The Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum will open it’s “250th Anniversary of America” schedule with Harold Holzer, America’s foremost Lincoln scholar at the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln will be the center of a program detailing their political ideals fostered in The Declaration of Independence. The announcement was made by James Higgins, Ph.D., executive director of the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum.

“Few realize that Abraham Lincoln placed extreme importance on the Declaration, stating in 1861: I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence,” said Higgins.

Unknown to many Americans, Abraham Lincoln believed that the Declaration of Independence was the primary ingredient fostering America’s success.

At Gettysburg in 1863, Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address, not referring to the U.S. Constitution of 1787, instead he dated the formation of the United States to 1776 and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“This event is structured to celebrate the Semiquincentennial, the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, by bringing Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and the Declaration together as an integral force in American History,” said Higgins.

Harold Holzer is America’s foremost Lincoln scholar, he has authored, coauthored, and edited 56 books and contributed to more than 600 articles to magazines and journals.

Holzer served for nine years as cochairman of the United States Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

A frequent guest on television, Holzer has appeared on the History Channel, Public Television, The Today Show, C-Span, and dozens of other nationally televised programs. In 2008, Holzer was awarded the National Humanities Medal from the President George W. Bush.

The program will last approximately one hour, including questions and answers.

At the conclusion, Holzer will sign books for the audience.

The Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum is a teaching institution that attracts a diverse audience.

Its collections of historical Americana, located primarily at its headquarters, the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, 432 W. Walnut St., Allentown, include more than 35,000 three-dimensional objects, 3 million documents and more than 200,000 vintage photographs.

Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, contact Higgins at 610-435-1074.