GettysBlog

Lincoln and Ithaca

Students participating in the Ithaca High School Combined Class Read this year are reading Garry Wills' book, Lincoln at Gettysburg. They are studying the Greek roots of Lincoln's oration and the influence of the Ancient Greeks upon American culture (e.g. Greek Revival architecture). They are also examining presidential politics in this election year.

On Friday, October 17th they visit the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Goldwin Smith Hall, and the Division of Rare & Manuscript Collections in Kroch Library, where they will view and discuss a selection of Lincoln and Greek materials in the Cornell collections, including the Bancroft Copy of the Gettysburg Address and a newly acquired copy of the first English language edition of Thucydides published in 1550.

A digital Lincoln at Gettysburg: Ithaca High School guide of their Library tour will allow the IHS students to return to campus virtually and learn more about the books, documents, and art objects they saw during their visit.

Pictured here is a wooden parade ax used by supporters of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 presidential campaign.

Below is an image of a 1913 postcard of Goldwin Smith Hall.

150th Anniversary of the Lincoln Douglas Debates

On August 21, 1858 a then relatively unknown Abraham Lincoln first debated Stephen A. Douglas in Ottawa, Illinois during their campaign to become a U.S. senator. Their seven debates that summer and fall have become the gold standard for political debates. See the multimedia slideshow Debating Douglas on the National Stage, 1857-1858 (Requires RealPlayer) to learn more about their historical context and significance. 

You may recall that earlier this year Hillary Clinton challenged Barack Obama to a Lincoln - Douglas style debate during the primary season. I wonder if the American public would have found this interesting or not, since the 1858 debates featured an hour-long presentation by the first speaker (Lincoln and Douglas alternated going first), an hour and a half response by the second candidate, and then a half hour rejoinder by the first speaker. Would you be willing and able to watch a three hour political debate? How would the second-by-second 24 hour news cycle handle this kind of marathon?

Lincoln lost this election, but gained valuable national exposure. Two years later he defeated Douglas and others to become our 16th president. It was during these debates that Lincoln started honing and perfecting the rhetorical skills that we have been reading about this summer.

Our author, Garry Wills, will be speaking about the Lincoln - Douglas Debates when he visits Cornell on September 17th. 

See you all in Barton Hall on Sunday afternoon.

Welcome to Cornell!

Image: Lincoln and Douglas, November 3, 1903. Creator: Jaspard, J. M. Image Source: Chicago Historical Society

Black in America

This weekend I watched an interesting special report on CNN, Black in America, hosted by Soledad O'Brien.  The first segment, The Black Man, "evaluates the state of black men in America and explores the controversial topics of black men and fatherhood; disparities between blacks and whites in educational, career and financial achievement; and factors leading to the dramatic rates of black male incarceration. The documentary also examines the achievements of black men and the importance of the positive influences of black fathers."  (Although I must be honest, my husband and I were watching it at 12:30 am and I fell asleep for the last 30 minutes; I know, I can't hang!).

The second segment, The Black Woman and Family, "explores the varied experiences of black women and families and investigates the disturbing statistics of single parenthood, racial disparities between students and the devastating toll of HIV/AIDS. O'Brien reports on the progress of black women in the workplace and the status of the black middle class."  (I really enjoyed this segment, maybe because I am a woman).

I thought the series was well done and addressed the myriad of pressing issues in the African American community.  My husband commented that CNN could have done a two-hour special on each of the topics raised in the series (the issues were not fully explored in each segment).  In summary, it is hard not to feel angry that all these problems are the result of slavery in the United States.

So, I am posing this question to you; what are your thoughts on Lincoln and slavery?  Did the book Lincoln at Gettysburg, help shape or alter you views?  If you need more fodder to chew on, check out the CNN iReport with viewer feedback on the special report Black in America.