It was almost a spiritual journey for me. I have studied Lincoln, informally, since I was a child. Sure, I know that he was born and raised in a one-room cabin in Kentucky. I know that he studied law and passed the bar. I know he married Mary Todd and had four sons. Of course, I know that he was the Commander In Chief during the Civil War, wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, and was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.
Today, I experienced the history for real. I saw those places, I heard those speeches, I felt those bitter moments, and I touched that piece of history. And I wept. It was an overwhelming experience, at times.
The Lincoln Museum is awesome. It was opened in 2005 and, if you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend going. It is quite an experience. There are so many pictures, so much information, so many things to see and so many things to do. There are movies that will stir the emotions of the coldest heart. There are facts that have to be read to be believed.
There is so much history. And such a connection, too.
There is one corridor that particularly got to me. In it, on the walls, are reproductions of political cartoons of the day. There are voices, coming out of the speakers in the ceilings. And, from the next room, there is music. Haunting music.
I was unable to keep from weeping: the political cartoons were vicious. Caricatures of Lincoln. Accusations, ridicule, and public humiliation. The voices overhead were saying awful things: lynch Lincoln! He's a liar, a thief and crazy...
Pictures of Civil War soldiers. Horrible pictures that illustrate the horrors of war. Pictures of Lincoln in 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, and 1865. He ages with each new picture. His facial expression is somber, his eyes are full of hurt and concern, and the lines on his face become deeper and deeper.
Touring his home, I saw the little desk where he sat and wrote his inauguration speech, and perhaps, the Emancipation Declaration. I felt the heaviness in the house. The heavy burden that was on his shoulders when he won the Presidential election. He knew that the country was bitterly divided and that his election divided the country even more.
He believed that his election was the reason for the Civil War. He knew that many, many people hated him. Political cartoons made fun of him for “sneaking” into Washington after his election: he feared assassination before he had been able to accomplish anything of value.
Over a million combatants died in the Civil War. And many more civilians. The country nearly lost everything that was gained by our Founding Fathers. On a personal level, Lincoln suffered through his wife's mental illness, the death of two of his young sons, and the sense of responsibility for the Civil War.
And yet, what I got out of this day was hope. Hope that we can do the same today. Hope that we can turn things around in this country and get back on the right track. Hope that the Founding Fathers were right, and that all of us have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
And one more thing: a deeper respect for Mr. Abraham Lincoln....
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