Coinciding with the October 17 opening of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center’s new exhibit, “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War,” we interviewed historian Eric Foner about the 16th President’s legacy and meaning to contemporary audiences.  Foner, a widely published and respected professor of history at Columbia University, will be at the Freedom Center on October 16 to discuss Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction, his masterful account of the triumph and tragedy of post-Civil War America’s period of Reconstruction.

Foner, whose classroom lectures at Columbia are highly popular, spoke at length on several topics.

Lincoln — the Myth and the Reality

Foner takes the long view of President Abraham Lincoln, and he urges others to do the same. “It is always a mistake when considering Lincoln to take one moment, one speech or one letter and say ‘here’s the essential Lincoln,” Foner explained. “He grew and changed throughout his life and career and that’s the essence of his greatness.  That’s the Lincoln I see.  He grew into the role that history thrust upon him.”

The myths that have built up around Lincoln over many generations, Foner believes, obscure the fact that he was a character of many dimensions:  a politician, a self-taught lawyer, a bedrock Midwesterner with provincial views about race and equality, but also a figure of towering historical importance, whose clear-eyed focus on preserving the Union saved the fledgling United States experiment with representative democracy while also leading the way to the abolition of slavery.

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As the nation gears up for the bicentennial celebration of Abraham Lincoln, people want to know more about our 16th President — details about his life, his family, his beliefs, etc.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of Lincoln history to explore, and museums and cultural centers across the country will be devoting exhibits, lectures and programs about one of history’s most fascinating and enigmatic figures.

Cincinnati is no exception.  For example, on October 17, the Freedom Center is opening a new exhibit, called Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War, which explores the political strategies Lincoln employed to abolish slavery, oversee Civil War military strategy and uphold the Constitution, sometimes at the expense of preserving civil liberties.  Supplementing the exhibit, the Freedom Center is hosting lecture by historian Eric Foner (on Oct. 16), and writers Lerone Bennett (Nov. 6) and Roger Billings (Nov. 7).

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“Americans Who Tell the Truth” is a non-partisan series of portraits by Brooksville (Maine) artist Rob Shetterly. His portraits of past and current Americans form a travelling exhibit(s) that is hosted by schools, universities, churches, and various community groups around the country.

The individuals portrayed cover a wide spectrum of historical and contemporary figures, from Abraham Lincoln to Rosa Parks, and Rachel Carson to Emma Goldman. The portraits are intended to remind people of the dignity, courage and importance of some of America’s truth tellers and to create dialogue that will help each of us figure out which truths we value most as citizens in a democracy.

“Americans Who Tell the Truth” currently includes well more than 100 portraits. Images of the persons portrayed may be found at www.americanswhotellthetruth.org

For the Freedom Center exhibition, the show will be divided into three themes: Women, 60s and New Generation, Expanding our View of Freedom. Prior to the opening, on May 22, Shetterly appeared at the Freedom Center to talk about his portraits.

Click here for more information about visiting the Freedom Center