Understanding Lincoln –Project Gallery

Here are some of the very best projects submitted in recent years by participants who joined the “Understanding Lincoln,” online graduate course. This course, organized around our site “Lincoln’s Writings,” is jointly sponsored by the House Divided Project at Dickinson College and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Please feel free to share these special multi-media resources widely and to use or modify them for your own non-commercial, educational purposes.

Featured Projects (2016)

China Harvey, Race for the White House, 1864

This well-designed website offers a sophisticated gateway into one of the most pivotal presidential elections in American history. China Harvey tackles the complicated story of Lincoln’s 1864 wartime reelection campaign with a deft and eminently teachable approach.

Julie Haueisen, The Poetry of Lincoln

With tremendous creative flair, Julie Haueisen has created a web platform that could work equally well in both Social Studies and English classes. Haueisen explores Lincoln’s fascination with poetry, offering close readings of his own poetic attempts, and providing a litany of insights about the use of poetry to memorialize Lincoln’s legacy.

Lindsay Peterson, Lincoln and Emancipation

This website goes after one of the biggest Civil War questions of them all: when did the war for union become a war for freedom? Yet despite the sprawling possibilities (including never), Lindsay Peterson manages to keep students focused on the confluence of leading scholars and pivotal documents. Her approach is almost uniquely well-suited to the demands of the Common Core or AP US History curriculum.

Featured Projects (2014)

Jesse O’Neill (Lincoln’s Humor) http://lincolnwit.weebly.com/

“In a sleek, easy-to-follow format, O’Neill’s site captures Lincoln’s famous sense of humor without losing sight of the substance–and often the poignancy–of the jokes and stories Lincoln loved to tell.” (James Oakes, author of Freedom National)

Roxanne Thompson (War & Politics in 1864)

http://rjrthompson308.wix.com/understandinglincoln

“Roxanne Thompson has created a fascinating and accessible website that probes the symbiotic ties between military and political success during the Civil War and re-enforces in teachable form how close the president came to losing thanks to the Virginia quagmire.” (Harold Holzer, author of Lincoln and the Power of the Press)

“Thompson allows users to explore letters, military dispatches, and newspaper articles to delve deep into the relationship between Grant’s Overland Campaign and the election of 1864. Her site’s close readings and range of activities make this an especially useful (and easy to use) module.” (Anne Sarah Rubin, author of Through the Heart of Dixie)

Megan VanGorder (Lincoln’s Bloomington) http://www.lincolnsbloomington.com/

“Lincoln’s Bloomington” is both a surprise and a joy to use. Who knew that a digital cemetery tour of an Illinois town, other than Springfield, could yield such fascinating people and such understanding of Lincoln’s worlds in his home state? The mixture of technology, local history, actors engaged in reenactment, and real substantive political and social history is marvelous in its whole. ” (David W. Blight, author of Race and Reunion)

Featured Projects (2013)

Lois MacMillan: Understanding Global Lincoln

MacMillan, an educator from Grants Pass, Oregon created a website in WordPress that examined Lincoln’s “global” reach and included an engaging Prezi, related Google Map, a thoughtful documentary short film, and an inspired attempt at “re-mixing” Lincoln’s words using music.

Michael VanWambeke: Change or Stay the Course?

Van Wambeke, an educator from Fairfax, VA, used a website built in Wix to tackle the subject of Lincoln’s relationships with his leading generals. The highlight of the site are some well-produced and provocative videos that carefully guide students through an examination of primary sources. Other multi-media tools include a useful Prezi, and various image and document galleries.

Rhonda Webb: Sherman, Lincoln and Georgia

Webb, an educator from Roswell, GA created a wide-ranging WordPress website that explores the impact of Sherman’s March in 1864 and 1865. The site opens with some well-produced videos that explain the impact of Sherman’s Atlanta campaign on Lincoln’s reelection effort. A Google Map helps detail Sherman’s March to the Sea, and a website provides numerous primary sources organized in exceptionally clear fashion.