David J. Kent's Blog, page 10
July 26, 2023
Happy Anniversary Lincoln Papers!
Today, July 26, marks the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress. A year ago, Lincolnian editor and longtime Lincoln Group of DC member Wendy Swanson wrote a post on Lincolnian.org about the anniversary. It was a huge event, drawing historians from across... Continue reading
July 20, 2023
A Controversial Abraham Lincoln Statue – No, Not That One
Abraham Lincoln is the most memorialized president in American history, in terms of the number of monuments and statues in all fifty states and the U.S. territories. According to the National Monument Audit completed in 2021, there were 193 Lincoln monuments in America, followed by George Washington at 171, Christopher... Continue reading
July 10, 2023
Climate Influenced Abraham Lincoln’s Move From Kentucky to Indiana
El Nino is officially here, which usually means warmer temperatures across much of the United States and Canada. But did you know that changes in the climate in 1816 influenced Abraham Lincoln’s move from Kentucky to Indiana? The Lincoln family was living on the Knob Creek farm in northern Kentucky... Continue reading
June 27, 2023
Lincoln’s Discoveries and Inventions – Bringing the Power of Science to Agriculture
In Abraham Lincoln’s lecture on Discoveries and Inventions, he discussed how the ingenuity of man had made life easier for the growing millions of Americans. Early in the lecture he used biblical language to relate how the need for clothing led to technological advances, as was also true for communication.... Continue reading
June 20, 2023
OTD 1848 – Congressman Lincoln Pushes for Internal Improvements
On June 20, 1848, Congressman Abraham Lincoln so strongly believed in the long-term economic benefit of improvements that he used some of the limited time allotted to freshmen congressmen to argue for internal improvements on the floor of the House. He began by rebutting the recent Democratic platform written for... Continue reading
June 13, 2023
Abraham Lincoln and the Portrait Painter
On June 13, 1860, the newly selected Republican nominee for president, Abraham Lincoln fidgeted as he attempted to sit still for a portrait artist. The painting by Thomas Hicks is considered the first portrait oil painting ever of the man who would soon become our sixteenth president. Hicks had come... Continue reading
June 7, 2023
The Fire of Genius in the Civil War Monitor Magazine
Lincoln: The Fire of Genius has been reviewed several times, including in Civil War Times, but there was recently a new one in the Civil War Monitor magazine. Written by Jonathan Tracey, co-editor of Civil War Monuments and Memory with Chris Mackowski, the review is very positive. Tracey notes: “Kent,... Continue reading
May 30, 2023
Lincoln Memorial Dedication, Daniel Chester French, and Many, Many Cemeteries
The original Memorial Day, then called Decoration Day because gravestones of fallen soldiers would be decorated with American flags, was May 30, 1868. It remained the 30th until 1970, the first year it was officially designated as the last Monday in May. May 30th was also the date on which... Continue reading
May 22, 2023
The One Year Anniversary of the Lincoln Memorial Centennial Program
One year ago today I was the master of ceremonies for the centennial anniversary of the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial. What an experience it was. Two recent posts on Lincolnian.org (the website of the Lincoln Group of DC, of which I am president) recounted highlights from the program. My... Continue reading
May 16, 2023
Barcelona: Catalonia, Not Spain? Plus, Photos of Park Guell
As mentioned in the last post, my trip around the Iberian Peninsula ended in Barcelona, the largest city the Catalonia region and the second largest city in all of Spain. But is it actually in Spain? Well, it’s complicated. Spain is a nation, but it’s also a collection of autonomous... Continue reading
