History A421: Lincoln at 200/Fall 2009/Dr

History A421: Lincoln at 200/Fall 2009/Dr. Morgan Office: CA 504N Email: [email protected] Office Telephone: 317-278-9020 Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 9-10 a.m. and 3-4 p.m. and by appointment

Required Readings: David Herbert Donald. Lincoln. Simon and Schuster, 1996 ISBN 978-0684825359 Edward Steers, Jr. Lincoln Legends. The University Press of Kentucky, 2007 ISBN 978- 0813124667 William E. Bartelt. “There I Grew Up”. Indiana Historical Society Press, 2008 ISBN 978-0871952639 Other readings provided by the instructor

The instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus at any time.

Course Description: The 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth is the perfect time to explore his life and the creation of the mythic Lincoln. Students will read both scholarly and popular works about Lincoln’s life, view films about Lincoln, and study how museums, historic sites, and art interpret his life.

Course Objectives: Students will: analyze and debate the moral, ethical, and political dilemmas faced by Lincoln during the Civil War; understand the role of slavery and the territories in Lincoln’s personal life and in his political life; analyze the myths that have been created about Lincoln to understand how, why, and when they were created and how they have been perpetuated; understand how historians analyze primary sources and create historical narrative; examine the public representations of Lincoln in art and popular culture and determine how we have integrated Lincoln into our current society; write short papers to develop written communication and analytical thinking skills; and look at Lincoln’s effect on their own lives. These objectives are consistent with several of the goals enunciated in IUPUI’s “Principles of Undergraduate Learning” especially those concerning “understanding society and culture” and “core communication and quantitative skills.”

Attendance: Attendance is required and will be taken at every class meeting. Consistent attendance will be used to determine borderline grades. Further, material covered in lecture is not necessarily covered in the required readings. Attendance at every class meeting will result in a better grade.

Classroom procedures: Please arrive on time. If you must arrive late, please enter the room quietly. Place all cell phones on vibrate or turn them off for the duration of the class. Please do not leave class early for other appointments. Careful listening and note taking are important life skills. Therefore, no tape recorders are allowed without special permission by the instructor. If you must use a lap top computer you must sit in the front of the room.

1 Cheating and plagiarism: Don’t do it. You will earn a zero on the work in question. We will discuss plagiarism on the first day of class. The IUPUI student code of conduct is found at http://life.iupui.edu/help/code.asp

Other Services: If you have difficulties that might require accommodation for completion of the class, please contact me and Adaptive Educational Services in Taylor Hall (UC 137) or at [email protected]. The staff can arrange assistance. The Student Advocate Office can guide you to departments and people, familiarize your with university policy and procedures, and give you guidance on a wide variety of problems. It is located in the Campus Center, Room 350 or at [email protected]

Grading: All students will complete 11 quizzes. The study questions for the quizzes are part of this syllabus. The lowest quiz score will be dropped. Students will also complete an analysis of three films about Lincoln and an analysis of our local Lincoln sculptures. More details about these assignments are included in the syllabus.

Assignments: 1 analysis of Lincoln films 200 10 quizzes @ 50 each 500 1 sculpture analysis 100 Total Points 800 Grading Scale: A+ = 800-773; A=772-747; A-=746-720; B+=719-693; B=692-667; B- =666-640; C+=639-613; C=612-587; C-=586-560; D+=559-533; D=532-507; D-=506- 480; F=479. A zero has a greater negative impact on your final grade than at least some attempt to complete an assignment. Makeup quizzes are strongly discouraged. Makeup quizzes WILL NOT be taken from the study guide which is part of this syllabus. No makeup quiz will be given without documentation proving an extreme emergency. Documentation includes doctors’ forms, funeral excuse forms/memorial cards, accident reports, and similar verifiable papers. The instructor reserves the right to refuse to grant a makeup quiz if the documentation is not presented or is deemed invalid. If a makeup quiz is approved it must be completed within one week of the original quiz. The film analysis and the sculpture analysis are due on the dates listed in the syllabus. Late papers will lose five points for every day they are late. Incompletes are given only in extreme emergencies and only if 75% of the coursework has been completed (as per guidelines established by the School of Liberal Arts). It is not fair to the rest of the class to request extra time to complete the work.

Schedule of Classes:

August 27: Introduction to the Course

September 1: Herndon’s Informants/The Historiography of Lincoln September 3: The Historiography of Lincoln Read: Lincoln Legends Chapters 1 and 2

2 QUIZ

September 8: Past Celebrations September 10: Lincoln’s Boyhood in Indiana Read: There I Grew Up QUIZ

September 15: Lincoln in Illinois Read: Lincoln Legends Chapters 3, 4, and 5 QUIZ September 17: Lincoln in Illinois Read: Lincoln Chapters 2-7 QUIZ

September 22: Was Lincoln Gay? Read: Lincoln Legends Chapter 10 “Did Abraham Lincoln Sleep with His Bodyguard” (on Oncourse) The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln, Chapter 1 (on Oncourse) “We are Lincoln Men” Chapter 2 (on Oncourse) QUIZ September 24: William Bartelt class visit and public lecture

September 29: Abraham and Mary Read: Lincoln Legends Chapter 6 Lincoln pp. 85-95, 155-9, 273-5, 309-12, 324-5, 336-8, 540-70 QUIZ October 1: The “anti-Lincolns”

October 6: Lincoln in Sculpture October 8: Visit the 2 Lincoln sculptures in downtown Indianapolis

October 13: Lincoln/Race/Slavery Read: Lincoln Chapter 8 Sculpture paper due October 15: Lincoln/Race/Slavery Read: Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln’s White Dream Chapters 1 and 2 (on Oncourse) Did Lincoln Own Slaves? Chapter 9 (on Oncourse) Lincoln pp. 363-69, 373-84

October 20: Lincoln/Race/Slavery QUIZ October 22: Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis: Two Men from Kentucky

October 27: Secession and Treason Read: Lincoln pp. 267-70, 285-94

3 The Real Lincoln Chapter 5 (on Oncourse) QUIZ

October 29: Visit the Indiana State Museum to discuss their Lincoln collection

November 3: Lincoln and Civil Liberties Read: Lincoln pp. 303-5, 419-20, 441-3 The Fate of Liberty, Introduction, Chapter 6 (on Oncourse) The Real Lincoln, Chapters 6 and 7 (on Oncourse) Class handout November 5: Lincoln and Civil Liberties QUIZ

November 10: Gettysburg Read: Lincoln, pp. 460-66 Lincoln Legends Chapters 8 and 9 QUIZ November 12: Assassination Read: Lincoln Legends Chapters 11-14 Lincoln Chapter 21 QUIZ

November 17: Lincoln on Stage, Film, and TV November 19: Lincoln Film

November 24: Lincoln Film November 26: NO CLASS THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

December 1: Lincoln Film December 3: Lincoln Film

December 8: Lincoln Film December 10: Lincoln Film

December 15 1 PM Film Analysis Due at My Office----May turn in earlier

Study/Quiz Questions

September 3: Who lived in the Lincoln birthplace cabin now on display? How do you know? Who was Lincoln’s father? How do you know?

September 10: Describe four important events that happened while Lincoln lived in Indiana. How have people used these events to create part of the Lincoln myth?

4 September 15: Describe Lincoln’s relationship with Ann Rutledge. Be sure to include the reality and the myth. Why do you think this myth was created? Was Lincoln baptized? How do you know?

September 17: These chapters deal with Lincoln’s years in Illinois. Describe one major political event in which he participated and one major legal case he argued during those years. How would those affect his later life?

September 22: Was Lincoln gay? Make your argument based on the class readings.

September 29: What was Mary Lincoln like? Why do people love to hate her?

October 20: What were Lincoln’s views on race and slavery? Did they change over the years? What is the current controversy over the Emancipation Proclamation? What is your point of view on the controversy?

October 27: Did Lincoln believe secession was legal? Why? How did he handle the Fort Sumter crisis?

November 5: Lincoln has been criticized most severely for his actions regarding civil liberties during the war. What did he do? Evaluate the constitutional and ethical issues he faced.

November 10: What are the myths and what is the reality concerning the Gettysburg address?

November 12: What are the myths of the Lincoln assassination? Why do they exist? Is there a difference in the importance of these myths now as opposed to closer to the time of the assassination?

Assignments:

Analysis of Lincoln Sculptures Papers Due October 13

Papers will be typed, double-spaced with 12 point font and one-inch margins on all sides of the paper including the top of the first sheet---large headings on the first sheet are unnecessary and waste paper. Papers must be at least 5 pages in length and may be as long as the student deems necessary.

Indianapolis is lucky to be the home of two Lincoln sculptures. One, Henry Herring’s Lincoln (1934) is located at the southeast corner of University Park, downtown near the War Memorial, and across the street from the Indianapolis Star. The other, David K. Rubins’ Young Abe Lincoln (1963), is located at the Indiana Government Center South by the north entrance. For this paper you will need to visit both sculptures. You will be given a day away from the classroom to accomplish this since both are within walking

5 distance of IUPUI and the assignment is early enough in the semester that you will hopefully have a clear, crisp fall day for your walk—who knows, you might even run into your instructor! Information about each work, the artist, and the artist’s motivation for the piece, will be distributed in class.

For your paper, first tell me about the pieces and the artists based on the class handouts. Describe the sculptures. Second, relate these pieces to the others we discussed in class— especially Paul Manship’s Lincoln the Hoosier Youth at Fort Wayne and Daniel Chester French’s Seated Lincoln, otherwise known as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Look for similarities and differences in execution, style, and impact on those who see the works—including yourself. Are the Indiana sculptures placed where Hoosiers can readily enjoy them? Are they appropriate for the location? Did you notice anyone (other than a classmate) enjoying the works on the day you visited? Do the artists portray the “real” Lincoln? Are they part of the creation of the mythical Lincoln? What do you think would be an appropriate sculpture/monument of Lincoln for Indiana?

Analysis of Lincoln Films Papers are due in my office on Tuesday, December 15 by 1 p.m.

This paper will take the place of a final examination. In this paper you will demonstrate your command of the real Lincoln and the mythic Lincoln.

Papers will be typed, double-spaced with 12 point font and one-inch margins on all sides of the paper including the top of the first sheet---large headings on the first sheet are unnecessary and waste paper. Papers must be at least 7 pages in length and may be as long as the student deems necessary.

We will view three movies which contributed to the Lincoln myth: Abraham Lincoln, directed by D.W. Griffiths (his first talkie) and released in 1930, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, directed by Robert E. Sherwood and released in 1938, and Young Mr. Lincoln, directed by John Ford and released in 1939. Abraham Lincoln is still the only feature film which covers Lincoln’s entire life. Abe Lincoln in Illinois covers his life in Illinois as does Young Mr. Lincoln although it also specifically focuses on Lincoln’s defense of a man suspected of murder.

Your assignment is to watch the movies in class and look for these items: First, look for historical accuracies and inaccuracies. Tell me about these in your paper. What does the movie present as fact which you have learned in class is not fact. Where does the filmmaker “stretch the truth” for the sake of the story? Second, look at the film from the point of view of the creation of the Lincoln myth. How does the film contribute to the mythic Lincoln? How is Lincoln’s character changed or polished? Does factual information also contribute to the creation of the myth? Once you have covered these facets in your paper, you can also relate whether or not you liked the movies, but this should not be the major thrust of your paper.

6 Be sure to use the books from this class to support your arguments and to use footnotes or endnotes as appropriate. (We will discuss this in class. If you do not know how to use your word processor to create footnotes or endnotes you need to learn how to do so.)