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Posted by: Erin Allen
For some Union soldiers, their exposure to southern slavery profoundly altered their views on the institution, even before President Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862. One such soldier, John P. Jones, wrote to his wife of his increasing sympathy for abolitionism after seeing the inhumanity with which slaves could be treated. He …
Posted in: Civil War, Collections, Exhibitions, History, Manuscripts
Posted by: Erin Allen
Fatalities during the Civil War were not limited to the battlefield, as both first families discovered. Both the Lincolns and the Davises lost young sons within a couple of years from each other. The Davises lost 5-year-old Joseph in 1864 when he fell to his death from their porch in Richmond, Va. According to one …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Collections, Exhibitions, History, Manuscripts, Uncategorized
Posted by: Erin Allen
“Better, sir, far better, that the blood of every man, woman, and child within the limits of the state should flow, than that she should defy the federal government,” swore Union Gen. Nathaniel Lyon to Missouri governor and Confederate sympathizer Claiborne Fox Jackson during negotiations to prevent the state from joining the Confederacy. His next …
Posted in: Blogging, Civil War, Collections, Exhibitions, History
Posted by: Erin Allen
The Library of Congress, with collections that are universal and comprise all media, has a long history of acknowledging the importance of books. Its “Books That Shaped America” exhibition is currently on view through Sept. 29 in the Southwest Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building. The exhibition is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Books, Civil War, Collections, Exhibitions, History
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
On Monday (June 25) at the Library of Congress – in a conference anybody can attend, free of charge – the contributions of a congressman you’ve probably never heard of, but really should know about, will be explored. Justin Morrill of Vermont may never be as well-known as his executive-branch supporter in these endeavors, Abraham …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Capitol Hill, Civil War, Education, Events, History, Libraries, Manuscripts, Science, Uncategorized