Knox College’s Lincoln Studies Center has created a podcast series featuring Lincoln scholars and co-directors of the center Rodney Davis and Douglas Wilson. The podcasts give a brief overview of each debate and then commentary and analysis. The podcasts are each no longer than ten minutes in length. Good content for middle school and high school study of the Debates.

Douglas Wilson’s Lincoln’s Sword won 2007’s Lincoln Prize. The book explores the power of Lincoln’s writing and his development as a writer by exploring notes, drafts, and speeches written by the president. The House Divided Project provided copies of this book to teachers attending its June 13th teacher’s workshop at Dickinson College.

Before the Supreme Court announces a decision in important cases, newspapers often try to predict the verdict. This also occurred in the 19th Century and some history students might be interested to see what editors said before the Dred Scott decision was announced after President James Buchanan’s inauguration in March 1857. Two months earlier the Washington Union explained that the Supreme Court had already reached “a decision” that held “the law of 1820 to be unconstitutional.” In addition, the article also accurately noted that northern Justice Robert Grier would approve such a verdict. Some students might be interested to see how the Washington Union’s prediction compared to the Supreme Court’s actual decision.

I found an interactive map of the Lincoln-Douglas Campaign of 1858.

The Underground Classroom’s Virtual Field Trips also offers an interactive map of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates using Google Earth. Visual maps are a useful tool to demonstrate and analyze the significance of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. The maps are a perfect tool for your students to use during the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

One interesting aspect of John Brown’s attack on Harpers Ferry in October 1859 was the lack of a uniform response in the South. Even though Brown hoped to destroy slavery with his raid in western Virginia, southerners had a variety of responses. Many southern newspapers published articles in late October 1859 that held Republicans responsible for the violent event. These editors also portrayed the Republican party doctrine as responsible for pushing radicals like Brown and his men to attack the South. The attack and allegations of Republican support only reinforced southerners’ perspective that members of that sectional party were dangerous abolitionists who were committed to the destruction of slavery.

Yet while some southern editors predicted an increase in sectional tensions, others saw hope for the United States’ future. On November 3, 1859, the Fayetteville Observer published an excerpt from a Republican editor who expressed outrage over Brown’s actions and argued that his party “[would] return to a more national and conservative policy.” Other southern papers glossed over the factions that existed within the Republican party, but the Observer’s editor was one to highlight that not all Republicans supported violent actions. ” With “conservative Republicans cutting loose from the ultra fragments of their party,” the Observer believed “to bring the best of all good out of the late evil at Harper’s Ferry.” Radical Republicans were only “fragments” and their views did not represent those of all members in the party. While this optimistic perspective did not last, it reveals that even two weeks after the Harpers Ferry raid, not all southerners were convinced that an increase in sectional tensions were inevitable.

The University of Houston has created a “Digital History” website. There are lots of nice features such as lesson plans and student resources, as well as many experts from textbooks. The site also features digital “eXplorations” which allows students to have a more interactive approach in research. Here is a great example of such site titled, John Brown: Hero or Terrorist

The National Park Service continues to present a trove of information on the Civil War. I found last night a project the service is undertaking to develop a network of places significant to the Underground Railroad. The program seeks to integrate and preserve Underground Railroad sites and museums throughout the United States. Supported by the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998, participants in the program will be able to receive technical assistance, display a uniform logo, and take part in program workshops.

The website for the program, in addition to spelling out its goals, provides a helpful introduction to studying the Underground Railroad, including a glossary of terms, maps, and pages with information ranging from codes and ciphers used on the railroad to stories of escape. A good resource for introduction to the topic and encouraging student interest.

I stumbled across a great site today called Picture History. It has a lot of great scans of original letters and pictures from the time period. I ran across the site while researching Grace Bedell, the young girl influential enough to convince President Lincoln to grow his beard. They have scanned and posted the letter Lincoln wrote back. There are many other documents to browse around through.

Harpers Ferry Images – Part II
I wanted to point out a few more images of Harpers Ferry that I found through American Memory (Library of Congress). Many textbooks already have pictures of Harpers Ferry, but I think students might find these interesting.

Harpers Ferry, Railroad Bridge:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpb.03739

Harpers Ferry, Railroad Bridge destroyed:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpb.04106

Harpers Ferry Panorama (1912):
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pan.6a13009

Harpers Ferry Panorama (1915):
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pan.6a13017

I was looking for images of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and I found several interesting ones on the Library of Congress website. While none are from John Brown’s attack in October 1859, these are related to it.

Before the raid, Brown and his men lived for several months at the Kennedy Farm in Maryland:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md0587

PBS also has an interesting site on the Kennedy Farm: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/brown/sfeature/kennedyfarm.html

The Library of Congress also has an image of the engine house (from 1865) where Brown was captured by the US military:
http://memory.loc.gov/ndlpcoop/nhnycw/ad/ad45/ad45008v.jpg

For anyone looking for a neat place to visit, I must highly recommend Harpers Ferry. The town is idyllic and has been historically preserved so that it still looks much as it did in the 19th century. There are several museums to visit, numerous historical buildings to explore, and scenic hiking in the surrounding mountains. I first visited the town on a class field trip, and, especially for older students who can be let run free to explore the museums and buildings at their own pace, Harpers Ferry makes an excellent field trip destination. The town was not only the scene of John Brown’s infamous raid, but of several battles between the North and the South throughout the Civil War and thus holds a unique perspective into both the war between the states and the era which created and endured this conflict.