Abraham Lincoln: Articles and Resources

Abraham Lincoln has been discussed, debated, and written about perhaps more than any other figure from the 19th century. His personality was distinctly American, and his accomplishments may well have saved the United States. And Lincoln is one of those rare figures who becomes more interesting the more you learn about him. Below are links to...

Images of Abraham Lincoln's 1860 presidential campaign: photographs, lithographs, banners, and political cartoons.

Abraham Lincoln, in his earliest published speech, addressed the Young Men's Lyceum in Springfield, Illinois in 1838. In the Lyceum Address Lincoln warned of the menace of mob violence and spoke of the future of America.

One of the things that made Lincoln a skillful politician and great president was his ability to write and deliver great speeches. Read about Lincoln's greatest speeches, and learn what he accomplished with them.

A campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday finally succeeded when Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for a national day of Thanksgiving at the height of the Civil War, in 1863. Prior to that, Thanksgiving was a regional holiday, celebrated mostly in the northeast and on different days in different states.

Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday will be celebrated on February 12, 2009, and many events will take place before and after the big day.

Below are some of the most useful and popular resources related to the Lincoln Bicentennial.

The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln is often quoted and is widely regarded as a classic document in American history. The speech is brief, yet Lincoln put a lot of thought into it. As the Civil War had turned into a long and very costly struggle, Lincoln felt the need to express, in nearly mythic terms, why the war was being fought.

The text of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is one of the most quoted documents in American history. Lincoln had been invited to provide remarks in November 1863 at the dedication of the cemetery for those Union troops killed in the enormous battle at Gettysburg the previous summer. Lincoln's brief yet carefully written speech served to define his thoughts on the Civil War.

A review of a great resource on Lincoln for both novices and experts. Did Lincoln Own Slaves? tackles a large number of questions about Abraham Lincoln, debunking some myths as well as fortifying some facts.

When Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas met in a series of seven debates while running for a Senate seat from Illinois they fiercely debated the critical issue of the day, slavery. The debates elevated Lincoln's profile, helping to push him toward his run for president two years later, though Douglas would actually win the 1858 Senate...

Review of With Malice Toward None, a classic biography of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen B. Oates, which was published in the 1970s but is still considered one of the best comprehensive biographies of the nation's sixteenth president.

Images of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the events surrounding it were fascinating in 1865 and remain so to this day.

Abraham Lincoln rose from humble roots to be President of the United States at a time of great national crisis. His journey was perhaps the classic American success story, and the road he took to the White House was not always easy or predictable. This timeline illustrates some of the major events of Lincoln's life up to the 1850s, when his...

Books about Abraham Lincoln began appearing almost immediately following his death, and the late 1800s and early 1900s were something of a golden age of Lincoln literature. When the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission asked an expert to compile an "Es…

Abraham Lincoln traveled to New York City in late February 1860 to present an address before a group of Republican Party activists. He took the stage at Cooper Union, faced an audience of 1,500 curious spectators, and became an instant star. It has been said that Lincoln's Cooper Union address propelled him to the presidency.

The Library of Congress hosts an impressive and fascinating collection of Lincoln letters. The collection begins with Lincoln's law practice in Illinois and contains many items, many written in his own hand, from his years in the White House.

The Emancipation Proclamation was one of Lincoln's greatest achievements, and the Library of Congress hosts an excellent online exhibit about it. Of particular interest is Lincoln's handwritten first draft from the summer of 1862.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address has rightfully gone down in history as a masterpiece. This Library of Congress exhibit provides valuable background information on the famed speech, and features what may be the actual copy Lincoln took from his pocket and read on November 19, 1863.

The official National Park Service site for his home provides some valuable and often entertaining insights into Lincoln's character and life before the White House.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Illinois web site features some looks at the museum's holdings, such as the Treasures Gallery.

President Abraham Lincoln was a very good wrestler as a youth and his wrestling exploits were used during his presidential campaign in 1860 and became part of the Lincoln legend.

Seven facts everyone should know about the legendary Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858.

America's grief was portrayed in images of Abraham Lincoln's funeral.