We Already Realized This About Abe Lincoln

Out today is the latest survey of historians which ranks the nation's presidents in order from best to worst. The survey was commissioned by C-SPAN, which asked 65 top historians to participate. President Obama was not ranked for obvious reasons.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Abraham Lincoln took top honors. Yes, he has his detractors and historical revisionists, but those who correctly understand American history know that this survey got it right.

Rounding out the top five are George Washington, Franklin Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry S Truman. The bottom five were James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, William Henry Harrison, and Warren G. Harding. I think it's a bit unfair to even rate poor Harrison since he died just one month into his term.

Former president George W. Bush was rated in this poll at 36th out of 42. Although I tend to agree with this ranking, it's probably a bit unfair to rank recent presidents as well. The distance of time has a way of changing opinions of presidents, sometimes dramatically. For example, when Mr. Truman left office, he was highly disliked and ranked very poorly by presidential polls of the time. Now he's considered one of the best. Only time will tell if George W. Bush's ranking will improve. But we all know one rating will remain constant: Abe is the best.

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Stealing Lincoln's Body Debuts On History Channel

A new Lincoln television special debuts tonight (Feb. 16, 2009) on The History Channel at 9:00 p.m. Eastern/8:00 p.m. Central. Titled "Stealing Lincoln's Body," the two hour special documents the bizarre 1870's plot by counterfeiters to steal the body of Abraham Lincoln in order to free their compatriot in crime.

I posted previously (Jan. 5, 2008) about this strange episode in Lincoln history with details that I won't repeat here. Instead, I'll just share a link here to a two minute preview of tonight's special. In this preview, you'll see what looks to be a simple re-enactment by an actor portraying Lincoln. Not exactly. These are incredible digital recreations of Lincoln based on existing photos. For the first time, we have a reasonable recreation of what Lincoln might have looked like as he was walking or otherwise moving.

The company behind this technology is Studio Macbeth, which runs a blog about the new photos and "film" it creates featuring an extremely realistic Mr. Lincoln. Thanks to Maria of Studio Macbeth for bringing it to my attention.

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Abraham Lincoln In Cupcakes?

I've been posting so many "serious" items about Abraham Lincoln recently that I thought it would be refreshing for my readers (and for me) if I posted something sort of fun for this entry.

My friend Christy (from the Mystic Chords Of Memory blog) sent me a link today about a special event being held tomorrow (February 14, 2009) at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. "Presidential Cupcakes" is the name of the (very) temporary exhibit to be shown for only one day.

Artist and baker Zilly Rosens will create "A New Birth Of Freedom" entirely out of cupcakes, using only flour, fondant, and frosting. The work will feature portraits (again, made entirely of cupcakes) of President Obama to honor his recent inauguration and of Abraham Lincoln, to honor the 200th anniversary of his birth.

The installation and display may be watched here tomorrow (February 14) between 12:00 noon and 6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The photo I've included in this post was a screenshot my friend sent me earlier today. You can see that the images are going to look very realistic. Amazing that these are edible images!

After the exhibit is complete tomorrow, the museum is inviting guests to help disassemble the work by enjoying it as a tasty treat. Of all the tributes to Presidents Lincoln and Obama, this might be one of the most unusual, but also one of the most fun.

UPDATE: Below is a screenshot from February 14, 2009 of the finished artwork in cupcakes depicting Presidents Obama and Lincoln. Remarkable!

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Celebrating Abraham Lincoln At 200

We celebrate the life, memory, and legacy of Abraham Lincoln as the 200th anniversary of his birth has at last arrived on this day in history, February 12, 2009. Remembrance ceremonies will be held today in Washington, D.C.; at his birthplace in Hodgenville, Kentucky; his boyhood home memorial in Indiana; and of course at his beloved Springfield, Illinois. Countless other ceremonies from exhibits to speeches to musical performances will take place coast-to-coast across the nation he helped to preserve.

Mr. Lincoln continues to hold a lock on the imagination of our country for reasons that even the most expert of historians sometime struggle to understand or explain. Certainly his life story is compelling and well-known. Born to poor, illiterate parents, Lincoln as a youth suffered the loss of his mother and sister and was never close to his father. The amount of formal education he had in his entire life totaled less than one year. Business attempts as a young man resulted in failure. He married a woman who can be charitably described as difficult and suffered more tragedy by losing two children, including the one who was most like him and who was his personal favorite. He struggled with depression, sometimes so in the grips of it that his friends feared for his life. As if that wasn't enough, once he had final victory in his grasp, he was struck down by a madman intent on revenge.

Yet in spite of these obstacles and almost impossible odds, Abraham Lincoln achieved greatness. He had a burning ambition to succeed and to escape the life his parents endured. His perseverance is astounding. He read voraciously, often walking miles in order to borrow books which were rare on the frontier. He developed an extraordinary writing style which has been seldom matched even by the most accomplished of writers. He taught himself law and became a very successful attorney. And of course he continued to pursue politics, even though he served just one term in Congress prior to becoming president.

But the failures and successes, the tragedies and the triumphs, cannot completely explain why we continue to have a fascination with this man of the humblest of origins. In my opinion, there are two primary reasons.

First, Lincoln never wavered from his principles and beliefs in doing what he felt was right, even in the face of withering criticism from his enemies. Lincoln was under siege from abolitionists who wanted him to destroy slavery immediately; from Northerners who wanted him to simply let the Confederate states leave the union so the War could end; and from elected officials who criticized his leadership of the War. But Lincoln had the vision that this nation was the "last best hope on Earth" for democracy, for government of the people, and stuck to this belief.

More importantly, though, Lincoln also showed an extraordinary capacity for personal growth. While he was against slavery, for example, he was slow to accept the need for universal emancipation. He freely stated that if he could save the union without freeing a single slave, he would do so. And he believed at first that the government had no right to interfere with slavery where it already existed. Yet as the War continued, he at last came to understand that our nation, founded in liberty and freedom, could not truly be a successful experiment in representative government while millions were in bondage.

These two traits of Lincoln combined into making him our greatest president. While it's important to be dedicated to certain principles, it is crucial that one can admit mistakes and be able to understand when those principles might need to be altered.

Lincoln remains controversial for some, a hero for most, an enigma for nearly everyone. We continue to look for the man behind the myth. Some claim he was gay, others that he was a racist, still some who say he was an atheist. In the process, Lincoln has been somewhat taken down from his pedestal. Personally, I think that's a good thing. For in doing so, we learn more about this fascinating, yet highly complicated man.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln!

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Lincoln Celebration At The Kennedy Center

As my regular readers know by now, I was treated to a special "Lincoln Weekend" in Washington, D.C. a couple of weeks ago by my wife as a Christmas gift. I went to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, the U.S. Capitol, and The National Portrait Gallery in my quest for finding Mr. Lincoln. But those exhibits, as outstanding as they are, were not the highlight of the weekend.

The weekend closed for us this past Monday evening, February 2, 2009, with a truly special performance at The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts in Washington. "Our Lincoln" was the special performance that night, helping to kick off the national celebration of President Lincoln's 200th birthday.

"Our Lincoln" (click for the story behind the program) is the creation of the Kentucky Humanities Council, Inc., an organization which helps organize and promote the arts in that state. Featuring a cast of over 375 performers (95 percent of them Kentuckians), the concert performance tells the story of Abraham Lincoln through vocal and instrumental music, dance, actors, and even poetry. The music varied from folk to choral to opera, and I really had no idea what to expect.

Quite simply, the performance was brilliant. The combined choirs of the Lexington Singers and Children's Chorale (one of the largest community choruses in the country), the University of Kentucky Chorale plus the University of Kentucky Symphony opened with a medley of Civil War era folk songs, including an absolutely haunting rendition of "Shenandoah," one of my personal favorites. The chorales were superb.

Other musical interludes included a performance of Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait," which I had never heard. The narrator for the piece was Nick Clooney, a legendary newsman from Kentucky, who happens to have a famous son named George. The music was nuanced and moving.

The American Spiritual Ensemble, a group of roughly 20 African-American singers treated the audience to the classic "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel" plus two other songs which were sung with incredible power and volume control.

The audience was treated to selections from a new American Folk Opera, titled "River Of Time," which tells the story of slavery and young Abraham Lincoln's experiences with it in New Orleans. The full opera will debut later this fall. Lincoln's reaction to slavery as a young man are not truly known, so the opera will be taken some liberties, if you'll pardon the pun.

Probably the main highlight of the evening was the appearance of Mr. Mark O'Connor, who performed the beautiful "Ashokan Farewell," which of course was the theme song of Ken Burns' "Civil War" documentary. Mr. O'Connor was the artist who performed that song for the soundtrack.

Interspersed among the musical selections were actors portraying famous people from Lincoln's life, such as Billy Herndon, Mary Owens (Lincoln's first "fiancee" if legend is to be believed), and Emilie Todd Helm, Lincoln's sister-in-law.

The evening closed as it should have, with a majestic rendition of "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic," featuring the combined choirs and Spiritual Ensemble.

To the performers, the main narrator (Bob Edwards, formerly of National Public Radio), and the Kentucky Humanities Council, I offer my thanks and congratulations for a breathtaking and moving celebration of Abraham Lincoln. BRAVO!

Thus concluded my "Lincoln Weekend" in our nation's capital. I had a great time and was sorry it was over so quickly. I never tire of Washington, D.C. since I'm obviously a student of history. In fact, I plan on returning this spring as a new Lincoln exhibit is opening tomorrow at The Library Of Congress, and Ford's Theater is reopening. It's a special time for those of us who are such Lincoln enthusiasts. By the way, for other highlights of my trip, click here and here for reviews of the exhibits at the Smithsonian; and here for some fascinating Lincoln items at the U.S. Capitol.

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USA Today Cover Story On Revising Lincoln

USA Today has yet another story about Mr. Lincoln in today's edition. This time, the story is the main cover feature on the front page. It's a very thought-provoking piece and one which should be of great interest to Lincoln enthusiasts. especially those who are just beginning to learn more about him.

The point of the article is that 200 years after his birth, there is a more complex picture emerging of Lincoln than what was the case many decades ago. Recent years (and books) have seen claims made that Lincoln was gay or that he was racist or an atheist. Some upcoming books even claim he was henpecked and a crybaby in public.

The article quotes leading Lincoln scholars like Harold Holzer and Michael Burlingame along with many other authors and professors. The theme is that Lincoln was human like the rest of us, complete with failings and foibles, and not a demi-god like people so believed at the time of the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in 1922. For example, Lincoln may have shown racist beliefs early in his life, but he exhibited such an extraordinary capacity for growth that after his death, Frederick Douglass called him the "black man's president."

Take a look at this article. It's an excellent synopsis of today's complex views of a very complex man.

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Abraham Lincoln On PBS This Week

There are two special documentaries on PBS this week which should be of great interest to Abraham Lincoln enthusiasts. One is the story of the assassination, while the other strives to find the "real Lincoln," the man behind the myths.

Tonight (February 9, 2009) at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern), the PBS series American Experience tells the story of the assassination in feature film 90 minutes in length. It focuses not only on the assassination itself, but also on the tumultuous two months following the deed as approximately 7 million Americans showed an outpouring of grief which had never been seen in the country. These Americans either paid their respects at the funerals held in numerous cities across the eastern U.S. or by simply lining the tracks as his funeral train made its mournful journey to Springfield. The assassination was one of the greatest tragedies in our history and it helped to solidify myths about Lincoln, such as the belief that he was universally loved. The USA Today television critic says that some of the re-enactments are a bit "cheesy" but I think it should be a compelling film, at least based on the usual high quality programming on American Experience.

On Wednesday night (February 11, 2009) at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern), PBS will debut "Looking For Lincoln" (2 hours in length) hosted by the historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as he looks for the "real" Lincoln. Too often, we lose sight of the fact that the people who helped shape American (and world) history were flesh and blood like us, that they had failings in their lives, that they were human. History becomes boring for students and adults alike when it becomes a recitation of facts, dates, and numbers. We need to understand the real persons hidden behind myth. A companion book of the same title has already been published. It is a remarkable look at how Lincoln's son Robert, various friends of Lincoln, and others worked to shape the Lincoln myths. It is an excellent book which I cannot recommend highly enough. I'm very much looking forward to this film. By the way, be sure to check out the link I provided in the opening sentence of this paragraph. You can take a Lincoln quiz, or even watch the film itself.

If you are just learning about Abraham Lincoln, or would like to further your understanding of this complex man, these two PBS films should do the trick. Please check your local PBS schedule as sometimes the local stations do not show the scheduled presentations at the same time as the national feed.

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