Eric Foner of Columbia University outlines the arguments Abraham Lincoln (and other Northerners) articulated in favor of free labor, as well as the arguments Southerners presented against free labor and in favor of a slave economy.
To listen to this clip, select "Abraham Lincoln and the Idea of Free Labor" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
James O. Horton of George Washington University discusses Abraham Lincoln's consideration of establishing African colonies as a solution to race tensions in the U.S. and African-American reactions to suggestions of the establishment of such colonies.
To listen to this clip, select "Abraham Lincoln and the African-American Colonization Movement" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
James O. Horton of George Washington University describes Abraham Lincoln's reaction to first viewing slavery in action on plantations, and discusses his changing views on slavery and what that ability to change says about him as a man and a president.
To view this clip, select to "Abraham Lincoln's Changing Attitude Towards Slavery" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
James O. Horton of George Washington University describes the Kansas-Nebraska Act and reactions to it, including the fear that the spread of slavery into the territories would take labor and land-owning opportunities away from free workers.
To view this clip, select "Abraham Lincoln and the Kansas-Nebraska Act" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
Julie Roy Jeffrey of Goucher College compares the lifestyle of Mary Todd Lincoln, accustomed to middle-class comfort and entertaining, to that of frontierswomen of the same time period.
To view this clip, select "Mary Todd Lincoln's Frontier Life" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
John Mack Faragher of Yale University describes the religious environment in central Illinois during Abraham Lincoln's lifetime, focusing on the importance of church involvement to communities.
To view this clip, select "Lincoln's Religious Beliefs" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
Michael Johnson of John Hopkins University discusses Lincoln's response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, including his personal animosity towards Stephen Douglas as a possible motivating factor.
To view this clip, select "Abraham Lincoln and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
Michael Johnson of John Hopkins University discusses Lincoln's views on race, focusing on his favoring of colonization as a solution to race tensions.
To view this clip, select "Lincoln's Ideas About Race" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
Michael Johnson of John Hopkins University considers how Abraham Lincoln should be viewed as a historical figure, as a president, and as a man making difficult decisions.
To view this clip, select "Abraham Lincoln as Historical Figure" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."
Teachers in eight southeastern New York districts have expressed interest in this project, and its topics were based on teacher-identified priorities. A typical year's activities will include a kickoff session, two after-school sessions, two 3-hour Saturday sessions, two full days of content learning, one or more online sessions and a full-day field trip to a local historic site. During the summer, teachers will attend a 5-day institute with content workshops, visits to historic locations and exploration of primary source documents and instructional strategies. Teachers will participate in one of three tiers: Tier 1 (50 teachers) will constitute the core group, committing to full participation and to mentoring other tiers; Tier 2 (50 teachers) will join in Years 2 and 3, attending many but not all activities; and Tier 3 (up to 100 teachers) will have access to Web tools training and to some other events. Rather than treating history as a set of facts, this project will address historical themes and questions that tell us who we are as Americans and how we got this way. Strategies such as document-based questioning and using primary source documents will support this approach. Teachers will focus on incorporating 21st-century technologies and skills into their practice; to this end, and to limit time away from the classroom, the project will employ both in-person and online activities. The online platform will support conferencing and social networking tools, providing the added benefit of helping teachers build a learning community. The Tier 1 teachers will produce unit plans that will be available on a regional Web site.