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)
“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.

 

Other Top-Rated Projects (2013-16)

Prezis

–Susan Amos:  Fame, Fighting, Facade

–Janet Anders:  Lincoln: 1862

–Kelly Arickx:  Fate of a Loyal Soldier

–Michael Bagshaw:  Path to Emancipation 

–Jami Beck: Understanding Lincoln and Women 

–Michael Clancy: Principles and Politics

–Sara Combs: Lincoln’s Letter to the King of Siam

–Beth Doughty: Lincoln Lives James Madison’s Nightmare

–Hannah Edsall: Lincoln and New York

–Bob Frey:  Abraham Lincoln:  Great Emancipator?

–Annemarie Gray:  Abraham Lincoln

–Marsha Greco:  Abraham Lincoln’s Religion

–Kirstyn Hoffman: Lincoln and African Americans

–Dustin Hudak:  Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

–Susan Johnson:  Lincoln’s Summer of 1864

–Patricia Keenan-Byrne:  Future of Slavery

–Katie Kilker: Great Emancipator AND Racist?

–Bob King: From Antietam to Emancipation

–Tamara Korth:  Lincoln, Great Emancipator? 

–Shanna Krueger:  Lincoln and Nevada

–Allison Lorenz:  Was Lincoln a racist?

–John Lovejoy:  Lincoln’s Women

–Kory Loyola: Lincoln’s Return to Politics

–Michael Mazzullo:  Lincoln and Loss

–Craig Merrill:  Lincoln’s Mindset in Election of 1864

–Patricia Nelson:  Lincoln and Sioux Uprising of 1862

–Michael Normant: Lincoln-Douglas Debates

–Kevin Pajor:  Seventh Lincoln-Douglas Debate

–Susan Williams Phelps: Stand Firm: The Tug Has To Come

–Viviane Puhalovic:  Lincoln and Border States

–Wind Ralston:  Lincoln and the Media

–Nathan Roe:  Loose or Strict?  Lincoln and Constitution

–Rachel Rummell: Lincoln and Poetry

–Susan Segal: Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief

–Jamie Sharpe: Did Lincoln Deserve Title Great Emancipator?

–Annie Sjoholm:  Lincoln and the Dakota War

–Cynthia Smith: Dictator or Defender?

–Arren Swift:  Lincoln and Native Americans 

–Meg Thompson:  Death of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth

–Emily Trono:  Lincoln, African Americans, Native Americans

–Andrew Villwock:  Lincoln’s Nationalism

–Mark Vogel:  Mystic Chords of Memory

–Thomas Warf:  Leadership of Abraham Lincoln

–Christopher Watson:  Lincoln & Emancipation

–Emily Weiss:  Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

–Ben Widner:  Lincoln: Union Savior

–John Paul Yun: Investigating Lincoln’s Faith

Storify essays

–James Buck:  How did Republican Party Become Party of Lincoln?

–Mike Capps, Lincoln’s Copybook Verses

–Patrick Culhane: Genius of Lincoln’s Religion

–Pete Gillen:  Abraham Lincoln: Hedgehog President  

–Jimmy Grant:  What Was Lincoln’s Greatest Attribute?  

–Stacy Hoeflich: Teaching Lincoln with Primary Sources

–Ana Kean:  Abe Wears His Heart On His Sleeve

–Matt Lopez:  Seventh Lincoln-Douglas Debate

–Michael LoSasso:  Lincoln’s Leading Qualities

–Theresa Maughan:  Great White Father Abraham

–Rob O’Keefe: Lincoln and Historical Process

–Emily Schagrin: The Great Emancipator

–Tammie Senders: Lincoln and Civil Liberties

–Jonas Sherr: Lincoln and Jews 

Websites

–Gina Bedene:  Lincoln’s Image

–Caroline Blanchard:  Lincoln’s Century

–Ben Bolger:  Lincoln as Commander in Chief DBQ

–Kaellagh Cassidy:  Lincoln’s Advice

–Daniel Caudle:  Lincoln: A Man Divided

–Jim Coe:  Lincoln’s Anger

–Sarah Cooper:  Lincoln’s Rhetoric

–Jamie Creek: Ladies of Lincoln 

–Shawn d’Anunciacao:  Lincoln as a Leader DBQ

–Mary Beth Donnelly:  Lincoln: Philosopher in Chief 

–James Duncan:  Lincoln’s Political Evolution

–Simone Duven:  Lincoln: Creator of the Modern Presidency 

–Alexandra Economou: Lincoln: Evolution of his Thinking on Race

–Brian Elsner:  Lincoln and McClellan

–Cecilia Escobar:  Lincoln’s Leadership

–Benjamin Feld:  Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties

–Lisa Herzig:  Emancipation and Lincoln

–Matthew Heys:  A Decade with Lincoln, 1837-47

–Alison Hogarth:  Lincoln and Henry Clay

–Chris Jaax:  Was Lincoln a Political Boss?

–Todd Jansson:  The Inner Lincoln

–Nicole Johnston:  Election of 1860 

–Jordan Kasler:  Wigwam Warriors

–Brian Kellett:  Abraham Lincoln and Women

–Adam Kelley:  Lincoln’s Evolution on Race

–Bob Kelly: Lincoln and California

–Brenda Klawonn:  Lincoln’s Road to the White House

–Nancy Knapp:  Presidents at War

–Kathryn Luvera:  Lincoln as Great Emancipator

–Beatriz Martos:  Lincoln and Frederick Douglass

–Ian McDougall:  Lincoln’s Fatalism

–Evan McLaughlin:  Lincoln’s Keys to Convince

–Bryan Melberg:  Lincoln’s Strategy video lesson plan with mini-DBQ

–Sean New:  Who Influenced Lincoln?

–Evan Oftedal:  Lincoln and Civil Liberties

–Michelle O’Neill:  Fate of Nathaniel Gordon

–Greg O’Reilly: Lincoln on Inequality

–Diana Phalon:  Lincoln’s Most Important Role

–David Reid: Lincoln’s Kentucky

–Carl Shusko:  Lincoln as Commander in Chief

–Megan Smeeding:  Lincoln, Women & Emancipation

–Adam Sonstroem:  Honest Abe’s Almanac

–Canada Snyder: Lincoln as Great Communicator

–Jennifer Staub:  Lincoln’s Public Letters

–Lisa Staup:  Lincoln, Citizen of 19th Century

–Kayla Steele: Honest Abe?

–Jason Symes:  Lincoln and Threat of Slavery

–Deborah Tyminski:  Executive Lincoln

–Matt Wiemer:  Lincoln’s Chicago

–Jessica Wilkerson:  Lincoln and Virginia

–Matt Wright:  Lincoln and Demagogues

 

Miscellaneous

–Martha Bohnenberger: Abraham Lincoln and the Kansas-Nebraska Act (LiveBinders)

–Martin Buchman:  Convention Night: 1860 “Broadcast” (Video)

–Jeff Grabo:  Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 (Google Maps)

–Michelle Grasso:  Lincoln, Ambassador to the Future (Video)

–Rose Paluch:  Lincoln and Henry Clay  (E-Book)

–Meg Thompson:  Lincoln and Elmer Ellsworth (Google Maps)

–Meg Thompson:  Letter to Phoebe and Ephraim Ellsworth (Podcasts)

–Sarah Turpin:  First Graders Conduct Close Reading of Gettysburg Address (Video)