Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library

Springfield, Illinois

Today, we will be meeting with Genevieve Kaplan, who is from the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. She is going to talk and answer questions about President Lincoln, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, and his first second Inaugural Addresses. Genevieve Kaplan
works in the library and museum and has worked there for many years.

The Interview

The Emancipation Proclamation was originally a military move to find more soldiers. It brought African Americans in to the picture where they could serve in the war. 

Why didn't they let slaves fight until the last part of the war?

It was not a welcomed idea at the beginning of the war but people got used to it since it increased the number of troops for the Union. It gave the former slaves a motivation to fight against their former owners.

What else should we know about President Lincoln?

He loved technology, and he was a major "techie." He went to many of the tests for technology they were going to use in war. He was a major adopter of the telegraph and wanted gassed hot air balloons to be used in the war. 

What artifacts do you have at the presidential library?

There are five different copies of the Gettysburg address, and the library has one. One of only three known top hats to exist is at the museum. A copy of the 13th amendment is also on display, as well as pieces of Lincoln's map that he had written on. 

What made the Gettysburg Address so special out of all of his speeches?

It honors many people who died fighting. It also honored the many people buried there and it motivated the Union to fight. 

Do you have any artifacts from his early life?

The library has his math book with many solved problems. Also, many early documents he worked on in his twenties. 

What is your favorite exhibit of the museum?

Each room has a different story. There is a life-sized log cabin that you can walk through. It has artifacts of Lincoln inside of it.