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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Lincoln's Inaugural Journey Being Re-enacted |
| 2011-02-12 |
| The National Park Service is sponsoring programming that will commemorate the 150 anniversary of President-elect Abraham Lincoln's trip from Springfield, Illinois to Washington, DC, on February 11-23, 2011, by revisiting sixteen cities and towns at which Lincoln made remarks. Those cities include Springfield, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Cincinnati, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio; Westfield, New York; Buffalo, New York; Albany, New York; Peekskill, New York; New York, New York; Trenton, New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Maryland; and, Washington, DC. The programming will feature acclaimed Lincoln actor Fritz Klein, who will present what Lincoln said in each community as he tried to reassure a nation on the verge of Civil War. I hope Rantburgers with grandchildren who live nearby will get them to attend a local event. It was a time when real serious issues were dealt with seriously. 150 years ago yesterday, the President-elect had this to say before departing on his one-way trip to the capital: My friends, no one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of the Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you, and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell. Between 2-5% of Americans living on this date in 1861 would die due to the Civil War about to break out. |
| Posted by:Anguper Hupomosing9418 |
| #6 Moose, they did that in 1994, and broadcast the debates on C-SPAN. Look through the search results. |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2011-02-12 14:24 |
| #5 Don't know if this'll fly. Too much "Divine Being"...stuff. Abe doesn't come off as being very "Hopey-Changey". |
| Posted by: tu3031 2011-02-12 11:59 |
| #4 Casey Joe Biden will sure give it a shot. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2011-02-12 11:48 |
| #3 While the value of this could be questioned (budget deficit and all), now that the precedent has been set, look for Bambi's 'Me,too" tour. Only this one will be much more expensive; its hard to get trains to float all the way from Kenya to Hawaii. |
| Posted by: USN,Ret 2011-02-12 11:01 |
| #2 What would be far more informative would be to get some serious actors to reenact the Lincoln-Douglas debates. These were seven debates held in Illinois, which focused on the slavery issue. As such they are an essential historical document. "The debates in Freeport, Quincy and Alton drew especially large numbers of people from neighboring states, as the issue of slavery was of monumental importance to citizens across the nation. "Newspaper coverage of the debates was intense. Major papers from Chicago sent stenographers to create complete texts of each debate, which newspapers across the United States reprinted in full, with some partisan edits. "After losing the election for Senator in Illinois, Lincoln edited the texts of all the debates and had them published in a book. The widespread coverage of the original debates and the subsequent popularity of the book led eventually to Lincoln's nomination for President of the United States by the 1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago." "The format for each debate was: one candidate spoke for 60 minutes, then the other candidate spoke for 90 minutes, and then the first candidate was allowed a 30-minute "rejoinder." Each of the debates could be put on a DVD, with historical background added, and make a heck of a set, though whether anyone would care to watch them is questionable. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-02-12 10:03 |
| #1 I'm sure the US Mint will market 100 gazillion utterly worthless for their collectible value commemorative coins for the occasion. |
| Posted by: NCMike 2011-02-12 08:27 |