Lincoln Assassination Exhibit At The Newseum

Currently on display at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. is an exhibit about Lincoln's assassination and the ensuing hunt for his assassin, John Wilkes Booth. "Manhunt: Chasing Lincoln's Killer" opened a few months ago and will be featured at the Newseum until February 28, 2010.

The exhibit is a joint product of the Newseum and James L. Swanson, the author of "Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase For Lincoln's Killer," a former best-seller. If you've not read the book, do yourself a favor and do so. The narrative is gripping and expertly captures the national drama surrounding the assassination and the desperate efforts to capture Booth and the conspirators.

Unlike previous exhibits about the assassination, this one presents how the media reported the tragedy and the search for Booth. Featured are reproduction and original newspapers, mourning posters and photos, and other artifacts depicting how the public was kept informed. Photos of Lincoln, Booth, his co-conspirators are shown to tell the story. Reproduction casts of Lincoln's face and hands are also on display in the exhibit.

The exhibit has proven to be a popular one at the Newseum, the only such museum dedicated to the history of modern news reporting. Ironically, it's located in Washington, D.C. at the site of the National Hotel, used by Booth for lodging in the days leading up to the assassination.

The link I listed in the opening paragraph contains more information about the exhibit, including video of Mr. Swanson explaining more about the events of April 1865. Also featured are interactive maps showing the various places which factored in the assassination.

There are of course numerous resources available for learning more about Lincoln's assassination. PBS ran a special back in February about it on American Experience. My review of the show may be found here. It was basically a film version of Swanson's book. The History Channel had a two-hour documentary about 18 months ago titled "The Hunt For John Wilkes Booth." You can read more about that documentary here. Finally, a more detailed story about this exhibit in Washington may be found here.

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"House Divided Speech" Anniversary

Today marks the 151st anniversary of one of Abraham Lincoln's most famous speeches. His "House Divided" speech was given on this date in 1858 upon his nomination as the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.

His speech in which he proclaimed that a "house divided against itself cannot stand" over the issue of slavery electrified his audience and thrust him onto the national stage. Although Lincoln eventually lost the election to the Senate to Stephen A. Douglas, the scene was set for his election to the presidency in 1860. The image above is of an original newspaper report of the speech.

For a more thorough recounting of the "House Divided" speech, please click here to read my posting about it from this past January.

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Liam Neeson At Work On Lincoln Film

Liam Neeson has at long last begun work on Stephen Spielberg's upcoming movie about Abraham Lincoln. Post-production efforts on another Spielberg film have finished, permitting work on the Lincoln film to resume. No date has been set for the release of the Lincoln film. Unfortunately, it will not be this year during the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth.

Neeson has the physical appearance to portray Lincoln. Like Lincoln, Neeson is 6'4" in height and has a slender build. In order to prepare for the role, Neeson prepared by reading 22 Lincoln books and even viewed various Lincoln documents while in Washington, D.C. It's obvious that Neeson is taking his role seriously, which is very encouraging.

Playing the role of Mary Todd Lincoln will be Sally Field, who vaguely resembles Mrs. Lincoln, at least in Mary's youth.

Both Field and Neeson are extraordinary actors and of course Spielberg is in a class of his own. Let's hope that the quality of the film, whenever it's released, reflects the brilliance of the people who will craft it.

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Abraham Lincoln Blog Now On Twitter

This bicentennial year of Mr. Lincoln's birth has been a busy one for celebrating all things Lincoln. Exhibits are continuing to open across the country almost weekly. Concerts and plays are being performed throughout the year. New coins have or will be issued. Discoveries of Lincoln documents or photos seemingly are announced monthly. Magazine articles about Lincoln have been printed in numerous publications. And of course, more Lincoln books are on the horizon all the time.

Like other Lincoln bloggers, it's been difficult for me to keep up. I always strive to report what I think are worthwhile Lincoln "events" but it's just not possible to report everything in a detailed blog post. That combined with a two-month illness in my family has really hindered my ability to post as frequently as I'd like as well as with the quality I demand of myself

I'm going to use Twitter in a couple of ways. First, I'll issue a "tweet" whenever I post a new article on the blog. That way, people can more rapidly find out that a new article is available for reading. Second, I'll use "tweets" for briefer announcements concerning Lincoln news or updates about the blog.

My Twitter user id for this blog is "Mr_Lincoln". Whether you're a longtime reader of this blog, or have found it only recently, please "follow" it on Twitter as together we learn more about Abraham Lincoln.

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Rare Lincoln Document Found in Hawaii

A very rare and priceless document signed by Abraham Lincoln has been found in the Hawaii State Archives. Scholars are thrilled with the find, but are puzzled how it ended up in Hawaii.

What makes this letter so unique is its association with The Emancipation Proclamation. Although Lincoln signed the Emancipation on January 1, 1863, he had issued a Preliminary Proclamation on September 22, 1862 which basically gave notice of his intended actions concerning slavery in the Confederacy if the states were still in rebellion on the first day of 1863.

This letter found in Hawaii was also issued on September 22, 1862 and is a directive to Lincoln's Secretary of State, William H. Seward, to affix the Seal Of The United States to the Preliminary Proclamation in order to make it official. The Preliminary Proclamation itself is in the New York State Library.

An expert from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum traveled to Hawaii to verify the letter's authenticity. While it will remain in the Hawaii archives, there is a possibly that it will be loaned to the museum in Springfield, Illinois. The image in this post is of the letter.

The mystery is just how did this document end up in Hawaii in the first place? Speculation thus far has settled on a collector named Bruce Cartwright, who is known to have come to Hawaii in 1935 and donated numerous documents to the archives. The truth may never be known.

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Interviewed About Abraham Lincoln

I thought I'd finally share with my readers an interview I gave to my local paper, The Canton (Ohio) Repository, about Abraham Lincoln. A few days before Lincoln's 200th birthday back in February, a reporter found this blog on the web. When she noticed that I'm from the local area, she contacted me to find out if I'd be interested in offering some insight about Lincoln, especially his trip through our community while he was en route to Washington, D.C. for his inauguration. I agreed and had a great time talking to her about Honest Abe.

The reporter, Ms. Charita Goshay, was delightful as she asked me about Lincoln and why Ohio was such a critical state for him in the elections of 1860 and 1864. Especially in those days, Ohio was a "king maker," with many nationally prominent political leaders hailing from the state. It still remains very difficult to win the presidency without winning the Ohio vote, and the adage that "As Ohio goes, so goes the nation" remains relevant today.

I was honored that she asked me for some of my insight, especially when I read the article and discovered that the other main interviewee was a local historian and professor who has authored many books about the presidents. I'm not a professional historian, as I clearly point out in my profile on the blog. In fact, many trained historians consider people like me to be "hacks" and not really worthy of recognition for the work we do in helping people learn more about history and the people who made it. So I was delighted that Ms. Goshay asked me for some input. It was the first (and so far only) time that I've been interviewed or asked to share my Lincoln knowledge with the public.

I debated a long time with myself whether or not I should even post about the interview. I try to avoid interjecting myself as much as possible into the blog posts (with the exception of reviews of books, exhibitions, and documentaries about Lincoln). After all, this is "The Abraham Lincoln Blog" and not the "Abraham Lincoln and Geoff Elliott Blog". Just this once, I hope it's OK to share with my readers a little publicity I've received as a result of my lifelong fascination with Abraham Lincoln. Thank you.

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New Lincoln Exhibition In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

An exhibition about Abraham Lincoln has opened this past weekend in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Senator John Heinz History Center. Titled "Lincoln: The Constitution And The Civil War and Lincoln Slept Here," the exhibition is a collaborative effort between the Heinz History Center and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA.

"Lincoln: The Constitution And The Civil War" has been shown previously in other U.S. cities, including at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is an outstanding exhibit. If you missed it in Cincinnati, now is your opportunity to visit it in Pittsburgh. The purpose of this exhibit is to examine Lincoln's actions during the Civil War as they pertained to the U.S. Constitution. It features rare Lincoln artifacts, including a top hat; original copies of The Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment (outlawing slavery); campaign ribbons; etc. My review of the exhibit may be found here .

The Heinz Center has added something new to the exhibit, though. "Lincoln Slept Here" is the new addition and features an original bed and bedroom set from the Monongahela House, the hotel where Lincoln stayed overnight in Pittsburgh (February 14, 1861) during his journey to Washington for his inauguration. The room he stayed in has been recreated in the museum and also contains the original washstand, dressing mirror, chairs, and even the chamber pot. Photos of other famous Lincoln-used beds are shown in this portion of the exhibit, including his birth bed; White House bed; and his death bed. "Lincoln Slept Here" explores Lincoln's visit to Pittsburgh, including his speech in which he tried to calm an anxious nation's fears.

The link I provided above to the Heinz History Center exhibition contains a video sneak preview. Check it out. The exhibition runs until 2010, so there is plenty of time yet to visit it. I plan on it myself, as I've never visited the History Center. It's associated with The Smithsonian Institution, so it must be excellent.

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