Pkquinn's Blog

Visiting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum was an experience I will never forget.  It was my first visit to a presidential museum, and because it was Lincoln’s, it was particularly meaningful to me.

The material presented to us by the museum’s educational liaisons will definitely be used in my classroom, especially the activities focusing on analyzing primary documents.  I really appreciated the fact that the strategies Erin introduced could be used for any grade level.

 At the museum, two exhibits impressed me the most.   I loved the creative and modern take on the 1860 presidential campaign that was broadcast by the late Tim Russert.    Also, I appreciated the political cartoons located in the Whispering Gallery.  As a matter of fact, I purchased the book!  Here is one of my favorites:

 (The Political Cartoons of the Whispering Gallery, pg 20)

Final thoughts:

The main theme of the museum is that Lincoln was “self-made” .  I am struck by how essential it is that our students understand the challenges of his life and how Lincoln looked to no one other than himself to overcome them.  As teachers, we can use his life to discuss accountability, an attribute that  is lacking in our society.  The other theme is timeless also:  How do we test the boundaries and resolve moral conflict in a democratic system?  Certainly, there’s no shortage of current examples to pull from.