 The presidential library also offers a resource guide to help
teachers discuss Abraham Lincoln's famed speech with their students.
And students visiting in person will be able to take part in a
puzzle competition and join educational workshops.
"The Gettysburg Address may be turning 150 years old, but it
offers countless lessons for students today -- lessons about the
price of war, the power of words, the evils of slavery and much
more," said Eileen Mackevich, executive director of the Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. "We're happy to be able to
help teachers as they present those lessons to students across
America."
Lincoln delivered the address on Nov. 19, 1863, at the dedication
of a cemetery for soldiers killed in the horrible Battle of
Gettysburg. His brief speech, just 272 words, remains etched in the
nation's memory -- honoring the slain soldiers, challenging
Americans to remain firm and casting the Civil War as a struggle for
the nation's soul.
The Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is home to one of
just five copies of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln's own
handwriting. The institution plans a week of activities to celebrate
the 150th anniversary of the speech. Details are available at
www.GettysburgAddress150.com.
The events include an array of educational opportunities.
One webcast takes place Nov. 19, the anniversary of President
Lincoln's famed speech. James Cornelius, curator of the state of
Illinois' vast Lincoln Collection, will present "The Perfect
Tribute," a 20-minute film about the speech, and then take questions
from the live audience and from online participants. The one-hour
webcast begins at 11 a.m. Central time (noon in the Eastern and
Pacific time zones). It will be available at
http://multimedia.illinois.gov/hpa/hpa-live.asx.
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 The second webcast will be on Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. Central time (2
p.m. Eastern and Pacific). For this presentation, Cornelius will
team up with Claire Jerry, formerly a professor of rhetoric at
MacMurray College and now the curator of the Paul Findley Archive at
Illinois College. This webcast also will be available at
http://multimedia.illinois.gov/hpa/hpa-live.asx.
During the webcasts, questions can be emailed to
hpa.gettysburgaddress@illinois.gov or tweeted to
@ALPLM.
Educational workshops scheduled at the presidential library have
already filled up, but a
resource guide (PDF) for teachers is available online at
www.GettysburgAddress150.com. It includes lessons on
understanding the address, analyzing its language and having a
classroom conversation about its significance.
Schools will also get a chance to compete for bragging rights and
prizes early in November. A giant puzzle version of the speech's
text will be set up in the museum's main plaza, and groups of
students will race to assemble it properly. The competitions will
take place several times a day Nov. 5-7. Schools interested in
participating must register by Monday, Oct. 28. For information,
contact Carol Manning at
carol.manning@illinois.gov or Maureen Horstman at
maureen.horstman@illinois.gov.
[Text from
Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
file received from the
Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency]
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