I was invited to speak about Lincoln: The Fire of Genius by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which usually we all refer to as the DAR. I spoke at their first meeting of the fall in northern Virginia and actually was able to bring them some DAR history they didn’t already know.
Having grown up in a town that billed itself the “Birthplace of American Independence,” I was exposed to a lot of Revolutionary War and Colonial era history. True, I did still gravitate to Abraham Lincoln studies (and science) but when you’re smack in the middle of where much of the fight for independence occurred, it’s hard to avoid learning about it. My hometown is swarming with DAR members.
That bit of DAR history they didn’t know involved Lincoln. I’ve done a lot of road tripping to Lincoln-related sites and while in Chicago a few years ago I sought out a plaque commemorating the site of the Wigwam, the temporary building erected in 1860 to house the Republican National Convention that nominated Lincoln for president. [Spoiler: Lincoln went on to win the presidency]. It was the Chicago Chapter of the DAR that in 1909, on the 100th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, presented a large plaque on the site. The original plaque was once mounted on a nearby building, but if you go there today, you’ll find it on the corner of North Wacker Drive and West Lake Street, embedded on the side of a stone base.
There was another Lincoln connection as this particular DAR is the Henry Clay Chapter. Lincoln considered Henry Clay as his “beau ideal” of a statesman, both for his ability to talk to people from all sides of an issue (usually related to slavery) and seek a path forward, and also for his leadership of the Whig Party and its promotion of progressive policies like government-supported internal improvements (infrastructure). As Whig leader in the Illinois state legislature, Lincoln was the local version of Clay when it came to promoting Whig ideals.
Discussion of Clay and internal improvements was a great segue into Lincoln: The Fire of Genius. I was able to bring out that Lincoln knew much more science, math, and technology than most people are aware, including how he gained and implemented that knowledge. The crowd of thirty-plus DAR members, who the vice regent noted were “historians and scientists…curious to find out what new information on Lincoln anyone could possibly have to share.” Following the meeting I was told that “They were literally delighted to find out you had plenty.” The appreciation shown by feedback and the number of books the members purchased and had me sign certainly made my day.
You can watch the video of my talk here:
My next presentation is on October 15th, when I’ll present in tandem with my successor as president of the Lincoln Group of DC on the timely topic of presidential elections – the 1864 election to be precise. Check out the Lincolnian website for more details and to register. It’s free and on Zoom.
[Photo of David J. Kent courtesy of DAR; photo of Wigwam plaque by David J. Kent.]
Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America is available at booksellers nationwide.
Limited signed copies are available via this website. The book also listed on Goodreads, the database where I keep track of my reading. Click on the “Want to Read” button to put it on your reading list. Please leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon if you like the book.
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David J. Kent is Immediate Past President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America and Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America.
His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity andEdison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.
