Special Features
- Primary Resources: He Is Not Hers
- Timeline: Political Party Timeline: 1836-1864
- Primary Resources: The Christian Constable
- Primary Resources: Speaking Out For Women's Equality
- Bonus Video: Interview with Historian Catherine Clinton
- Bonus Video: Interview with Historian Ira Berlin
Elected President only to see the nation fracture in two, Lincoln led a confused and frightened people through the most terrible war in their history. At the same time, his own household mirrored the fissures that split the nation: the great emancipator was married to the daughter of a slave owner from Kentucky. Mary Todd Lincoln was an aristocratic southerner who met Lincoln when he was still a backwoods politician lacking in experience and sophistication. Although she remained fiercely loyal to her husband and the Union cause, two of her brothers fought for the South. Their marriage was long and turbulent, and knew many trials, including the loss of two children. Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided weaves together the lives of the two Lincolns, drawing us into their long-vanished world.
My American Experience
Share Your Story
Of America's first 25 presidents, who is your favorite? From George Washington to William McKinley, which of the new country's leaders most helped shape America in its first century of existence?
Series Blog
Abraham ... Who?
On June 14, the National Assessment of Educational Progress released a study that claimed only 9% of fourth graders were able to both identify Abraham Lincoln and give two reasons why he was significant to American history.
The results of the study have prompted a barrage of criticism for the American educational system, yet many are quick to point out that, historically speaking, history has always been students’ worst subject. NPR’s All Things Considered ran a story on June 19 that pointed out that on a similar test in 1943, only 22% of students could answer the same question about Lincoln. NPR said that students “face rote textbooks and a system dominated by multiple-choice testing that encourages ‘teaching to the test’ instead of deeper, contextual learning.”
Hearts and Hands
Quilting and the intimate clues it yields about the lives of 19th century women.
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A Brilliant Madness
Mathematician and paranoid schizophrenic John Nash's work became a foundation of modern economic theory.
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Roberto Clemente
Clemente was an exceptional baseball player whose career sheds light on larger issues of immigration, civil rights and cultural change.
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Houdini
The world famous escape artist could escape from everything - except his own mortality.
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Secrets of a Master Builder
Engineer James Eads tamed the mighty Mississippi, turning New Orleans into the second largest port in the nation.
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Mr. Miami Beach
Creating Miami Beach from a narrow spit of Florida swampland, Carl Fisher made a fortune until a devastating hurricane and the stock market crash of 1929 wiped him out.
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Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt supported the President's New Deal and advocated for civil rights, becoming one of the 20th century's most influential women.
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Ishi: The Last Yahi Indian
The last surviving member of a California Indian tribe became a sensation in 1911.
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