Two centuries after Abraham Lincoln’s birth in 1809, he is one of the most revered figures n our nation’s history. Lincoln’s life, accomplishments, and legacy are the subject of a new traveling panel exhibition on display at the Nicholson Library on the Jasper campus of Bevill State Community College. “Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, A Man for All Times” explores how Abraham Lincoln transcended his age and left a constitutional legacy for all Americans.
The exhibition, created by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and funded through a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, will be on display from June 4, 2009 through June 25, 2009.
The exhibition tells the story of how Lincoln, a self-educated, rough-hewn lawyer with virtually no administrative experience, guided a divided nation through the crises of slavery, secession and Civil War. The exhibition makes extensive use of Lincoln’s own words to encourage a deeper understanding of his principles and his legacy. Drawing on documents, broadsides, and ephemera from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, the six panels examine the legacy of slavery and emancipation, and Lincoln’s commitment to every American’s “right to rise.”
“We are pleased to have been selected as a site for this exhibition,” said Bevill State President Dr. Anne McNutt. “Lincoln’s achievements as president are well-known, but knowledge about our most famous president is dominated by a set of iconic images. Through reproductions of documents, photographs, and posters, the exhibition invites visitors to learn about the challenges Lincoln faced and his accomplishments.”
The Bevill State Nicholson Library is one of 40 sites nationwide selected to host the Lincoln exhibition. The Gilder Lehrman Institute developed the exhibition to mark the 2009 bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The exhibition was curated by Steven Mintz, Professor of History at the University of Houston, and Richard Carwardine, Rhodes Professor of American History at Oxford University. The exhibition has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This exhibition is free and open to the public from 10 AM-5 PM Monday thru Thursday until the exhibition closes on Thursday, June 25 at 5 PM. The library is sponsoring free programs in connection with the exhibition including an opening reception on Monday, June 8 at 1 p.m. and lectures by Bevill State faculty members on subject areas connected to the life and times of Lincoln. The exhibit event schedule is as follows:
• Thursday, June 4th – Exhibition officially opens to the public at 10 AM Monday-Thursday, 10 AM-5 PM.
• Thursday, June 4th – “Abraham Abridged,” an exhibition of books and other materials from the Nicholson Library on Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. Same hours as above.
• Monday, June 8 – Opening reception with lecture by Teresa Anderson of the BSCC Nursing Department entitled “Women and Medicine in the Abraham Lincoln Era” detailing the women’s roles and the evolution of health care in the United States during the Civil War. 1 PM • Thursday, June 11 – “Literary Lincoln: The Impact of the 16th President on American Literature,” lecture by Marsha Adkins of the BSCC English/Speech Department. 1 PM • Tuesday, June 16 – “The South Will Rise Again…in Brazil,” lecture by Bill Watt of the BSCC History/Speech Department on Confederate refugees who fled to South America after the Civil War. 2 PM • Tuesday, June 23- “Decoding Lincoln’s Legacy” – twenty five minute film on Lincoln and his impact on America produced by the History Channel. Provided to BSCC by the History Channel and the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History. 10 AM • Thursday, June 25 – Exhibition officially closes to the public at 5 PM.
Contact Ty Webb at 800-648-3271 ext. 5238 or email twebb@bscc.edu for more information.
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities. NEH grants enrich classroom learning, create and preserve knowledge, and bring ideas to life through public television, radio, new technologies, museum exhibitions, and programs in libraries and other community places. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available on the internet at www.neh.gov.
Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history. The Institute serves teachers, students, scholars, and the general public. It helps create history-centered schools, organizes seminars and programs for educators, produces print and electronic publications and traveling exhibitions, sponsors lectures by eminent historians, and administers a History Teacher of the Year Award in every state through its partnership with Preserve America. The Institute also conducts awards including the Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and George Washington Book Prizes, and offers fellowships for scholars to work in the Gilder Lehrman Collection. The Institute maintains two websites, www.gilderlehrman.org and the quarterly online journal www.historynow.org.
