Journalists and historians are commemorating the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Civil War. Here are some noteworthy examples.
John Swansburg of Slate blogs his Civil War roadtrip with some buddies.
The New York Times Opinionator section offers some reflections.
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“Lincoln said during the Civil War that he had always seen slavery as unjust. He said he couldn’t remember when he didn’t think that way — and there’s no reason to doubt the accuracy or sincerity of that statement,” explains historian Eric Foner. “The problem arises with the next question: What do you do with slavery, given that it’s unjust? Lincoln took a very long time to try to figure out exactly what steps ought to be taken.”
Foner traces the evolution of Lincoln’s thoughts on slavery in The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery. He explains how Lincoln’s changing thoughts about slavery — and the role of freed slaves — mirrored America’s own transformation.
Foner is always a splendid interview (38 minutes)
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Americans have lost their commitment to shared sacrifice. This author suggests that Americans should re-read the Gettysburg Address.
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Eric Foner, contributor and editor of Our Lincoln: New Perspectives on Lincoln and His World, lectures about the sixteenth presidents of the United States.
In 1876 the abolitionist Frederick Douglass observed, ‘No man can say anything that is new of Abraham Lincoln.’ Undeterred, the contributors to Our Lincoln: New Perspectives on Lincoln and His World believe it is possible even now, especially if the starting point is the interaction between the life and the times.
Several of these original essays focus on Lincoln’s leadership as president and commander in chief. James M. McPherson examines Lincoln’s deft navigation of the crosscurrents of politics and wartime strategy. Sean Wilentz assesses Lincoln’s evolving position in the context of party politics. On slavery and race, Eric Foner writes of Lincoln and the movement to colonize emancipated slaves outside the United States. James Oakes considers Lincoln’s views on race and citizenship. There are also essays on Lincoln’s literary style, religious beliefs, and family life. The Lincoln who emerges is a man of his time, yet able to transcend and transform it a reasonable measure of greatness.
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A panel moderated by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University Professor and Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Studies, discusses President Abraham Lincoln’s emancipation of the slaves, his ability to lead the Union during the Civil War, and his personal qualities.
Questions centered on Lincoln, ranging from his humility in leadership to his manipulation of others.
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President Abraham Lincoln’s close and sometimes tumultuous friendship with former slave and abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass is the subject of Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Author John Stauffer says the two men were alike in many ways though they strategically on how to end slavery.
Listen to John Staufer discuss Lincoln and Douglass with Terri Gross (12 minutes)
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Abraham Lincoln’s marble temple in Washington is as familiar as the back of a penny. But the figure enthroned inside will always be above and apart, a demigod — martyr, prophet, scourge and healer rolled into one. That he was killed on Good Friday with hosannas of triumph still echoing in his ears added a religious overtone to the grief of his countrymen and, from the hour of his death, guaranteed that Lincoln could never again fit into the frame of an ordinary man.
Enjoy Time magazine’s President’s Day tribute to Honest Abe
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Roger Ebert’s Review of Glory
from the NPS
A Letter from Shaw to His Wife
A Series of Lesson Plans from PBS
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Fordham’s Modern History Sourcebook: Civil War Primary Sources
Civil War Photographs from the Library of Congress
An extensive collection of Civil War Poetry
Accompanying website for Ken Burns’ Civil War
Georgia’s Declaration of Causes for Secession
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From Walter E. Williams Ideas on Liberty, January 1999
THE LEGACY OF THE CIVIL WAR: THE DISPARATE VIEWS OF ROBERT PENN WARREN AND ALLEN TATE
Text Notes: The Legacy of the Civil War
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