Inside the Vault: Abraham Lincoln

Originally broadcast on November 12, 2020, this session of Inside the Vault: Highlights from the Gilder Lehrman Collection explores Gilder Lehrman Collection materials relating to the life of Abraham Lincoln, both before and after he became the sixteenth president. Keisha Rembert, Assistant Professor of Teacher Preparation at National Louis University, and Christopher Henry Young from Hamilton join our curators in discussing these rare documents. We look at what influenced Lincoln during his time as president and how his use of language at critical moments in American history helped heal the nation. 

Click here to download the slides from the presentation.

Classroom-ready resources for the documents presented

• A courtship letter from Abraham Lincoln to Mary Owens, 1837
• A speech fragment on slavery and the American government, ca. 1857–1858 
• A handwritten draft of the “House Divided” speech, ca. 1857–1858  
• A program from the Gettysburg dedication ceremony, 1863  
• An early printing of the Gettysburg Address, 1863  
• The Thirteenth Amendment

Use the timestamps below to jump to the documents you want to view

• A courtship letter from Abraham Lincoln to Mary Owens: 4:30–20:18
• The “House Divided” Speech: 22:00–31:45
• Speech fragment on slavery and the American government: 31:45–39:54
• The Gettysburg Address: 39:55–50:14
• The Thirteenth Amendment Resolution: 50:15–56:05