December 25, 2009
The JOURNAL has featured Abraham Lincoln a number of times during his bicentennial year. Bill T. Jones reimagination of a young Lincoln, "
Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray,"
special performance by Sam Waterston and Harold Holzer, LINCOLN'S LEGEND & LEGACY, illustrates the continuing influence Abraham Lincoln has on American literature and imagination. But Lincoln as an image reigns beyond "library culture." In his conversation with Bill Moyers, historian
Eric Foner explained the durability of Lincoln as America's most famous icon:
The reason we keep finding new things to say about Lincoln is that Lincoln is a mirror for ourselves. People find in Lincoln indications of their own time. The questions we ask about Lincoln change as our times change.... Lincoln is kind of a Rorschach test for every generation to look at and to see new things.
Explore the popular uses of Lincoln's image through the ages below and tell us what Lincoln means to you on
The Moyers Blog.
(Mouse over the top of the image to read the text. Click on a number to pause the slide show.)
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Lincoln's Legend and Legacy Assassinated on Good Friday, Abraham Lincoln was transformed from man to martyr and myth. In this special performance edition of BILL MOYERS JOURNAL acclaimed actor Sam Waterston and historian Harold Holzer explore Lincoln's legacy and legend in the poetry and prose by great American writers across the decades who have wrestled to define the true Lincoln through the lens of their own times. (April 10, 2009)
Historian Eric Foner on "Our Lincoln" As Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial birthday approaches, Bill Moyers sits down with historian and Lincoln biographer Eric Foner to discuss the legacy and the legend of America's most studied president. (February 6, 2009)
LOOKING FOR LINCOLN In this PBS special which premieres February 11, 2009 (
check local listings) Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s quest to piece together Abraham Lincoln’s complex life takes him from Illinois to Gettysburg to Washington, D.C., and face-to-face with people who live with Lincoln every day – relic hunters, re-enactors, and others for whom the study of Lincoln is a passion. The Web site also includes maps of Lincoln sites in the U.S., a Lincoln knowledge quiz, and an interactive timeline.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln"
premiered February 9, 2009 (check local listings.) You can also view the entire show online.
