These immortal words of President Lincoln are still true
today in our polarized environment. Ever since the Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Museum www.lincolnlibraryandmuseum.com
opened in 2004, we had been talking about taking a trip to Springfield,
Illinois to visit it.
When we received an offer from Travel Zoo (www.travelzoo.com), it seemed like the
right time to make the trip. Travel Zoo offered a package for $89 that included
a room in the Statehouse Inn Hotel, admission for two to the museum, breakfast,
a $10 off voucher for dinner at Arlington’s, a restaurant a three minute walk
away, and complementary drinks at the bar in the hotel.
Travel Zoo’s deal was definitely a good one. Even without
it, however, The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library is worth a
trip especially if you live in the Chicago area. From the north side of
Chicago, it’s a three and a half hour car trip. Also, Amtrak goes to
Springfield from Union Station in Chicago. The station in Springfield is a
short walk from the Statehouse Inn.
For those who have never been to Springfield there are
several interesting historic sites to see there including Lincoln’s home and
historic area, his old law offices, the old Capitol Building, and the original
train depot. In addition, the State of Illinois Museum is worth seeing.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum contains
some wonderfully interactive exhibits as well as exhibits illustrating many
periods of Lincoln’s life. The Museum and Library also houses many original
document and artifacts.
replica of Lincoln family in the lobby of the museum |
As we came in, we were directed to a short film “The Ghost
in the White House” that explained on a very accessible level how historians
combed through documents and various artifacts to get a better idea of
historical events. The use of holograms and some theatrics made this topic come
alive. Other exhibits traced the progression of slavery as an issue and
Lincoln’s own evolution throughout his career and during the Civil War leading
to his issuing The Emancipation Proclamation.
Another exhibit done by the journalist Tom Russert “The
Campaign of 1860” juxtaposes modern 21st century campaign techniques
on the Presidential campaign of 1860. This exhibit gives us all a lot to think about. If Lincoln
ran for President in 2016, would he stand any chance of winning? The Republican
Party probably wouldn’t consider him Conservative enough. TV and other media
might not consider him attractive and telegenic enough to be worth getting much
coverage. As a poor boy who was largely self-educated, he would have lacked the
elite alumni connections one obtains from attending a prestigious university. He wouldn’t have had
enough of his own money to finance a campaign and may have been too humble to
raise huge donations. Fortunately, the United States of America and the world
are blessed that Lincoln was President during the 1860’s. I hate to think how history would have unfolded without him in the White House during that pivotal time in our history.
I think there are a number of presidents that wouldn't have been elected today. Lincoln being one of them. Many people didn't even know what Lincoln looked like when he was elected. They actually had to READ to know what he stood for. Also, debates were entertainment, so people focused on the issues more than many do today. So yes, thank goodness he was elected before the time of TV.
ReplyDeleteSounds like it was a great trip. Thanks for sharing it.
Yes, sometimes I wonder if TV and all these electronics really bring progress to the human condition. Lincoln wouldn't have made it on TV or other modern media and a few others wouldn't have either probably.
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