Abraham Lincoln

Jon Carson does a wonderful job of responding to the recent flurry of White House Petitions requesting that individual states be given the right to secede from the Union. Thank you for using the White House’s online petitions platform to participate in your government. That sentence alone defuses any credibility that these silly petitions might [...]

Unfortunately, this may be the closest we get to any formal acknowledgement of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation by the federal government.  I love the broadside/poster theme and the use of one of the oldest letterpress print shops in the country to create the image.  In addition to the stamp, you can also [...]

Abraham Lincoln: War Veteran Projection, 2012

by Kevin Levin on January 2, 2013 · 0 comments · Follow me on

in Civil War Sesquicentennial

From the video description: For thirty two days, voices of veterans of the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars animated a bronze commemorative statue of Abraham Lincoln that has stood silently in Union Square Park since 1870. The memories and feelings of ordinary Americans spoke through Lincoln as part of an outdoor public art installation by [...]

For a nation that prides itself as the leader of the free world, I’ve always found it curious as to why this day is not set aside as a national holiday.  On this day 150 years ago President Abraham Lincoln did what he promised he would do 100 days earlier by issuing his final Emancipation [...]

Spielberg’s Lincoln and the Sesquicentennial

by Kevin Levin on December 17, 2012 · 2 comments · Follow me on

in Civil War Culture

Over the weekend I took some time to answer a few questions about Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln as part of a forum for the journal Civil War History.  The roundtable discussion that will come out of it will be published in the September 2013 issue.  One of the questions focused on the movie’s connection to the [...]

What Did You Read This Year?

by Kevin Levin on December 14, 2012 · 30 comments · Follow me on

in Civil War Historians

As I did last year I thought I might give you a chance to share what you enjoyed reading in the area of Civil War history over the past year.  It doesn’t have to have been published this past year and feel free to share something outside the field entirely if you feel moved to [...]

Spielberg and Lincoln Redux

by Kevin Levin on December 12, 2012 · 19 comments · Follow me on

in Civil War Culture, Civil War Sesquicentennial

I may go and see Spielberg’s Lincoln again later this afternoon.  Anyone want to join me?  I’ve done my best to stay on top of what the Lincoln and Civil War communities have had to say.  Here is a rundown: Jon Wiener/The Nation Louis Masur/The Chronicle Harold Holzer/The Daily Beast & The Chronicle Nina Silber/The [...]

Kate Masur Tries Again

by Kevin Levin on December 3, 2012 · 16 comments · Follow me on

in Civil War Historians, Civil War Sesquicentennial, Slavery

Historian Kate Masur has published another op-ed piece on Spielberg’s Lincoln in which she responds to unnamed critics of her earlier review of the movie at the New York Times. It’s difficult to see what, if anything, is new in this follow-up piece, but in reading it I think I have a better sense of [...]

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