Abraham Lincoln
Wednesdays, Jan. 6-27, 2011; 3pm-5pm
Blue Hill Public Library, Howard Room
Facilitators: John Roberts, M.D. & Lowell (Tim) Thomas
Abraham Lincoln is universally acknowledged as one of, if not the, greatest president of the United States. He was, at one time or another, farm worker for hire, river boatman at risk, storekeeper and self-taught lawyer, orator and politician, president and military commander, racist and emancipator, leader of men and lover of children. As astounding number of books and articles have reconstructed and deconstructed his life and labors. The purpose of this colloquy is to sort out Lincoln the legend and Lincoln the man based on a seemingly endless supply of new information.
John Roberts, M.D., is Emeritus Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Boston University, and the past President of the Blue Hill Historical Society.
Lowell (Tim) Thomas is a retired Philadelphia lawyer who was an English major in college but now enjoys reading and discussing American history.
Suggested Reading:
As primary text, the facilitators suggest either of the following:
Donald, D.: Lincoln, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 1995
White, R.:A. Lincoln. A Biography,Random House, 2009
NB: If anyone has the time and interest, the very best current source is probably Burlingame's two-volume tour de force referenced below.
The suggested reading assignments are bracketed by several major turning points in Abraham Lincoln's life: the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and his response with the Peoria Speech, Election to the Presidency of the United States in late 1860 on the eve of the Civil War, and the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863.
Session 1: 1809 (Birth) to 1854 (Kansas-Nebraska Act)
Donald: pp 1-161; White: pp1-185
Session 2: 1854 (Peoria Speech) to 1860 (Election to Presidency)
Donald: pp 162-256; White: pp 187-379
Session 3: 1860 (First Inaugural Speech) to 1863 (Emancipation Proclamation)
Donald: pp 257-406; White: pp 381-529
Session 4: 1863 (Emancipation) to 1865 (Assassination)
Donald: pp 407-599; White: pp 531-676
Abraham Lincoln.pdf Size: 11.82 Kb
There is a rich collection of reading material, DVDs and Internet resources available on this subject. Your facilitators have compiled a long list. We are providing this list as a PDF. Please click on the blue link above (you need Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded here)