One of the questions I had to answer while writing my novel was obvious to me yet also a central premise of the work: Why would Abraham Lincoln care about Elijah Lovejoy? Why would he care about what happened in Alton and feel compelled to go there? Lincoln and Lovejoy never met. When I beganContinue reading “Why Lincoln Could Not Ignore Alton”
Tag Archives: history
The Quality Lincoln Valued Most
As I finished watching a documentary on Abraham Lincoln and began one on Ulysses S. Grant, I found myself thinking about Lincoln’s judgement and the harsh criticism received in quarters for not replacing Grant. Today, Grant is remembered as one of the Union’s most successful generals. During the war, however, many people wanted him removed.Continue reading “The Quality Lincoln Valued Most”
The Speech That Helped Make Abrham Lincoln President
When we look back at Abrahma Lincon’s life, it is easy to assume that his rise to the prsidency was inevitable. It wasn’t. Lincoln experienced political defeats, business failures, and years of uncertainty before he became a national figure. For much of his career, he was known primarily as an Illinois lawyer and plitician. OneContinue reading “The Speech That Helped Make Abrham Lincoln President”
The Stories Abraham Lincoln Told About Himself
Lincoln is often remembered for great speeches, great debates, and great decisions. This week while visiting The Lincolns at Home exhibit at the Allen County Public Library and watching a new documentary about Lincoln’s early life, I was reminded about what a great storyteller he was. The documentary spent considerable time on the stories, jokesContinue reading “The Stories Abraham Lincoln Told About Himself”
Why Abraham Lincoln Feared the Breakdown of Civilization
As I follow Abraham Lincoln’s life and work on my novel, there is one idea that keeps appearing again and again in his early thinking: the fear that civilization itself could begin to unravel. Lincoln lived during a period of growing instability in the United States. Mob violence, political anger, and deepening sectional divisions wereContinue reading “Why Abraham Lincoln Feared the Breakdown of Civilization”
Why Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum Speech Still Matters
One of the moments that I refer to in my study of Abraham Lincoln is the Lyceum Address. At the time, Lincoln was still a new young lawyer and politician in Illinois. He was not yet the national figure history would later remember. But in this speech, it is possible to see the beginnings ofContinue reading “Why Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum Speech Still Matters”
How Family and Community Shaped Abraham Lincoln’s World
This week I spent time researching through a section of family history, tracing connections between the Pelton, Warren and Mayhew families. What stands out is not a single event but the pattern. These families are connected through marriage, shared Quaker roots, and a migration path from New England into Ohio, Indiana, and the broader Midwest.Continue reading “How Family and Community Shaped Abraham Lincoln’s World”
The 161st Anniversary of Lincoln’s Death and What Might Have Been
This week marked the 161st anniversary of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. There have been a number of posts about it on social media, which has made me think more about the event and the impact it had on our history. In writing about him, I often find myself considering not only what happened, butContinue reading “The 161st Anniversary of Lincoln’s Death and What Might Have Been”
The View From The Imaginarium 