The “Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation” Exhibition
 Why did a nation founded on ideals of freedom and equality tolerate for so long one of the harshest labor systems the world has known? A new traveling exhibition opening at the Hardin County Public Library on June 16 looks for answers to this question by tracing Abraham Lincoln’s gradual transformation from an antislavery moderate into “The Great Emancipator” who freed all slaves with a revolutionary war-time proclamation in 1863. The exhibit will be available at the Main Library in Elizabethtown through July 25, 2008. The Hardin County Public Library is one of only 63 libraries in the United States chosen to host this traveling exhibit, which was organized by the Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif., and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York City, in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office. This traveling exhibition is made possible through major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, created by Congress and charged with planning the national celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday.
“Forever Free” draws upon original documents in the collections of the Huntington Library and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The exhibit was curated by John  Rhodehamel, Norris Foundation Curator of American historical manuscripts at the Huntington Library.
The Hardin County Public Library is offering free programs and other events for the public in connection with the exhibition. Be sure to mark your calendars – Opening Day for the Forever Free Exhibit is Monday, June 16th! We’ll celebrate with an opening reception beginning at 6:30 p.m. Professor of History Doug Cantrell will give the keynote address, with a reading from special guest Judge Harry Berry. The Lincoln Quilt, created by the Stitchers Quilt Guild, will be on display for the first time, and you can explore the Lincoln exhibit on the Kentucky Historical Society’s History Mobile. Check out what’s happening at the Hardin County Public Library this month – it’s Forever Free!
Calendar of Events
Lincoln Bicentennial Programs
June Celebrating the Forever Free exhibit!
Lincoln the Unloved. Exploring Lincoln’s deep unpopularity in Kentucky. Thursday evening, June 5, 7:00 p.m. Kentucky Humanities Council speaker Berry Craig
Through the Eyes of Lincoln: A Modern Photographic Journey. Ron Elliott, local author, will talk about his latest book, a stunning photograhic collection of Lincoln sites. June 10, 7:00 p.m.
Children’s Quilt Program. Thursday, June 12, 4:00 p.m. Create a quilt square from Lincoln-themed patterns.
Forever Free: Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation--Opening Reception Monday, June 16, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, June 16 visit the History Mobile’s Lincoln exhibit, see the Lincoln quilt, and more!
Fabric Footnotes: Kentucky Women and their Quilts. Fabulous slide presentation. Tuesday, June 17, 7:00 p.m. Kentucky Humanities Council speaker Sandra Staebell.
Evening Book Discussion—Team of Rivals. Thursday evening, June 26, 7:00 p.m. Lead by Professor James Dixon.
Lincoln Drama—Music, dancing, history, and more! Join us on Tuesday, June 24, 7:00 p.m.
July Exploring the war
Meet the author—Lester V. Horwitz discusses The Longest Raid of the Civil War: Little-Known and Untold stories of Morgan’s Raid Into Kentuck,y Indiana, and Ohio. Thursday, July 10, 7:00p.m.
Perryville: Battle for Kentucky. Thursday, July 17, 7:00 p.m. Kentucky Humanities Council Christopher L. Kolakowski, executive director, Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association.
Evening Book Discussion—Killer Angels Thursday evening, July 24, 6:30 p.m. Lead by Professor David Bowden.
“Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation” has been organized by the Huntington Library, San Marino, California, and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York City, in cooperation with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. This exhibition was made possible by major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, promoting excellence in the humanities, and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, created by Congress and charged with planning the national celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday.
Web Sites about Abraham Lincoln
Information for Parents, Teachers & Children
http://www.siec.k12.in.us/west/proj/lincoln/ - A web site about Abraham Lincoln that was created by a first grade class in Indiana.
http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/ - The website for the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project
http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/index.html - A time line of Abraham Lincoln by the History Place.
http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/alincoln.html - Abraham Lincoln information from the Internet Public Library
http://www.mrlincolnswhitehouse.org/index.html - A web site created by the Lincoln Institute.
Other Sites
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/al16.html - Biography from the White House web site.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/malhome.html - Abraham Lincoln’s papers from the Library of Congress
http://millercenter.virginia.edu/academic/americanpresident/lincoln - A website created by the University of Virginia’s Miller Center of Public Affairs.
http://www.alplm.org/home.html - The web address of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
http://www.abrahamlincoln.org/index.asp - A Lincoln web site created by the Lincoln Institute, which was created by the Lehrman Institute.
http://kylincoln.org/ - The Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial web site.
http://home.att.net/~rjnorton/Lincoln2.html - This site was created by a former American History teacher.
Lincoln Book Recommendations
Children’s Books
Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books by Kay Winters
Abraham Lincoln the Writer: A Treasury of His Greatest Speeches and Letters by Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln: To Preserve the Union by Russell Shorto
Commander in Chief: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War by Albert Marrin
The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln by Judy Alter
Abraham Lincoln and the End of Slavery by Russell Shorto
Abraham Lincoln by Ingri D’Aulaire
The Story of Abraham Lincoln: President for the People by Larry Weinberg
Abraham Lincoln: A Photo-Illustrated Biography by T. M. Usel
Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
Gettysburg: Tad Lincoln’s Story by F. N. MOnjo
The Value of Respect: The Story of Abraham Lincoln by Ann Donegan Johnson
The Story of the Gettysburg Address by Kenneth G. Richards
Lincoln’s Little Girl: A True Story by Fred Trump
Vinnie and Abraham by Dawn Fitzgerald
Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln by Judith St. George
Adult Books
One Man Great Enough: Abraham Lincoln’s Road to Civil War by John C. Waugh
The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words by Ronald C. White
Lincoln’s Men: How President Lincoln Became Father to an Army and a Nation by William C. Davis
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Lincoln At Rival: Two Glimpses of Abraham Lincoln’s Family Life by David Herbert Donald
The Case of Abraham Lincoln: A Story of Adultery, Murder and the Making of a Great President by J. M. Fenster
Abraham Lincoln and the Union by Oscar Handlin
Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America by Garry Wills
Lincoln’s Christianity by Michael Burkhimer
Did Lincoln Own Slaves?: And Other Frequently Asked Questions about Abraham Lincoln by Gerald J. Prokopowicz
The Trial: The Assassination of President Lincoln and the Trial of the Conspirators
Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes, and Confabulations Associated with our Greatest President by Edward Steers
The Age of Lincoln by Orville Vernon Burton
Lincoln the Lawyer by Brian R. Dirck
Lincoln’s Virtues: An Ethical Biography by William Lee Miller
Manhunt: The Twelve-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson |
