The Gothic Times

Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Komal Zafar Dr. Jason Martinek of the History Department, left, and Dr. Bruce Chadwick of the English Department both presented speeches at the Lincoln Symposium.

In the honor of Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday and the anniversary of his death, the New Jersey City University held a symposium, "Lincoln: A Celebration of a Life," on Tuesday, April 15, 2009, in the Gilligan Student Union Building.

The foreword at the symposium was given by Ann McGovern, the former President of the Lincoln Association and Assistant Dean of the Arts and Science College. The introduction was followed by a reading of the Gettysburg Address by JoAnne Antoine, an NJCU student. The symposium also featured a discussion on Abraham Lincoln's personal and political life by Dr. Bruce Chadwick of the English Department, Dr. Jason Martinek of the History Department, and Dr. Francis Moran of the Political Science Department.

"The goal of the [symposium] is just to make people aware of why Abraham Lincoln was a prominent figure in the American history," said Chadwick. "Americans have a simplistic view of Lincoln-Old Abe and Father Abraham-so I wanted to get underneath on that…and I was pleasantly surprised."

In his subject, "The Rise of Abraham Lincoln: A Political Life," Chadwick explained what made Abraham Lincoln a skilled politician. Martinek covered the topic of "Abraham Lincoln: The Self-Made Man," which focused on how Abraham Lincoln represented a lot of the Americans in the mid-nineteenth century. The last focus of the afternoon was Moran's "Of, By and For the People: The Lincoln Legacy in American Political Thought," in which he talked about the everlasting Lincoln and how he affected the United States.

"It was very insightful and I learned more regarding [Lincoln's] political approaches," said Walter Clarke, 44, a full-time fire science major and a firefighter from Elizabeth. "I think Obama has big shoes to fill in regards to Abe Lincoln."

The afternoon was ended with a short speech by McGovern who said that it is very important that students know about Lincoln. She also mentioned that student should study Lincoln, the Civil War and the politician, so they can emulate his ideas.

"It was very informative and my perception of [Lincoln] has changed at the end of the day," said Shameel Bowman, 22, a journalism major from Paterson. "Both Lincoln and Obama stand up for what they believe in, and they stay firm."

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