Abraham Lincoln’s moral purpose and his historical significance were examined in a lecture in St Margaret’s Church on Tuesday 7 July given by Professor Richard Carwardine, Rhodes Professor of American History at St. Catherine's College, Oxford as part of an evening of special events to mark the bicentenary of Lincoln’s birth.

Evensong was held at 5pm in the Abbey followed by a wreath-laying at the Abraham Lincoln memorial in Parliament Square by Richard LeBaron, Chargé d’Affaires, U.S Embassy.

Professor Carwardine’s lecture: Abraham Lincoln and the mission of America was followed by a panel discussion and debate, chaired by Lord Hurd of Westwell, former Northern Ireland Secretary, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary with panellists: Lord Bingham, former Lord Chief Justice and Senior Law Lord, and Lord David Owen, former Foreign Secretary.

Professor Carwardine is a leading authority on the history of the United States in the era of the early republic and Civil War.

Podcasts

• This lecture is available as a podcast. Click to visit the podcast page.