The Aspen Institute

Elections are often regarded as a reflection of the strength and qualities of a country’s democracy. The 2016 election revealed deep flaws in the U.S. voting process. As a result of overt foreign interference, election security has become a national security concern in the 2020 election cycle. In response to these concerns, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other federal government agencies are working to ensure the security of the critical infrastructure that underpins fair and open voting.

Abraham Lincoln is the nation’s greatest leader and one of its greatest writers and orators. This seminar focuses on Lincoln’s great speeches and public letters. They provide a road map not only for understanding how Lincoln evolved as a leader but for helping us to become better leaders. Lincoln defined leadership as the art of the possible. The methods that distinguished him as a leader are crucial for leaders today. And the critical issues of Lincoln’s time remain the critical issues of our time: the function and limits of government; meanings of freedom and equality; the limits of civil liberties; and the ways in which blacks and/or other minorities alter or transform society or an organization.