OAH Magazine of History
Volume 23, No 1
January 2009

Copyright ©
Organization of American Historians

From the Editor

The Lincoln Legacy

Carl Weinberg

Abraham Lincoln was a big part of my childhood. I was born in the Land of Lincoln, attended Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, played with Lincoln Logs, dreamed of driving a Lincoln Continental, and learned from my iconoclastic father that Lincoln was the only U.S. president who was not, in his words, "a jerk." Fast forward forty years. On December 9, 2008, one month before this issue went to press, police arrested Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who allegedly sought to profit personally from his appointment of Barack Obama's successor to the U.S. Senate. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said that Blagojevich's criminal activity "would make Lincoln roll over in his grave." While Lincoln Logs have lost ground to computer games and gas guzzling sedans are going out of style, Lincoln retains his hold on the American imagination.

To explore the many ways that Lincoln has made an impact on American politics, life and culture, and to provide resources for teachers looking to teach the Lincoln legacy, Harold Holzer, cochairman of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC), has assembled an excellent collection of essays and teaching strategies in this issue, the third and final installment of our Lincoln series, published jointly by the OAH and the ALBC. Holzer’s Foreword nicely captures the contest for "ownership" of the Lincoln legacy by a variety of American presidents and politicians who have strategically employed both real and fabricated Lincolniana.

Joseph Fornieri's exploration of Lincoln's political legacy focuses on four dimensions of the mythical Lincoln--Savior of the Union, Great Emancipator, Self-Made Man, and First American. Fornieri's essay helpfully highlights ways in which these myths have been both undermined and reinforced by historians, writers, activists and ordinary Americans. In looking at Lincoln as a military leader, historian William C. Davis examines a paradox: Lincoln was one of the least prepared presidents in terms of military experience and yet was a brilliant commander in chief. Davis offers insights on how Lincoln developed his leadership style, how he established a rapport with the ranks of Union soldiers with his personal approach, and the extent to which future presidents followed Lincoln's example. In his essay on African American perspectives on Lincoln, Barry Schwartz charts the evolution of opinion in the twentieth century. He not only examines the writings of black leaders and intellectuals, but also uses polling data to put elite views in broader context. While Lincoln was held in high esteem by African Americans for decades after the Civil War, the civil rights revolution of the 1950s and 1960s damaged Lincoln's reputation among African Americans. Lincoln's decline in popularity among blacks as well as whites underlies what Schwartz calls the "post-heroic" era. Gary Bunker writes about the Lincoln legacy from yet another angle--the graphic image of Lincoln in political cartoons. Even when Lincoln was humorously portrayed, he was influential, in this case, on the development of political cartooning as a serious art form. My short article takes the Lincoln cartooning story up to the present.

The teaching resources in this issue address the Lincoln legacy in three provocative but very different ways. Keith Erekson treats legacy in a literal sense--what Lincoln left behind in his pockets when he was assassinated at Ford's Theater. He cleverly combines this bit of Lincoln history with a creative "ice breaker" that teachers can use on the first day of class. Keith Eberly's well-designed teaching strategy uses three historical moments at the Lincoln Memorial to further explore the subject of Lincoln and racial politics. Christopher Stone invites teachers to use a 1939 Hollywood film on Lincoln to teach not only the Lincoln legacy, but also historical thinking and film analysis. Students can soon apply those skills when Steven Spielberg’s much anticipated film Lincoln hits theaters in 2010. My "History Today" column points teachers to some of the more controversial aspects of the Lincoln legacy.

Readers who wish to further explore the Lincoln legacy can consult the newest volume published by the OAH in collaboration with Palgrave Macmillan: The Best American History Essays on Lincoln (2009), edited by historian and Pulitzer-prize finalist Sean Wilentz. It is a superb collection of classic writing on Lincoln. The ALBC also has an excellent collection of Lincoln lesson plans at http://www.abrahamlincoln200.org/learning-about-lincoln/for-teachers/secondary/default.aspx. Last but not least, we look forward to seeing readers at the 2009 OAH Annual Meeting in Seattle, March 26-28. In addition to the special plenary session on the historic 2008 election, a wide variety of panels and activities await you. They include "The Lincoln Legacy: Bicentennial Reflections," as well as panels on our two upcoming issue themes--guest editor Susan O'Donovan on Antebellum Slavery, and a "state of the field" session on Disability History. We hope you can join us.

—Carl R. Weinberg