Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America

A world-class traveling exhibit featuring reproduction artifacts from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois is coming to the North Berrien Historical Museum in Coloma, Michigan from April 3 – May 1, 2009. The exhibit opening will take place on Friday, April 3 from 5:30-7:30pm. The exhibit and accompanying events are free and open to the public.

The exhibit covers Lincoln’s childhood, his self-education, his careers as a surveyor and lawyer, his family life, the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, the 1860 Presidential election, the Civil War, the 13th Amendment, the Emancipation Proclamation, his assassination, and other important periods and events in his Life. The reproduction artifacts on display, all modeled from originals in the Presidential Library and Museum, include: Lincoln’s favorite books; the nameplate from his Springfield home; his stovepipe hat; an axe that Lincoln used to chop wood; the bloody gloves found in Lincoln’s pocket the night of his assassination; and many other unique and interesting items.

Numerous events and speakers are planned to accompany the exhibit. An all-ages Spring Break with Lincoln is planned for Wednesday, April 8 from 1-3. Lincoln documentaries will be shown every Saturday in April beginning at noon in the museum. Two respected Lincoln scholars will also give keynote addresses as part of the exhibit - State Senator Tom George on Tuesday, April 21 at 7pm, and Dr. Bill Anderson on Thursday, April 23 at 7pm.

Abraham Lincoln, the son of a subsistence farmer, came of age during a dramatic transformation in America’s economic life. Like many of his contemporaries, he embraced a new emphasis on personal initiative, risk-taking, and ambition. He was only 22 when he left his family home to find his own way. After enduring a series of personal failures in business, he became a prosperous attorney, devoted husband and father, successful politician, and finally, the 16th President of the United States. While Lincoln benefited from close association with a number of powerful friends, his own talents and ambitions combined with hard work and a dedication to self-improvement to produce a unique American specimen – the self-made man.

The traveling exhibit is being displayed in 40 public libraries and historical societies over the next two years. Coloma is the only Michigan stop for the nation-wide tour. “Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America” was created to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of American’s greatest president by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The “We, the People” program of the National Endowment for the Humanities provided major financial support for the exhibition and accompanying programs. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and the History Channel provided additional financial and in-kind support.

For more information about the “Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America” events visit www.NorthBerrienHistory.org or call the North Berrien Historical Museum at 269-468-3330.