Abraham Lincoln, America's Greatest Political Orator

By Fred Nielsen

Public speaking was an essential part of Abraham Lincoln's political career. His debates with Stephen Douglas made him a national figure. His speeches as president -- especially the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address -- helped shape Americans' understanding of their country and chart a path toward reconciliation after the Civil War. Whether using humor, lawyer-like reason, or a Biblically-inspired prose that could verge on poetry, he was the nation's most eloquent president.

Abraham Lincoln: The Personal Side
By Spencer Davis
This is a Chautauqua-style program done in Lincoln costume. Davis uses Lincoln's departure from Springfield, Ill., as the occasion for Lincoln's reflections on his early life. 

The Great Body of the Republic: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Plains
By Kenneth Winkle
Abraham Lincoln considered the Great Plains important for America’s future. As president, however, Lincoln subordinated the interest of the Great Plains and the people who lived there because of his efforts to win the Civil War. Professor Winkle investigates how Lincoln’s wartime policies changed the history of the Great Plains forever and left an indelible impression on the lives and culture of the people who live here today.

Lincoln Lore and Legend
By Spencer Davis
Abraham Lincoln rarely discussed his personal feelings or details of his early life; but in this re-enactment in costume by Spencer Davis, Lincoln sets the record straight. Set in the 1860 election, Lincoln deals with political controversies, as well as rail-splitting legends, the Ann Rutledge affair and other personal issues.   

The Plains Tribes and the Homestead Act

By Nancy Gillis

While many tribes inhabited the immense tract of land called The Great Plains, interacting with their environment, neighboring tribes, and even European explorers and trappers for centuries, two decades prior to the American Civil War and the two decades following the Civil War brought tremendous changes due to increased tensions in the East and legislation enacted in Washington  – the Homestead Act of 1862.  Nancy Gillis will examine why and how these changes occurred on the Plains for the tribes  by looking at changes in foods, clothing, housing, family structure, gender roles, land control, and political relationships.