Gerald Prokopowicz of the Lincoln Museum discusses the importance of religious beliefs in presidential campaigns in Abraham Lincoln's day, and considers what is known of Lincoln's changing religious views.

To listen to this clip, select "Abraham Lincoln's Religious Beliefs and Public Life" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."

Gerald Prokopowicz of the Lincoln Museum considers reasons Abraham Lincoln may have left rural frontier life for law and politics, including the influence of his female family members and a possible near-religious sense of being called to do great deeds.

To listen to this lecture, select "Lincoln's Ambitions and Attitudes Toward Frontier Life" under "Abraham Lincoln's Biography Video."

Eric Foner of Columbia University discusses the religious base of many abolitionists' beliefs; and contrasts it to Lincoln's antislavery position, based on concepts from the Declaration of Independence and the idea of free labor.

To listen to this clip, scroll to "Abraham Lincoln and the Roots of the Abolitionist Movement" 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."

Historian Gail Sylvia Lowe discusses the importance of artifacts in preserving and interpreting history. She uses a church fan as a theoretical example, looking at what could be gleaned from examining such an object.

To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Gail Sylvia Lowe." Choose one of the Windows Media options.

Historian Mark P. Leone looks at the hoodoo artifacts found at the Annapolis home of Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and to the coming-together of the lives of the Founding Fathers and their African and African American slaves that the artifacts represent. Leone discusses the significance of the artifacts, as the first discovery of a hoodoo cache in the area, and the later discovery of caches elsewhere dating up to the 1920s.

To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Mark P. Leone." Choose one of the two Windows Media options.

Historian Mark P. Leone looks at the hoodoo artifacts found at the Annapolis home of Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and to the coming-together of the lives of the Founding Fathers and their African and African American slaves that the artifacts represent. Leone discusses the system of hoodoo and the use of the artifacts in hoodoo to direct the spirits of the dead.

To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Mark P. Leone." Choose one of the two Windows Media options.

Historian Mark P. Leone looks at the hoodoo artifacts found at the Annapolis home of Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and to the coming-together of the lives of the Founding Fathers and their African and African American slaves that the artifacts represent. Leone discusses the system of hoodoo and the uses of the artifacts in hoodoo.

To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Mark P. Leone." Choose one of the two Windows Media options.

Historian Mark P. Leone looks at the Annapolis home of Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and to the coming-together of the lives of the Founding Fathers and their African and African American slaves that the house represents. Leone focuses on the hoodoo artifacts uncovered at thresholds in the building.

To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Mark P. Leone." Choose one of the two Windows Media options.

Historian Mark P. Leone looks at the slave quarters of the Annapolis home of Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and to the coming-together of the lives of the Founding Fathers and their African and African American slaves that the house represents. Leone focuses on the hoodoo artifacts uncovered in the slave quarters.

To view this video, select "Scholars," followed by "Mark P. Leone." Choose one of the two Windows Media options.