraham Lincoln Institute websiteList of award winners
{{Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Non-profit organizations based in Maryland Historians of Abraham Lincoln