Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln’s ‘rare eloquences’ on display in bicentennial exhibit The Library of Congress marks 200 years since the birth of Abraham Lincoln on Thursday by opening a special exhibit featuring his handwritten speeches and artifacts, including the Bible used last month by President Obama during his swearing-in. "This exhibit, in a little more than 200 items, presents Lincoln, the man and the politician," said John Sellers, curator of the exhibit that runs through May 9. "The thing that you will see most of is that he had a hatred of inequality," Sellers said during a preview for the media on Monday. Excerpt from Lincoln’s ‘rare ... Read Full Story

by Lou Engle, www.louengle.com Two days ago our nation’s first African American president, Barak Obama, was escorted onto a regal platform before the masses of America. He put his hand on the Bible (the actual Bible Abraham Lincoln used for his oath) and then briefly made his inaugural oath to protect the Constitution. Borrowing from the theme of President Obama’s inauguration, it seems that today we have a new Abraham Lincoln and are on the brink of witnessing, in all its glory, “A New Birth of Freedom” for America. It is amazing how we can honor the heroes of justice in our past and ... Read Full Story

A lithograph print of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln , which took place on April 14, 1865, when U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was shot while attending a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C . From left to right: U.S. Major Henry Rathbone , Rathbone's fiancée Clara Harris , First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln , Abraham Lincoln, and the assassin John Wilkes Booth . The assassination was one of the last major events of the American Civil War . Read Full Story

This week I received a review copy of James M. McPherson’s new work, Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief from the good folks at Penguin Press . Needless to say, I’m very much looking forward to diving in as Dr. McPherson’s books on Lincoln remain among my favorites. He opens the book with the following. “The insurgent leader…does not attempt to deceive us. He affords us no excuse to deceive ourselves. He can not voluntarily reaccept the Union; we can not voluntarily yield it. Between him and us the issue is distinct, simple, and inflexible. It is an issue which can ... Read Full Story

Yesterday, I was pleased to receive a review copy of James M. McPherson’s upcoming release, Abraham Lincoln: A Presidential Life from Oxford University Press . It is scheduled to be released on the date marking the 200th year since Lincoln’s birth. While I’ve yet to complete it, I was impressed by Dr. McPherson’s candor in the introduction about his own shift in opinion about Lincoln and his presidency. While initially critical of Lincoln, not unlike the abolitionists of the era of his presidency, McPherson’s years of study brought new appreciation for Lincoln’s skills as an adroit commander-in-chief tasked with challenges of incredible complexity. Hardcover: ... Read Full Story