Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life
Visit online any time or at the museum through January 2011

The life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln is brought to light for the first time ever with a re-examination of the unique and unparalleled collection of Lincoln artifacts and memorabilia held by the National Museum of American History. Each highlighted object is augmented with personal stories told by Lincoln and the people who knew him best. The exhibition showcases more than 60 historical treasures associated with Lincoln’s life from an iron wedge he used to split wood in the early 1830s in New Salem, Illinois, to his iconic top hat he wore the night he was shot at Ford’s Theatre. Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life tells a new and very intimate story of the nation’s 16th president.

Image Gallery:
Visit the Image Gallery to see a set of Lincoln-related objects from the National Museum of American History and quotes from Abraham Lincoln. The objects and quotes in the Gallery are available for easy downloading and printing.

A Letter to Abraham Lincoln

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, the National Museum of American History created a set of activities centered on a little-known episode in the life of the 16th president. In 1860, while Lincoln was campaigning for the presidency, he received a letter from 11-year-old Grace Bedell, who recommended that he grow a beard. Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers, written and illustrated by Karen Winnick, tells this story by focusing on Grace’s experience.

After reading Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers, children can engage in several related activities, including a computer-based project, a creative craft, and a field trip right from the book! The activities are intended for use with children from kindergarten to fourth grade in classrooms, during afterschool programs, and at home. Each downloadable activity includes a parent and teacher guide along with directions and historical background information.

America’s New Birth of Freedom: Documents from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Visit online any time or at the museum through April 2009

The National Museum of American History, is hosting an exhibition of 10 rare and important documents on loan from the Lincoln Library in Springfield, Illinois. These documents have become the cornerstone of current thinking on Lincoln and his legacy and will include a signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. Also on view are letters expressing Lincoln’s views on emancipation and the conclusion of the Civil War, including Lincoln’s letter to James C. Conkling in which he makes his forceful defense of the Emancipation Proclamation, and his letter to Francis Blair on his unwavering demands for peace.
The online exhibition includes background information on the Emancipation Proclamation, videos, and a high-resolution scan of the letter to James C. Conkling which allows you to zoom in to view Lincoln’s individual pen strokes.

The Gettysburg Address

Commemorating the 145th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s most famous speech, the Gettysburg Address, the National Museum of American History is showcasing the rarely exhibited Bliss version of the speech. Lincoln’s short address at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863 became one of the most famous and eloquent speeches in American history.
The Bliss version is one of five drafts of the speech, and the last to have been written in Lincoln’s hand. Penned in March 1864 for an anthology to raise funds for the Union, it was kept by one of the book’s publishers, Alexander Bliss, and was auctioned in 1949. Oscar Cintas, a former Cuban ambassador, purchased it and on his death in 1957, he asked that it be placed in the White House collection. With the generous support of Mrs. Laura Bush, the White House loaned this copy of the Gettysburg Address to the National Museum of American History for a limited public viewing in the museum’s Albert H. Small Documents Gallery and a permanent online exhibition.
The online exhibition includes background information on the speech and a high-resolution scan of the document which allows you to zoom in to view Lincoln’s individual pen strokes.

Harry Rubenstein and Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life

In this short video, Harry Rubenstein brings to life objects from the National Museum of American History’s collection of artifacts related to Abraham Lincoln. The voice-over descriptions and still-images in this video make it a great way to introduce students to Abraham Lincoln and object-based learning.

Harry Rubenstein is the Chair of the Division of Politics and Reform at the National Museum of American History. He curated the exhibition Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life and is a presenter during the virtual conference.

Produced by Beth Py-Lieberman, Ryan Reed, and Molly Roberts for Smithsonian.com.

Life of Lincoln: 1809-1865

In anticipation of the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, Smithsonian Magazine compiled an interactive timeline this videos and links to its articles about the life of our 16th president. The timeline is rich with images, audio, and background information on Abraham Lincoln. It would be a good way to introduce students to new details of Lincoln’s life or review what they have already learned.

Produced by Ryan Reed and Brian Wolly for Smithsonian.com.

Smithsonian’s History Explorer

Smithsonian’s History Explorer is your gateway to innovative, standards-based online resources for teaching and learning American history, designed and developed by the National Museum of American History as part of Verizon’s thinkfinity.org consortium. Explore the rich resources of the Museum and bring history to life with artifacts, primary sources, and online tools for the classroom, afterschool programs, and home.

Related Resource:

Virtual Handout: The following article is a virtual handout from the session by Shannon Thomas Perich entitled "Public and Private Photography During the Civil War".

"A Handy Kit for Do-It-Yourself Critics" by Ralph Hattersley, 1962.
(Posted with permission.)