An Interview with Callie Hawkins
by Jonathan WhiteCallie Hawkins is the CEO and Executive Director of President Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, D.C., where she previously served as Director of Programming. She is responsible for innovative leadership of the national monument and for providing overall direction for all aspects of operations.
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LINCOLN AND HIS GENERALS: Leadership during the Greatest American Crisis
by Gary W. GallagherLINCOLN AND HIS GENERALS: Leadership during the Greatest American Crisis by Gary W. Gallagher Abraham Lincoln faced greater challenges than any other president in United States history. Managing an immensely complex war effort in a democratic republic posed special challenges. He understood that victory depended on maintaining morale among both Democrats, who composed about […]
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An Interview with Jon Grinspan
by Jonathan WhiteAn Interview with Jon Grinspan by Jonathan W. White Jon Grinspan is Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. His work explores the history of American democracy, with a focus on ways the formative, forgotten 1800s shaped our political present. His three books and many New York Times articles have […]
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From the Collection: CARTOONS OF THE CAPTURE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS
by Jane GastineauFrom the Collection: CARTOONS OF THE CAPTURE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS By Jane Gastineau Former Lincoln Librarian, Allen County Public Library On May 10, 1865, Confederate president Jefferson Davis and his wife Varina were captured by soldiers of the 4th Michigan Cavalry near Irwinville, Georgia. It was widely reported that Davis was wearing Varina’s coat or […]
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THE SON OF THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR: Robert Todd Lincoln and African Americans
by Jason EmersonTHE SON OF THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR: Robert Todd Lincoln and African Americans By Jason Emerson In recent years there has been a renewed output of scholarship analyzing Abraham Lincoln’s interactions with African Americans, but scholars have yet to adequately examine how this aspect of Lincoln’s life may have influenced Robert T. Lincoln, who was […]
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THE CONCISE LINCOLN LIBRARY of Southern Illinois University Press
by Sylvia Frank RodrigueTHE CONCISE LINCOLN LIBRARY of Southern Illinois University Press by Sylvia Frank Rodrigue At its meeting in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in November 2023, Jonathan White—editor of Lincoln Lore and vice chairman of The Lincoln Forum—announced that the annual Wendy Allen Award, which honors institutions or organizations that have “achieved widespread recognition for bringing learning, scholarship, and […]
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An Interview with Richard Carwardine
by Jonathan WhiteAn Interview with Richard Carwardine by Jonathan W. White Richard Carwardine is Emeritus Rhodes Professor of American History at Oxford University and former president of Corpus Christi College at Oxford University. His research focuses on the United States between 1776 and the Civil War, with a chief interest in the interplay of politics and […]
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Abraham Lincoln & Woman Suffrage
by Charles Benfanti, Eden McMillanAbraham Lincoln & Woman Suffrage by Charles Benfanti and Eden McMillan In a public letter announcing his candidacy for the Illinois state legislature in 1836, twenty-seven-year-old Abraham Lincoln declared his support for his constituents’ right to vote, saying, “I go for all sharing the privileges of the government, who assist in bearing its burthens. Consequently, […]
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From the Collection: Women at the White House
by Abbie Meek, Jessie CortesiFrom the Collection: Women at the White House by Jessie Cortesi and Abbie Meek President Abraham Lincoln hosted many notable women at the White House during his administration. From advocating on behalf of the U.S. Sanitary Commission to urging him to expedite emancipation measures, these women left their marks on history and the political […]
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LITTLE SISTER Emilie Todd Helm and the Lincolns
byLITTLE SISTER Emilie Todd Helm and the Lincolns by Angela Esco Elder She expected to hear “Fee, fi, fo, fum!” He was tall, a stranger, walking in her home, shaking hands with adults in the wide hall. As her eyes tracked his every move, ten-year-old Emilie (sometimes spelled “Emily”) Todd became convinced he was the […]
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Polly Rogers and Her Husband’s Lawyer
by Stacy LynnPolly Rogers and Her Husband’s Lawyer by Stacy Lynn “The allegation of adultery against the said defendant was muted in the complainant’s bill, for no other cause, than through tenderness to the said defendant’s character.” —Abraham Lincoln, affidavit for his divorce-case client Samuel Rogers, October 20, 1838 On October 4, 1835, in Sangamon […]
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Ann & Abe Forgeries
by Glenn W. LaFantasieAnn & Abe Forgeries by Glenn W. LaFantasie By the early twentieth century, the story of the romance between Ann and Abe rose in popularity. Newspapers published countless articles, fact and fiction, about the tragic story of young love, which served the swelling tide of public demand for details about Lincoln’s life and times. […]
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Ann Rutledge’s Resting Places
by Jonathan WhiteAnn Rutledge’s Resting Places by Jonathan W. White When she died in 1835, Ann Rutledge was buried in New Concord, Illinois, about six miles north of New Salem. In 1890, one newspaper reported that the “remains of the emancipator’s first love had lain neglected” for nearly fifty-five years until they were “discovered only after […]
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The Belle of New Salem
by Glenn W. LaFantasieThe Belle of New Salem by Glenn W. LaFantasie The story of a romance between Abraham Lincoln and Ann Rutledge, once believed to be only a legend but now more widely accepted as fact by historians, almost always focuses on Lincoln and his emotional attachment to the almost spectral young woman, whom he grew […]
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Lincoln Ballots from the Election of 1864
byLincoln Ballots from the Election of 1864 In the Civil War Era, political parties were responsible to design, print and distribute their own ballots. When Lincoln ran for reelection in 1864, Republicans utilized pro-Union words and symbols to appeal to voters. Patriotic slogans were common, including phrases like “For the Union,” “E Pluribus Unum,” […]
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