4/22 Corrections added

Biographer and historian Richard Norton Smith compared Abraham Lincoln to George W. Bush in his speech Wednesday.

Smith talked about Abraham Lincoln and his presidency at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Theatre of the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

“Lincoln is as relevant as the morning headline,” Smith said. “Debate raged around him going to war and him as president the same as it did with Bush.”

Smith said slavery made Lincoln miserable and it was in New Orleans, where Lincoln stumbled upon a slave trade, when he knew he needed to change political parties.

Smith said there were actually two civil wars. One was between the North and South and the second was inside of Lincoln’s head.

“Lincoln invented wartime presidency and excessive use,” Smith said. “He demonstrated a remarkable experience for growth and by the time he died, he outgrew the racist culture.”

Smith mentioned how Lincoln passed the 13th Amendment in the House of Representatives by only three votes.

In 1862, with the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln declared that all slaves in Confederate-run areas would be free by 1863. The 13th Amendment, which formally outlawed slavery in America, was signed into law in 1864.

“He redefined the course of American history with this,” Smith said.

Smith also said Lincoln was a contemporary figure whose legacy passes many 19th century presidents.

“He outgrew the ambitions that propelled him into politics,” Smith said.

Smith also mentioned how Lincoln accomplished so much with only one year of formal education. He said Lincoln was someone who never stopped growing and learning from his mistakes.

Smith said Lincoln had an eloquence that has never been equaled as president and that Lincoln is still important in history nearly a century and a half after his death.

“Lincoln had a political genius to master a situation,” Smith said.

Smith finished his speech with a quote from W.E.B. DuBois where DuBois said he did not like Lincoln because he was perfect, but because he was not perfect yet still triumphed.

Smith is the scholar-in-residence at George Mason University in Washington, D.C, which opened four years ago and he has written books about many past presidents.

Smith met former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar while they worked at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Michigan together.

“I’ve known him for several years and heard him speak,” Edgar said. “I love history and he makes it interesting and even non-history people enjoy him.”

Nicole Mangiaracina, junior public relations studies major, said Smith held her attention for longer than a normal lecture would.

Several committee members of the Edgar Speaker Series at Eastern, along with Edgar himself, brought Smith to campus.

Jill Nilsen, vice president of external relations and Speaker Series committee member, said she enjoyed how he told his stories as if he knew Lincoln in his speech.

Al Grosball, Speaker Series committee member, said no one had as much experience with presidential libraries as Smith.

“He has a perspective that few historians have,” he said.

Smith has also served as director on the Hoover, Eisenhower, Reagan and Ford presidential libraries.

Grosball said Smith has shown on C-SPAN that he has amazing ability to communicate with his audience and tell insightful stories.

Heather Holm can be reached at 581-7942 or haholm@eiu.edu.

Richard Norton Smith, a historian and biographer, speaks about Abraham Lincoln in the Theatre of the Doudna Fine Arts Center on Tuesday night. (Audrey Sawyer / The Daily Eastern News)

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