Abraham Lincoln & Woman Suffrage
by Charles BenfantiEden 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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From the Collection: Gettysburg
by Jessie Cortesi, Kayla GustafsonFrom the Collection: Gettysburg by Jessie Cortesi & Kayla Gustafason By the time the Battle of Gettysburg took place on July 1–3, 1863, the Civil War had been raging for two years. Stopping the Confederate advance into the North at Gettysburg was a critical development of the war. The items featured here from the […]
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The Uses & Abuses of Presentism
by Rob KaplanThe Uses & Abuses of Presentism By Rob Kaplan “The past is a foreign country: They do things differently there,” wrote L. P. Hartley in his novel The Go-Between. For good or ill, we cannot literally travel to that foreign country. But if we could, as thoughtful visitors we would presumably endeavor to learn […]
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Book Review: Getting Right With Lincoln: Correcting Misconceptions About Our Greatest President and Lincoln Illuminated and Remembered
by Jason EmersonBook Review Getting Right With Lincoln: Correcting Misconceptions About Our Greatest President by Edward Steers Jr. Lincoln Illuminated and Remembered by William C. Harris Review by Jason Emerson There’s always something new to learn about Abraham Lincoln despite the abundance of books and articles about him. He remains a popular and top-selling subject […]
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James G. Randall and the Revisionists: The Great War, the Good War, and the Civil War
by Robert L. DietleJames G. Randall and the Revisionists: The Great War, the Good War, and the Civil War By Robert L. Dietle September 10, 1945 Mr. Darryl F. Zanuck 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation Beverly Hills, California Dear Mr. Zanuck: On the off chance that it may […]
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Book Review: Delivered Under Fire: Absalom Markland and Freedom’s Mail
by Frank W. Garmon Jr.Book Review: Delivered Under Fire: Absalom Markland and Freedom’s Mail by Candice Shy Hooper Review by Frank W. Garmon Jr. Although Absalom H. Markland is an unknown figure in the twenty-first century, his life intersected with many of the leading characters of the Civil War era. As a special agent for the Post Office Department, […]
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Review Essay: Law and Order in Lincoln’s America
by Mark S. SchantzReview Essay: Law and Order in Lincoln’s America Mark S. Schantz Writing in The American Historical Review in October 1972, historian Philip Shaw Paludan reflected on the forces that propelled the United States into civil war. It was easy enough, he thought, to understand why the South seceded in the days after Abraham Lincoln’s […]
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Abraham Lincoln and “the Most Dangerous Man” in Baltimore
by Sean A. ScottAbraham Lincoln and “the Most Dangerous Man” in Baltimore Sean A. Scott Francis Lister Hawks was a distinguished clergyman and man of letters whose southern sympathies during the Civil War brought him to the attention of Abraham Lincoln. Born in 1798 in Newbern, North Carolina, Hawks graduated from the University of North Carolina in […]
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