The 10 facts you may not have known about Abraham Lincoln
1. What accusation was made against Abraham Lincoln
and Barack Obama individually by their opponents while running for
public office?
A. Their Christianity was attacked in the campaigns.
Lincoln during his run for Congress was called an "infidel"
and Barack Obama was mistakenly labeled Muslim.
2. What do "Mary had a Little Lamb", Abraham
Lincoln and Thanksgiving have in common?
A: Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote "Mary's Lamb", better known
today as "Mary Had a Little Lamb", in the September, 1830,
issue of Juvenile Miscellany. Sarah Josepha Hale, in 1863 was a national
magazine editor, and wrote a letter to Lincoln urging a "day
of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival."
Lincoln affixed his seal to the proclamation on October 3, 1863 setting
the Thanksgiving holiday, although the draft was written by Secretary
of State William Seward.
3. Did Abraham Lincoln arrange for his mother's funeral
service?
A. Lincoln wrote to travelling minister, Daniel Elkin
to come and say a few words over his mother's grave. Nancy Hanks dies
in October of 1815. In the spring, a small religious ceremony was
held over her grave.
4.. Was the state of the one's soul after death a matter
that Lincoln was concerned with?
A. This was a topic that Lincoln discussed at great
length with his religious advisors. It was after the death of his
son, Willie, that Lincoln become more focused on the topic.
5. What was Lincoln's response when he became aware
that his generals in the army thought he lacked proper understanding
of military procedures and strategy?
A. Lincoln withdrew every book in the Library of Congress
on military strategy and consistent with how he read every book, he
memorized them cover to cover.
6. What two things did Abraham Lincoln want to achieve
in his presidency?
A. Lincoln wanted to eliminate slavery and also wanted
to prohibit the sale of alcohol for consumption. It was sixty years
later that Prohibition was made law and eventually that law was repealed.
7.. Where did Lincoln want to live after his Presidency
ended?
A. Lincoln wanted to move to California at the end of
his Presidency as he felt moving to a "frontier" area would
offer greater opportunity for his sons as they grew into adults.
8. When Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address was there
concern for his health?
A. Lincoln was feeling ill and had "varioloid",
a mild case of smallpox. The President was ill for the following three
weeks. On hearing the diagnosis, Lincoln quipped, " Finally I
have something I can give everybody."
9. How many family portraits were taken of the Lincoln
family?
No family portrait of the Lincoln's was taken, as far as is known.
The only family member who was in a photograph with Lincoln was his
son, "Tad". There are no photographs of Mrs. and President
Lincoln together, although Lincoln's first photograph was taken in
Springfield at the same sitting as a separate photograph of his wife
was taken.
10 . Lincoln holds what distinction in regard to the United States
Patent Office?
Abraham Lincoln is the only United States President to have been granted
a patent by the U.S. Patent Office.
In what has been called a substantial contribution to
the history of photography, of colorization, and of Lincoln iconography,
for the first time, a full-color collection of one hundred and twenty
photos of President Lincoln has been published in the Color of Lincoln
(ISBN 978-0-615-23168-6).
The book publication by Color of Lincoln Publishing in San Jose, California
and http://www.ColorOfLincoln.com coincides with the national celebration
of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial year. This summer, original color
photographs from the Color of Lincoln were accepted into the Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library collection in Springfield, Illinois.
The photos represent a five year effort by author Bryan
Eaton to digitally color enhance the Abraham Lincoln photographic
collection.
On February 12, 2008 additional use of two photos from
the Color of Lincoln collection were reproduced on the only memorabilia
made for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Inaugural event.
The book departs from the typical chronology of Lincoln's
life found in most books and presents a character profile of Abraham
Lincoln, the truly American President from the view of his contemporaries
as well as the words of Lincoln. The deeply rooted religious nature
of Abraham Lincoln from youth to Presidency is chronicled as well
as answering the question of his belief in an afterlife. The reader
is taken to Gettysburg to experience Lincoln in the moment as he visits
the great battleground and gives one of the most famous speeches of
all time. The often stormy marriage between Abraham Lincoln and Mary
Todd is explored looking at the root causes of the rough treatment
Lincoln endured from his wife. The President's embrace of the new
technology of photography as a tool for public relations is detailed.
Finally, the last day of Lincoln's life is recounted from the view
of the many eyewitnesses to the events of Good Friday, 1865, the day
of the assassination.
