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 The project, which aims to publish every document
written by or to Abraham Lincoln, was awarded up to $350,000 by the
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and $87,125 by the
National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
“These grants show that experts in the field are confident the
Papers of Abraham Lincoln is on the right path to fulfill its
important mission,” said Alan Lowe, executive director of the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “In the past few
years, we have overhauled the project, hired an excellent director
and begun publishing rare Lincoln documents online.”
In 2018, the project launched its digital platform,
www.papersofabraham
lincoln.org, by releasing edited, annotated versions of every
known Lincoln document from his birth in 1809 to the end of his
legislative career in 1842. The site gives everyone access to
documents from archives and private collections around the world.
“This project will make more Lincoln information available to more
people than ever before,” said Dr. Daniel Worthington, who took over
as director of the Papers in 2018. “We are grateful to the National
Endowment for the Humanities and the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission for supporting this effort and
recognizing the progress we’ve made.”
The grants will allow the project to continue its important work and
add staff.
The NHPRC provided the full $87,125 requested by the Papers – the
first time the project has ever gotten 100 percent funding from the
commission.
The grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities includes
$150,000 in direct funding and up to $200,000 over three years to
match funds raised by the presidential library’s foundation.
“The foundation is grateful to both the NEH and NHPRC
for their generous continued support of the Papers of Abraham
Lincoln. These grants greatly assist this vital project in
continuing to make papers either written by or to our 16th president
accessible to the public,” said Dr. Carla Knorowski, CEO of the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation. “Working together
with our generous donors and the Papers of Abraham Lincoln, we are
confident this new NEH grant will be successfully matched, as have
previous grants of this magnitude and scope.”
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The Papers of Abraham Lincoln is a documentary editing project
dedicated to identifying, imaging, transcribing, annotating and publishing
online all documents written by or to Abraham Lincoln during his lifetime
(1809-1865). It includes biographies of people mentioned in the correspondence
and huge amounts of related background materials.
Scholars praise the project.
"There are thousands of new Lincoln documents now accessible to the general
public. But for scholars, what is most impressive is that PAL has uncovered
dozens of incredibly important political letters, especially from Lincoln's
pre-presidential career, that have the potential to change the way we describe
his leadership style and even the narrative of his rise to political power,"
said Matthew Pinsker, author of “Boss Lincoln” and a historian at Dickinson
College.
Ronald C. White, author of the best-selling biography “A. Lincoln,” said: “As I
work on my next book, ‘Abraham Lincoln’s Diary,’ it would not be possible
without the greatly expanded scope the Papers of Abraham Lincoln project
provides to both scholars and the general public. The opportunity to review
Lincoln’s incoming correspondence again and again places what we thought we knew
about a particular Lincoln letter in a new light. I am impressed and grateful
for the professionalism of the Papers staff. Count me as an advocate and a fan.”
The next series of documents covers the period from Lincoln leaving the Illinois
legislature to the end of his single term in Congress. It includes a letter that
led to Lincoln being challenged to a duel, his first message by telegraph and
his “spot” resolutions in Congress that questioned the legitimacy of the Mexican
War.
The material – 464 documents by or to Lincoln and 3,372 background documents –
will be published in weekly installments at
www.papersof abrahamlincoln.org
over the next year.
The Presidential Library and Museum uses a combination of rigorous scholarship
and high-tech showmanship to immerse visitors in the life and times of Abraham
Lincoln. Visitors can see ghosts come to life on stage, watch TV coverage of the
1860 presidential election, roam through the Lincoln White House, experience
booming cannons in a Civil War battle and come face to face with priceless
original Lincoln artifacts.
The Library holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln books, documents,
photographs, artifacts and art, as well as some 12 million items pertaining to
all aspects of Illinois history.
For more information, visit
www. PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov.
[Christopher Wills] |
