Category: Abraham Lincoln

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Chasing the Papers of Abraham Lincoln

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Papers of Abraham Lincoln logoThe Papers of Abraham Lincoln “is a long-term project dedicated to identifying, imaging, and publishing all documents written by or to Abraham Lincoln during his lifetime (1809-1865).” The Papers is physically located in Springfield, Illinois, and is a project of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. They are co-sponsored by the Center for State Policy and Leadership at the University of Illinois Springfield and the Abraham Lincoln Association.

I’ll be in Springfield this month doing research for my new Lincoln book. The staff will show me how to use the database and how to best use the documents found. As Daniel Stowell, the Papers Project Director put it to me:

Much depends on what you are looking for and what you find.  Understand that all of our documents to March 1861 are transcribed and word searchable, but only perhaps one third of the presidential documents have been transcribed.  That’s still some 27,000 documents, so it’s a lot of material.  Most, but not all, of the untranscribed materials will have images attached.

I have a lot of work ahead, but it’s much easier now that the Papers Project has begun organizing, scanning, and transcribing the documents collected from all over the country and the world.

On Lincoln's SideThe impetus for my impending visit was a talk given by Abraham Lincoln himself (in the guise of George Buss) at the Lincoln Group of DC this past December. Joining him was his Chief of Staff, played by former Abraham Lincoln Association President Bob Lenz. It was Lenz who passed my name on to Stowell, after which Stowell invited me out to Springfield. He even sent me two publications, One Lincoln’s Side and On Lincoln’s Mind.

Much is going on with the Papers Project these days. Professional historians and editors like Dan Stowell and Stacy Pratt McDermott (whom I met at the recent Lincoln symposium in Ford’s Theatre) are diligently at work collecting and organizing the papers. Unfortunately, politics has intruded, funding has been severely curtailed, and the project is in danger of not being able to complete its mission. A New York Times editorial describes some of the issues and the travesty of the project being used as a political punching bag.

I’m doing my part by being among the many historians who are showing how valuable the project is by taking advantage of the database.

Here’s how you can help.

[Note that the Papers project has been severely disabled by even more recent budget cuts and personnel removals.]

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Abraham Lincoln – No Other Marks or Brands Recollected

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Abraham Lincoln InstituteThis past weekend I attended a fascinating day at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC, where the Abraham Lincoln Institute held its annual full-day symposium, “The Life and Legacy of Abraham Lincoln.” Little did I expect to hear Lincoln’s advertisement as a slave, with “no other marks or brands recollected.”

Taking place on the stage where John Wilkes Booth boldly declared Sic Semper Tyrannis after assassinating our 16th President, Ford’s Theatre was both a somber and appropriate venue for the symposium. This year the speakers were Sidney Blumenthal, Edna Greene Medford, Louis P. Masur, Stacy Pratt McDermott, and Thomas L. Carson. All were fantastic speakers who discoursed on various aspects of Lincoln’s (and Mary’s) life.

Among the gems of the day was mention by Sidney Blumenthal of a description Lincoln provided to journalist Jesse Fell in late 1859 when Lincoln was preparing to run for president. One portion of the bio says:

If any personal description of me is thought desirable, it may be said, I am, in height, six feet, four inches, nearly; lean in flesh, weighing, on an average, one hundred and eighty pounds; dark complexion, with coarse black hair, and grey eyes—no other marks or brands recollected.

I’ve read this passage many times over the years and yet never made the connection Blumenthal raised, that is, that this is not unlike the kind of newspaper advertisement seen when slave owners were searching for fugitive slaves. It reads like a spec-sheet: height, weight, skin complexion, hair and eye color, and presence or absence of other identifying marks. All the information needed to hunt down human beings attempting to escape from two hundred and fifty years of bondage.

During the break I spoke with Blumenthal (as well as his main source for the passage, eminent historian Michael Burlingame). I thanked him for bringing to light something that seems obvious now that it has been said overtly. Lincoln was, in his own clever way, bringing the role of slavery into the race for the presidency, a race that would pit the new Republican party against a history of racism and pro-slavery sentiment. A race that would, ironically, result in the end of slavery as it existed.

No other marks or brands recollected. The phrase shivers under this cold beam of light.

More on the Symposium can be found here. And the C-SPAN video of Sidney Blumenthal can be seen here: Sidney Blumenthal.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Book Review – Lincoln Inc.: Selling the Sixteenth President in Contemporary America by Jackie Hogan

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Lincoln IncThis book is much more substantive than the colorful cover featuring a Lincoln bobblehead doll might suggest. It starts out light enough, with chapters cataloging various ways Abraham Lincoln is “sold” to the modern public. These include how Lincoln has been adopted by both current political parties, does brisk sales in memorabilia and museum visits (even if much on display is reproduction), and gets featured in a variety of sales pitches. But the book also delves into more scholarly questions such as how Lincoln is presented to the public. Hogan suggests this is mostly as a positive “boy scout” model who rose from meager beginnings to epitomize the American dream while his more negative attributes are ignored.

And she does seem to have some negative opinions. Perhaps because of her background in gender and race studies (she is a sociologist, not a Lincoln scholar), she at times appears to give undue weight to fringe opinions. For example, she laments that opinions on Lincoln’s “racial bigotry” and “suggestions of homosexuality” are largely ignored in biographies and museum displays. While she acknowledges that most public facilities have competing pressures for what they display, she disregards the main reason they are not highlighted; because scholarship tells us they are not supported by the facts.

This particular bias and some other more superficial understanding of Lincoln scholarship, however, should not dissuade people from reading the book. Each chapter ends with a section headed “An Outsider’s Perspective.” It is in these sections that Hogan most adeptly employs her sociologist perspective. Many of her insights, which Lincoln scholars may or may not always agree with, offer up substantive topics for debate that are highly worthwhile.

The book gives us a closer look not only at how we view Lincoln but in how those views reflect our desire to elevate him as an icon of the American Dream. He started low and ended high, as we all would like to believe can be achieved through hard work. This view can be inspiring, but as Hogan notes, can also set unreasonable standards not reflected by modern reality.

A short book (157 pages of text), it nonetheless has extensive endnotes (though most are to published biographies rather than primary literature). An interesting read.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Catching Up – Around the Blogs in 30 Days

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Only one major bit of science traveling so far this year (more on that below), but it’s been a busy period nonetheless. Here’s a quick catch up around the blogs.

That time in the videoHot White Snow: My more “creative” writing, responses to writing prompts, some memoir-ish works, and articles “On Writing.”

Recent “On Writing” posts include “That Time in the Video” and “On Writing Science…and Fiction.” Writing prompt responses include “World’s Best Widget, Part Deux,” and “Falling Upward.” This latter post is joined by “You Have More Shrimp Than Me” as efforts in memoir.

Ten hottest yearsThe Dake Page focuses on communicating science to the general populace, with a sometimes emphasis on climate change. Recent articles look at the recent decision by the Supreme Court to issue a stay on implementation of President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, and then a few days later the ramifications of Justice Scalia’s sudden death. This “judicial” (i.e., political) debate goes on while the science shows 2015 to have totally obliterated the previous heat record, and with January doing the same to begin 2016. I also looked at El Nino and the difference between trend and variation, two concepts that climate deniers commonly (and intentionally) mix up.

St. Maarten landingScience Traveler: Here on my author website I focus on my non-fiction works (Tesla, Edison, Lincoln), plus tips and tales about traveling the world. Several recent posts covered my sailing cruise in the Caribbean, including the land of frigate birds and “the most interesting airport landing in the world.”

Science Traveler is not just about physical travel, it’s about travel in time. Travel-related book reviews include “The Man Who Loved China” and “Turn Right at Machu Picchu.” I also participated in several events around Lincoln’s birthday, including traveling back to 1922 for the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial with this year’s wreath laying ceremony.

Not to be outdone, Thomas Edison makes an appearance with this preview of my new book scheduled for release in July – Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World.

Meanwhile, I’m writing sample chapters for my newest project, this one on Abraham Lincoln. Now, back to work.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Celebrating Presidents Day/Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday

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Sometimes science traveling means traveling back in time rather than place. This past Friday I was transported back to 1922, the year the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated. We had gathered to commemorate the 207th birthday of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Several organizations were present to lay wreaths, including the Lincoln Group of DC, whom I was representing.

Lincoln Memorial wreaths

The Memorial is styled as a Greek temple and made of Yule marble shipped in from Colorado. I discovered something about the science of marble during the event – it’s cold. Temperatures were in the zero degree (Fahrenheit) area, and the physics of metal chairs conducting the cold from the marble floors as wind swirled around us was noticeably emphatic.

Despite the cold there were many visitors gazing in awe up at the 19-foot tall seated statue of Lincoln. Quickly noticed are the Gettysburg Address and 2nd Inaugural Address etched into the side walls and the epitaph over Lincoln’s head. More observant visitors would notice the 36 Doric columns surrounding the Memorial, one for each of the states that comprised the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. The names of the states and their date of statehood are engraved over the colonnade.

Easily overlooked, but not to be missed, is the inscription on the steps where Martin Luther King, Jr. stood as he gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, one hundred years after Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Col. Andrew Johnson

The wreath laying event was organized by the Lincoln’s Birthday National Commemorative Committee, which is associated with the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. In the photo above, Col. Andrew Johnson of MOLLUS admires the wreath laid by President Obama earlier in the day. The photo below captures the wreaths of the Lincoln Group of DC and the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church (“Lincoln’s Church) after they had been presented.

Lincoln Group of DC and New York Ave Presbyterian Church wreaths

Of course, Presidents Day honors more than just Abraham Lincoln; George Washington’s birthday is February 22nd and the federal holiday was originally solely to celebrate his birth (while Lincoln’s birth was celebrated officially by many individual states). Over the years the day has come to mean different things to different people, but generally serves to remember all 43 U.S. Presidents and those to come.

Later this week is yet another celebration of Lincoln’s influence on the world. Check out the February 18th free program being held at the National Archives in downtown Washington, D.C.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Wreath Laying at the Lincoln Memorial, February 12th

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I am honored to be the official representative of the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia for the annual wreath laying at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday, February 12, 2016.

I received my invitation letter from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and will be participating in the event this Friday. The annual ceremony began in 1923, the year after the Memorial was dedicated, and commemorates the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. I will lay the wreath on behalf of the Lincoln Group.

Lincoln Memorial Wreath Laying

The event is organized by the Lincoln Birthday National Commemorative Committee (LBNCC). The Lincoln Group of DC has participated for many years, so I’m especially honored to participate this year. Wreaths will be laid for the President, the Diplomatic Corps, the Secretary of the Interior, and for the District of Columbia. Other Lincoln and Civil War organizations, including the Lincoln Group, will also lay wreaths.

If you’re in the area, please join us in the dedication, which is free and open to the public and starts at 11:45 am. I’ll have more photos after the ceremony.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Recapturing Martin Luther King’s Dream

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Martin Luther King Jr monument, Washington DCMartin Luther King Jr. had a dream. A dream in which “one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'”

We’re not there yet.

As we celebrate Dr. King’s life, and commemorate his efforts, we find ourselves in the midst of many of the same trials faced by him fifty years ago – discrimination, voter suppression, systemic-induced poverty. Many, if not most, of us are still Looking for Martin Luther King’s Dream.

To be honest, it’s an embarrassment to America that over 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation and over 50 years since the Civil Rights Acts we are still fighting many of the same battles. In some ways it isn’t a surprise; the election of our first African-American president brought to surface the barely concealed weapons of bigotry just as the election of another tall president from Illinois brought to surface the inherent racism of the slaveholders a sesquicentennial ago. It is shocking that it still exists. And yet it does.

These ills aren’t limited to the African-American community. Bigotry directly effects other minority groups, women, LGBT Americans, Muslims, veterans, the poor, and virtually every other person that doesn’t fit the bigot’s view of “the right kind of American.” Often that bigotry is blind to the adverse effects it has on the bigot himself.

With these caveats in mind, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is a good time to reflect. President Obama called for this day to be a national day of service, where people don’t just take a day off, they take a day on…giving volunteer service to their communities. Dr. King would have approved.

Abraham Lincoln would have agreed as well. In his Gettysburg Address he advised us “to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.” Dr. King’s dream has not yet come to fruition. It behooves all of us to dedicate ourselves to his unfinished work.

Other MLK-related posts:

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial – Washington DC

Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, and Abraham Lincoln

Martin Luther King Day – From Selma to Nobel

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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Science Traveling – 2016 in Preview

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I’m going to Machu Picchu in 2016. Of course, I said I was going to Machu Picchu in 2015 and had to punt on it to this year. But this year I’m really going. I hope. Like last year, my plans could easily change, but here is what I’m planning for 2016.

Wind SurfThe only trip actually booked so far is a sailing cruise of the Caribbean in late January/early February. We’ll meet four Saints (Maarten, Kitts, Barthelemy, and Lucia), plus Barbuda, Guadaloupe, and Dominica. All while sailing point to point on a 535-foot sailboat.

Beyond that we’re looking at two other overseas trips – one to the aforementioned Machu Picchu in May, the other to China (and hopefully one other country) in October. If it all works out I’ll get to add at least six new countries to my visited list (last year I added only 3, though I was in 6 outside the U.S.).

I’ll also have my annual trip to New England to visit my parents, plus perhaps a second trip for my high school reunion. I’ve never attended a reunion before but this year I just might. It’s not until August so we’ll see when it gets closer.

Lincoln TombSpringfield, Illinois may see me twice this year. I have a scheduled trip there in September with the Lincoln Group of DC, in which we’ll pursue Lincoln’s memory through New Salem, Springfield, and points surrounding. I’m also anticipating a purely research trip, probably in March, to visit with the staffs of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Lincoln is also the focus of a November trip to Gettysburg.

Closer to home, I will likely have a book launch party in August to celebrate the release of my newest book Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World.

Those are the more-or-less planned trips. Others may include Orlando for the SETAC meeting in November, Charlottesville for the CPRC meeting in April, Mt. Rushmore (still trying to squeeze this in at some point), and Newport News, VA (home of the Monitor ironclad).

I’ll be writing many science traveling articles during 2016 so check back regularly.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Science Traveler – Wrapping Up the Wrap Ups of 2015

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This morning I realized my watch was set for 1 hour behind the actual time. It took me a while to realize what had happened,* but it was a reflection on the amazingly busy/productive/exhausting/exhilarating year it has been. It’s time to wrap up the wrap ups.

David J. Kent drinking mateHere on Science Traveler I’ve recapped a year in the writer’s life. Two books written, a few articles for magazines and newsletters, and a ton of blog posts. I also summarized a year in science traveling that included everything from some major capitals of Europe to some alligator-infested National Parks to a prison on an island (no, not Alcatraz, the other one). I also cataloged my 2015 acquisitions of Abraham Lincoln books.

Near Cueva de las ManosOn Hot White Snow I summarized all the books I read in 2015 – all 96 of them…and I recapped what I can confidently say was a very good year.

On The Dake Page I reviewed the year in climate change, a year in which 2015 blew past 2014 as the hottest year in global temperatures on record. I also laid out the four things you need to know about the recent Paris climate agreement.

Science smartphoneThere was a lot more, so click on the blog names above and scroll down to see other articles of interest.

So what does 2016 hold for us all? Check back later for plans and predictions (and big changes to this website)!

Finally, thank you all for participating in this adventure with me. I appreciate your support, your loyalty, and your interest. I’m looking forward to providing more content in 2016 to give each and every one of you a reason to keep coming back.

Happy New Year!

*About the watch thing: I had set the watch back an hour for my trip to New Orleans, which is in the Central Time Zone. I never reset it. Since I work at home (when I’m not on the road), I generally don’t wear the watch at all, relying mostly on the clocks on my computer and smart phone. Only this morning as I sat in Panera did I notice the time was off. 🙂

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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The Year in a Writer’s Life – 2015

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Hemingway's typewriterThe last few days of 2015 are bringing me somewhat of a breather from science traveling and writing and reading. It’s been a busy year in all respects. The writing scene has been especially productive.

Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World was the biggest project this year, though definitely not the only one. Following on the success of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (which enjoyed its 3rd, 4th, and 5th printings in 2015!), Fall River Press of Sterling Publishing asked me to write a follow up in the same style. So not only is Tesla still in Barnes and Noble stores, it will be joined in the summer of 2016 by Edison. Needless to say, writing the Edison book kept me busy writing a good part of the year.

But it didn’t stop there. I also wrote an e-book that looked at the surprisingly many connections between my two favorite historic people. Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate is published on Amazon and available for download to Kindle or the Kindle App on any smartphone or tablet. You can also download my earlier e-book: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

This year also saw a few articles. “Abraham Lincoln: The Majesty and the Math of Niagara Falls” was published in the Sept/Oct issue of The Lincolnian. In addition, the next issue will begin my new recurring column in which I offer reviews of two Lincoln-related books. One of the two will be on a new Lincoln book while the other will review a “Classic Lincoln” book, that is, a book that has been around for a very long time and perhaps forgotten or unknown.

To this you can add an article I wrote for the Smithsonian Civil War Studies.Org online newsletter, “And the War Ends,” plus an article for the CPRC Newsletter. The latest issue of the CPRC Newsletter also included an article about me and the SETAC award I won this year.

And let’s not forget the blogs. Over the course of the last year I’ve written around 250 posts combined for Science Traveler, Hot White Snow, and The Dake Page. That’s a lot of writing.

My opening sentence of this piece is not quite accurate. I’m not actually done writing for the year. I’ve been working diligently on my Lincoln book proposal and will be doing some last fine-tuning of it this week so I can send it to my agent immediately after New Years. While she’s reviewing it I’ll be continuing to write the sample chapters. The goal is to have the publishing contract in place as early in 2016 as possible so that I can be working on that book for a 2017(?) release.

So 2016 should be a very good writing year as well.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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