WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, February 19th, Hillsdale in D.C. hosted its annual Washington & Lincoln Toast. This was the first alumni event hosted in Hillsdale’s newly renovated D.C. Campus. Students on WHIP and in the Graduate School of Government, alumni, faculty and staff gathered together to celebrate and commemorate the lives of Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Director of Educational Programs Shaun Rieley opened the Toast with remarks on Washington and Lincoln’s great statesmanship and why Americans ought to celebrate the two each year. Following him were toasts from WHIP student LillyAnne White, Graduate School of Government student and Chief Development Officer at the American Cornerstone Institute Jesse Brooks, and special speeches given by WMAL radio show host Larry O’Connor and nationally-recognized Vince Coglianese of The VINCE Show.
“Washington and Lincoln shaped the American character...Strength without swagger, authority without ego,” O’Connor said. “They anchored the country with moral clarity.”
Coglianese added, “Hillsdale’s mission helps ground us within the context of our age and our history.” Citing George Washington in a 1775 speech, he continued, “There is never a point at which all hope is lost. There is always an ‘appeal to heaven’...To Washington and Lincoln, who forged and preserved our country, and to all of us, who now have that job.”
Dean Matthew Spalding concluded the Toast by reciting Washington’s words:
The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans will be freemen or slaves...We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die. Our own country’s honor all call upon us on a vigorous and manly exertion...Let us animate and encourage each other and show the whole world is superior to any slavish mercenary on this earth.
See more photos from the Toast.
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