Lincoln in Our Time

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2015-03-02
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Virginia Tech
Abstract

April 14, 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in the last days of the Civil War. As the first presidential assassination in United States history, Lincoln’s death sent shockwaves across the globe. American soldiers, politicians, and civilians mourned for Lincoln and breathlessly awaited news of the capture of his assassin, actor John Wilkes Booth. After his death, Lincoln became a powerful symbol that generations of Americans mobilized in their struggles for freedom and equality. Displaying objects and documents drawn from Newman Library’s Special Collections, this exhibition focuses on the reaction to Lincoln’s assassination as well as Lincoln’s enduring legacy in American life. Featured items include letters, diaries, and newspapers reporting on the assassination and its aftermath, relics such as fabric from Lincoln’s coffin, and a book by Virginia Tech’s first president and noted Lincoln despiser, Charles L.C. Minor. The exhibition also includes videos produced by students in History 2984, “Abraham Lincoln: The Man, the Myth, the Legend.” This exhibition is part of a series of events commemorating Abraham Lincoln in Spring 2015 sponsored by the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies. On February 14, the VCCWS will screen Young Mr. Lincoln at the Lyric Theatre. On April 10-11, five internationally-renowned historians of Lincoln and the Civil War will discuss Lincoln in a symposium entitled “Lincoln in Our Time.” For more information, please visit www.civilwar.vt.edu. 2015/03/02 - 2015/04/15

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Keywords
History, American History, Abraham Lincoln
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