David J. Kent's Blog, page 26

Juneteenth and the Freedman’s Memorial

On June 19th, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger entered Galveston, Texas and discovered that somehow word had not previously been communicated to the enslaved people that they were free in accordance with Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation effective January 1, 1863. With Granger’s General Order No. 3, June the 19th... Continue reading

Lincoln in Australia – Wiegers Calendar June

Abraham Lincoln is in Australia! Well, maybe. It’s complicated. The June photo in David Wiegers’s calendar is of a statue of Lincoln that supposedly stood in Melbourne, Australia. He adds a parenthetical notation – (Missing). And missing it is. Very missing. What little I’ve been able to find suggests the... Continue reading

A Brief History of Systemic Racism in America

Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American falsely accused of flirting with a white woman, was lynched in 1955. George Floyd died under the knee of a police officer in 2020. Together, and with thousands of other examples and millions of cases, the long history of systemic racism continues in America.... Continue reading

The Grandeur of Antelope Canyon

The Grand Canyon gets all the press, but nearby and not to be missed is Antelope Canyon. With COVID-19 keeping most of us from any serious outdoors time, I decided to travel back in time to visit an old flame of sorts. Several years ago I arrived back in the... Continue reading

Lincoln in England – Wiegers Calendar May

Abraham Lincoln is everywhere, including England. In January the Dave Wiegers calendar took me back to Edinburgh, Scotland. Now that it is May, I head to Manchester, England for the first time to see a statue I’ve already seen. Yes, you heard that right. I’ve never been to Manchester but... Continue reading

Abraham Lincoln Begins Law Partnership with Stephen T. Logan

On May 14, 1841, Abraham Lincolns law partnership dissolved when his mentor John T. Stuart was reelected to Congress. Lincoln immediately entered into a new partnership with Stephan T. Logan, the man who had assured his moral fortitude and good character when he first became a lawyer. Logan had recently... Continue reading

Abraham Lincoln and the Ironclads Monitor and Merrimack/Virginia

Abraham Lincoln had a particular affinity for ironclads, and today would bring him closer to both the Union ironclad Monitor and the CSS ironclad Virginia (formerly the Merrimack). On May 5, 1862, Lincoln, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, Secretary of the Treasury Salmon Chase, and other dignitaries set sail on... Continue reading

Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War Weatherman

Weather played a large role in the Civil War. Cold and rain and mud made military movements nearly impossible much of the time, and the woolen uniforms became unbearable in the heat of the summer. A talented weatherman would be invaluable. Since Abraham Lincoln was a magnet for every self-avowed... Continue reading

The Thomas Edison – Abraham Lincoln Connection

Thomas Edison was 14 years old when the Civil War broke out, but already learning how to send and received telegraph messages. Which is how he began his Abraham Lincoln connection. During the Civil War, the telegraph had become a critical means of communication, both to get news from the front... Continue reading

Lincoln in Norway – Wiegers Calendar April

Abraham Lincoln seems to be everywhere in the world. In April of my monthly series, the David Wiegers calendar takes me back to Oslo, Norway, where Lincoln makes an appearance in Frogner Park. Frogner Park includes an area many unofficially (and incorrectly) refer to as Vigeland Sculpture Park because of... Continue reading