Remembering Lincoln with the Library of Congress

This post was written by Andrew Cui and Evelyn Romano, students participating virtually in the Library of Congress High School Summer Internship. This summer, under the mentorship of Jennifer Ezell and Katie McCarthy, the virtual participants worked in groups of two to add a teen perspective to the David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery: Collecting Memories exhibition. Andrew and Evelyn focused their work on the theme “Memorialization and Commemoration.”

Abraham Lincoln’s beard is an iconic part of his image, but did you know that this former president had to be convinced to grow it?  When running for the presidency, Lincoln was clean-shaven until he received a letter from an 11-year-old girl, Grace Bedell. In it, she recommended he adopt a beard because he “would look a great deal better for your face is so thin.” Possibly because of this letter, the transcript of which is shown below, Lincoln donned one of his most memorable features. However, his memorability goes beyond just his facial hair. Lincoln’s guidance of the Union through the Civil War is one of the reasons why Lincoln is so prominently featured in the Memorialization and Commemoration section of the Collecting Memories exhibition in the new David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery at the Library of Congress. Just as Lincoln’s physical image evolved over his presidency, so have the ways in which his achievements have been commemorated. As summer teen interns, we realized the Collecting Memories exhibit only displays a small snippet of what Lincoln accomplished and how he is remembered, so join us, Andy and Evelyn, on an exploration of America’s memorialization of the often celebrated president.

One of the shining stars of the Collecting Memories exhibition is a draft of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, one of his most commemorated speeches. Every kid knows its introduction “Four score and seven years ago” and that’s about it. But after we learned more about this speech, and the process Lincoln took to write it, we were more intrigued by this collection item as a whole, rather than just its first six words.

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln was invited to the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg to give “a few appropriate remarks,” as can be seen in Judge David Wills’ letter to Lincoln. In fewer than 300 words, Lincoln would go on to give one of the most remembered speeches in American history. The draft of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address that is on display in the Collecting Memories exhibition can tell us much about the speech Lincoln believed “the world will little note, nor long remember.” The president seemingly began drafting his commemoration of soldiers first in the White House (then called the Executive Mansion) on official stationery before completing the draft while in Gettysburg with the stationery available there. This quickly edited draft became a document many have praised as an eloquent description of America’s values. The Gettysburg Address is a frequently quoted piece of writing in America, and when this speech is remembered, so is Lincoln. What comes to your mind when you hear this speech?

Sadly, Lincoln was killed just a year after presenting that iconic speech. The president’s leadership and impact moved Queen Victoria to write to Mary Todd Lincoln after “so terrible a calamity.” Her message serves as an important snapshot of the remembrance of Lincoln just after his assassination.

Lincoln was beloved by many, to the point that the news of his death moved people who had never set foot in America, such as Queen Victoria. Throughout the United States, people flooded the streets during the president’s funeral, while newspapers wrote articles shrouded in mourning.

Lincoln’s name stayed in newspapers following his assassination. His deeds during his life left a lasting impression and continued to be remembered after his death. Nearly fifty years later, America’s commemoration of Lincoln and his achievements began to take a more physical form. Lincoln would become the second president to be memorialized in the nation’s capital, the first being George Washington. The Washington Monument, in Washington D.C., was the first of its kind, so when we saw drafts of this monument in the same Collecting Memories exhibition as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, we wondered how the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument could be connected.

Turns out, the design and placement of the Lincoln Memorial was closely related to that of the Washington Monument. When in Washington D.C., you might notice that the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument face each other and are integral to the current layout of the National Mall. Before the Lincoln Memorial was constructed, the National Mall consisted only of the space between the Washington Monument and the Capitol building. The designs for the Washington Monument aimed to memorialize the power and significance of the nation’s first president. When discussion of a memorial for Lincoln began, Congress knew this president deserved similar recognition.

As the above 1912 newspaper article shows, there were multiple perspectives on how Lincoln should be memorialized. Some suggested the construction of a road from the nation’s capital to Gettysburg, while others proposed the memorial’s current location on the National Mall. Ultimately, Congress decided to build the Lincoln Memorial we know and love today. Its alignment with the Washington Monument memorializes Lincoln as a prominent figure (as the newspaper article states) “in the city founded by George Washington and visited annually by hundreds of thousands of tourists.” But that made us wonder: how would Lincoln be remembered differently today if the road, or another memorial design, had been constructed instead? How would you have designed Lincoln’s memorial?

Lincoln’s legacy continues to live on not just through his memorial, but also through his writings. We continue to be reminded of the pressures Lincoln faced as president during the Civil War every time we see a scratched-out word on his Inaugural Address or the additions to the Gettysburg Address written on different stationery. As tens of thousands of people visit the Lincoln Memorial each day, he continues to stay alive in public memory.

We’d like to invite you to explore the life and legacy of another historical figure you appreciate or admire through the Library’s extensive collection. What is their “Lincoln’s beard?”

Here are some places to start:

• Explore Thomas Jefferson’s Drafting of the Declaration of Independence.
• Dive into George Washington Papers.
• Learn more in Rosa Parks Papers.
• Take a look at Theodore Roosevelt Papers.

After reviewing some of your historical figure’s materials available at the Library, take a moment and think about how and where you might create their memorial. Would their memorial be a road, a statue, or something wholly new? Grab a notebook and start sketching to keep their memory alive.

More resources:

• See Lincoln’s Preliminary Draft of Emancipation Proclamation.
• Look at historic photos of the National Mall.
• Read Lincoln’s January 1849 Bill to Abolish Slavery in the District of Columbia.
• Find a list of other frequently requested Documents in the Abraham Lincoln Papers.
• Explore more about how Lincoln influenced American Law.
• Visit the digital exhibition With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition.
• Read the Library of Congress blog post Abraham Lincoln, Inventor.
• Learn more about Hearing Abraham Lincoln’s Voice in this blog post.