This month the Journal of American History published a special issue on Abraham Lincoln where I contributed an essay which claimed that the future of Lincoln studies lies mainly in digital work –both in new, ambitious research projects and also in innovative forms of web-based presentation.  Okay, so I realize this claim seems more than a little self-serving since I’m a Lincoln scholar who also happens to be focused on various digital projects, but I do sincerely believe that this is the future and will stand by the claim.  The JAH provided a roundtable forum for responses by leading scholars such as Edward Ayers, Catherine Clinton, Michael Holt, Mark Neely, and Douglas Wilson.  The exchange was lively (i.e. some of these guys actually disagreed with me) but it’s still just the beginning.  I hope some of you will not only read the article and the roundtable, but also will check out the accompanying website and then will offer your own comments –positive or negative.   The website features all kinds of cutting-edge research tools, including a hypergraph and timemap, both built by Rafael Alvarado (University of Virginia) as well as a  bibliography of hundreds of full-text recollections about Lincoln and a clickable word cloud of the Lincoln-Douglas debates.  There are also examples of new forms of digital presentation, including an interactive essay format that we developed here at House Divided (courtesy of Russell Toris, Class of 2011) of which I am particularly eager to hear feedback.  The point of all this work is to demonstrate that digital technology offers new ways to think about old topics.  At least that’s what I hope people will come to realize and support.  But I’m willing to listen to skeptics … so please register your opinion.

“True and Candid Compositions: The Lives and Writings of Antebellum Students at the University of North Carolina” is an interesting online exhibit from Documenting the American South at UNC-Chapel Hill.  The site breaks down this period (1795-1869) into six chapters and each one has essays on key topics and relevant primary sources.

One particularly interesting letter from 1856 shows what can happen to southerners who publicly supported the Republican party. UNC professor Benjamin Hedrick told Hinton Rowan Helper (The Impending Crisis of the South) that “all the means of the worst politicians were at once brought to bear against me,” including “efforts…to excite the students to mob me.” Eventually the UNC Board of Trustees forced him out of the university. As the “trustees [were] nearly all politicians,” Hedrick concluded “they were very willing to sacrifice me to the popular clamor.” (House Divided also has an editorial about this event.)  Check out DocSouth’s other digital collections here.

The Northern Illinois University offers digital access to a number of different publications. Nine magazines are available from the Illinois Periodicals Online, such as Illinois Heritage (1997-2007). Teachers may want to check out Illinois History Teacher (1994-2009). Each article provides suggestions on how to use it in your classroom. For example, take a look at “Yankees and Southerners Clash in Frontier Illinois” by James E. Davis and the accompanying curriculum materials.  In addition, some of the magazines are appropriate for younger readers (see Illinois History).

Teachers can also access the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1979-2006) through NIU’s Illinois Historical Digitization Project.

Digital collections of Civil War era newspapers are great resources and are available at a number of different sites. One that I want to highlight is UC Riverside’s California Digital Newspaper Collection, which includes the Daily Alta Californian (1849-1891) and the Sacramento Daily Union (1856-76). Each issue can be downloaded as a PDF file. Several lesson plans are also available on the site.

Teachers may also want to check out the USC Digital Library. This site offers several newspapers, including the Los Angeles El Clamor Publico (1855-1859) and the Los Angeles Star (1851-1864). Thousands of historic maps and images, such as California’s first State House, can also be downloaded.

PBS now offers on their website selected full-length episodes from programs like the American Experience. While these documentaries cover a wide variety of subjects, several episodes are on 19th century American history – Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Walt Whitman, and Kit Carson. “We Shall Remain,” a documentary on Native American history, is also available.

Also be sure to check out NOVA and FRONTLINE. While neither show has video on 19th century American history, they still offer a number of interesting programs, such as “Astropies.”

Lori Forgay of the Denton Record-Chronicle informed readers last week of a book concerning Texas Civil War monuments.  “In Sacred Memories: The Civil War Monument Movement in Texas,” author Kelly McMichael explains what Civil War monuments meant to the people who erected them in Texas.  After travelling to all 68 of the major Texas Civil War monuments, McMichael examines their history and what the monuments symbolize.  McMichael also examines the controversery that is involved with all monuments, for trying to tell one side of a multi-faceted story.  McMichael’s book is available through amazon.com.

While sifting through the House Divided images I found a unique image that looks southward down the Mississippi River. This zoomable picture allows the viewer to magnify sections of the image in the browser window without loosing clarity. Within one screen you get an idea of just how close locations such as Cairo, Illinois and Vicksburg, Mississippi were via the river. Definitely an interesting reminder to aid us in maintaining our geographical perspective.

USA Today reported yesterday that two new markers for the Civil War Trail were placed at Andrew Jackson’s homstead, The Hermitage, and a near by Confederate Soldier’s Home.  The Hermitage is linked to the Soldier’s Home because Jackson’s former homestead offered land for the use of the home, which operated until 1933.  These two markers are part of the larger Civil War Trail, which is dedicated to showing different state’s involvement and importance during the Civil War.  These markers are just two of dozens that are in the works for an extended Trail, which will cross not just Tennesse, but Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well.  This certainly is an exciting time for Civil War buffs who are looking forward to the sesquicentennial of the war.

The Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC), sponsored by the National Park Service, underwent an exacavation at Shiloh National Historic Park and in Corinth, Mississippi.  By using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and Systematic Metal Detecting, the team was able to uncover new ways to understand the battles that happened in Tennessee and Mississippi.  By using such technologies as GPR, these archaeologists could understand how the ground looked for the men fighting for it.  Although this excavation happened in 1999, it shows how new technologies can advance our understanding of old battles.  Ten years later, we can use our ever more advanced technologies, such as Geographic Information System (GIS), to strip away the past and look at it in a whole new light.

In 2008 historian Michael Burlingame published Abraham Lincoln: A Life, an exhaustive and well researched biography of our sixteenth president. The huge, two volume work (the entirety of which weighs around 9 pounds) went through serious editing before it was ready to publish. Wanting all of his extensive research to be used by scholars and students, Burlingame, along with Knox College’s Lincoln Studies Center, has made the author’s original, unedited manuscript available online. Currently only volume one is available with the second on its way. This excellent work, completely free, will surely be a useful tool for any who wish to study Lincoln and the Civil War era.