The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois is a must see for anyone interested in Lincoln. My family and I were not able to visit the library since it was closed that day, but the museum across the street and other Lincoln sites in Springfield were worth stopping for on our journey. The experience of learning more about Lincoln's life was something I will not forget.
We made sure to get the museum early to get there when it opened. Once we came in, we were directed firstly to a video about the Lincoln Presidential Library. I liked this video presentation but I enjoyed the next video we saw even more, called "Lincoln's Eyes." This video gave a good overview of Lincoln's life and the difficulties and tragedies he faced, with special emphasis on his experience as president in the four years of the Civil War. We then browsed the exhibits on Lincoln's life.
The first exhibit on Lincoln's life covers the time from Lincoln's birth up to the time he was elected president in 1860. There are exhibits and artifacts on Lincoln's boyhood years, his early business failures, his marriage and family, and his time as a lawyer. I really enjoyed the exhibits on the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the 1860 election. They gave a good feel of the looming crisis that was about to hit the country at that time.
My favorite part was hands down the exhibit on Lincoln's years in the White House. It is hard to imagine the difficulties he faced as the President of the U.S. during the Civil War, not only politically but also emotionally, as he lost a son during those years. The war took an incredible toll on Lincoln, as can be seen in his photographs, and I got a better understanding of why. I especially was struck by the exhibits on the Civil War and the War Gallery. The photographs and artifacts once again gave the war a human side and a deeper meaning for me.
One of the last things we did at the museum was look at the Treasures Gallery, featuring an amazing collection of Lincoln artifacts, like papers signed by Lincoln. On display that day was one of Lincoln's top hats where you could see his finger marks. After finishing up, we walked across the street to Union Square Park to get pictures with a couple of Lincoln statues. It was a special time being there during the year celebrating Lincoln's 200th birthday and also being able to visit with my family, especially my grandma. With plenty of time left in the day, we headed out to more Lincoln sites around Springfield.
Links to Learn More:
- The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
- More of my photos from the Lincoln Museum and Springfield
2 Comments:
Yes, I think that to understand the life of anyone involved in the Civil War you need to have a good feel for what the word "tragic" means, and to understand what happened to the nation you have to understand what it means for the word "tragic" to be multiplied thousands and tens of thousands of times.
Historical Travels,
I agree. It's difficult for me understand the tragedy of the Civil War, since I've never lived through a war on that scale. I'd dare to say that most people my age are like that too.
That could be one reason why I study the Civil War and other American wars a lot, to try to understand that.
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