HIST 256 Abraham Lincoln in History and Memory

This course explores the life, political career, and public memory of America's 16th President. By reading historians' accounts as well as the words of Lincoln and his contemporaries, we examine his multiple roles: as antebellum lawyer and politician; as wartime executive and commander in chief; as public orator and man of ideas. We also study how successive generations commemorated his presidency and made him such a potent symbol of the nation's past and promise. Students will do field trips to sites associated with Lincoln and will do individual research projects about how he has been remembered in American civic life and popular culture. This course counts as a foundational course in History or Political Theory within the Liberal Arts Curriculum.

Cross Listed Courses

HIST 151 & HIST 353A