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The Lincoln Issue Lincoln to the Fore, and a Fond Farewell $5.00 KentuckyKentucky Humanities Council Inc. humanities The Lincoln Issue Lincoln to the Fore, and a Fond Farewell Dear Friends, Welcome to a special issue honoring Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday on February 12, 2009. We hope you’ll enjoy this collection of insightful articles that look at the great president and his legacy from a variety of perspectives. John E. Kleber writes of Lincoln with a constant view to his lifelong ties to Kentucky. Kleber’s article—“Shall Any Claim Come Before the Mother?”—is a superb overview of Lincoln’s life and career. In “A Power Trio,” James C. Klot- ter focuses on Lincoln’s relationship with two Lexingtonians who played major roles in his life, Henry Clay and Mary Todd. Jonathan Jeffrey recounts the fascinating stories of the many Lincoln memorials that have arisen in Kentucky over the past hundred years—and are still rising—in “Now He Belongs to the Ages.” Slavery was the issue that dominated American politics during the Lincoln era. From Karolyn Smardz Frost we get “Flight to Freedom,” the amazing story of Thornton and Lucie Blackburn, whose bold flight from slavery in Kentucky ended in Canada.There, as Kentucky slave catchers tried to reach across the border to drag them back, the Blackburns made legal history.Their case turned Canada into the runaway slave’s promised land. And there’s more to discover, including a useful chronology of Lincoln’s life, the origins of Kentucky’s many Lincoln place names, and an essay on the conflicted legacy of Lincoln’s wartime rival, Jefferson Davis. The president of the Confederacy was a Kentuckian too—2008 is his bicentennial year. This special issue is just one of the ways the Humanities Council is celebrating the Lincoln bicentennial, and there’s big news about one of our other Lincoln programs: Our Lincoln, the musical and dramatic tribute that was such a smash in Lexington in February 2008, is on the way to Washington! We’ll present Our Lincoln at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on February 2, 2009. See page 48 for details—and tickets. Finally, some news about this magazine.This issue is my last as editor of Kentucky Humanities. After almost nineteen years of doing my best to help advance the noble goals of the Kentucky Humanities Council, I am moving on. Editing Kentucky Humanities has been a rare opportunity and a labor of love.Your compliments and encouragement—and constructive crit- icism—have been the best rewards an editor could hope for. My deepest thanks for your attention and support. Beginning with the April 2009 issue, Kentucky Humanities will be in the capable hands of the new editor, Julie Nelson Satterly. Julie is an outstanding journalist who comes to the Council from the world of newspapers, most recently as the editor and publisher of the Oldham Era. Read all about her on page 49. Now I’m off to join the rank and file of my favorite special interest group—the readers of Kentucky Humanities. Best wishes always, and happy reading. [email protected] www.kyhumanities.org KHC Board of Directors Chair: Page 6 Page 18 Page 34 William L. Ellison Jr. Louisville Vice Chair: The Lincoln Issue Ernestine M. Hall Louisville Secretary: John Michael Philipps Cincinnati Treasurer: Carole Beere Highland Heights Executive Committee: Kentucky Kristen Bale humanities Glasgow Pat Bradley Bronston Aristofanes Cedeno FEATURES Louisville Rebecca Eggers 41 Jefferson Davis at 200: Owensboro 6 Shall Any Claim Come Geoffrey A. Hall Before the Mother? Still No Respect? Lexington John Kleber writes that Abraham Lincoln’s Davis’s bicentennial is in 2008 Lynn T. Harpring Louisville ties to Kentucky were strong and lifelong. but, says John Coski, he’s in Kenneth R. Hixson Lincoln’s shadow again. Lexington 18 Flight to Freedom: Guy LaJeunesse The Blackburns’ Great Escape 30 A Lincoln Chronology Covington Brigitte LaPresto Karolyn Frost tells how Thornton A reader-friendly listing of the major Pikeville and Lucie Blackburn fled slavery, events in the life of Abraham Lincoln. Karen C. McDaniel and made history. Frankfort Reed Polk DEPARTMENTS Lexington 26 A Question of Timing Howard V. Roberts Pikeville Why did Lincoln wait so long to 2 Kentucky History Suzanne D. Rose issue the Emancipation Proclamation? and Travel Notes Owensboro Burrus Carnahan explains. A view of Lincoln from Bowling Green, William G. Scott and Robert Rennick on Lincoln place Frankfort Michelle Tooley 30 A Power Trio names. Berea James Klotter examines how Lincoln, Bob Willenbrink Morehead Henry Clay and Mary Todd influenced 48 The Council Pages Margie Kennedy Wilson each other. Our Lincoln goes to Washington. New Lexington members join our board and staff. Kenneth H. Wolf Murray 34 Now He Belongs to the Ages Staff Memorializing Abraham Lincoln Executive Director: Virginia G. Carter The number of Lincoln memorials, reports November 2008 Associate Director: Jonathan Jeffrey, is large and growing. www.kyhumanities.org Kathleen Pool Assistant Director: Charles Thompson © 2008 Kentucky Humanities Council ISSN 1554-6284 Kentucky Humanities is published in April & October by the Kentucky Humanities Council, Inc., 206 East Maxwell St., Lexington, KY 40508-2613 Assistant Director: Julie N. Satterly (859/257-5932). KHC is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C., and provides more than 500 public humanities programs for Kentuckians every year. Supporters of the Council’s programs receive Kentucky Humanities by Fiscal Officer: Steven Price mail. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the KHC Board and staff. For information on our very favorable advertising rates, please call Julie Satterly at 859/257-5932. Chautauqua Coordinator: Catherine Ferguson On the cover: Bust of Abraham Lincoln by Robert Berks. Photograph by Sid Webb. Editor Charles Thompson KENTUCKY HISTORY AND TRAVEL NOTES Josie Underwood’s father, whom she “The Philistines Are Upon Us” refers to as “Pa,” was Warner Under- wood, a prominent lawyer and politician In her Civil War diary, Josie Underwood of Bowling Green reflected who had served in the Kentucky legisla- Kentuckians’ dislike of Abraham Lincoln—and she was a Unionist. ture and the U.S. Congress. He was a staunch Unionist.Though he claimed an “antipathy” toward slavery, Underwood OHANNA Louise (Josie) Under- was either—only a part of the country wants owned slaves. He called himself an wood was born in 1840 to one of him and the sooner we separate forever from “advocate” of colonization in Liberia, JBowling Green’s wealthiest families. that part—the better for the South.”I was glad but did not free any of his slaves so that The Underwoods lived on a beautiful the dancing stopped his talk. It is plain to see they could emigrate to Africa. In the farm called Mt. Air. By the time she that the older—wiser people are for preserving presidential election of 1860, Under- began her diary in December 1860, Josie the Union in spite of their antagonism to Lin- wood campaigned hard for the Consti- was a reigning belle of Bowling Green. coln and his party—but it is dreadful to hear tutional Union Party ticket of John Bell Knowledgeable and outspoken, she how so many of the younger men talk—Mr. of Tennessee and Edward Everett of painted a vivid picture of the hardships Western advocates secession as a fundamental Massachusetts. Bell and Everett empha- and heartaches the Civil War visited principle for any free country—he and Mr. sized saving the Union and ignored the upon her prosperous town and its peo- Grafton are very fond of the expression, “A issue of slavery. ple. The Confederates were the first to secessionist per se.” In spite of this episode I occupy Bowling Green—that’s when never spent a pleasanter evening or attended April 13, 1861 Josie wrote that “the Philistines are upon so brilliant a party. Sister Fanny and Mr. Grider went in town us.” After the Confederates pulled out, to their home after dinner and when Pa the Union army moved in and stayed for Jan. 27, 1861 came from town he was grieved greatly to the duration of the war. They are organized as state guard but do not find the firing on Sumter had turned a The Union occupiers were even less hesitate to say—they will fight against the number of wavering people to secessionists, popular than the Confederates. Never- Union—I asked under what flag and Mr. for they argue now there is no chance of theless, Underwood was resolute in her Grafton said “A Banner with the Virginia saving the Union and right or wrong they support of the Union—and in her distaste motto ‘Sic Semper Tiramus [sic],’ on it and want to go with the South. But the for Abraham Lincoln, as the following your friend Lincoln for the prostrate figure staunchest and most prominent men in the comments from her diary make clear. In would please us best”—He knows I dislike Lin- town—are all determined still to stand by the first excerpt, she starts with what a coln as much as he does and speaks of him as the Union, and save the country from being secessionist said at a party. “your friend Lincoln” just to provoke me and broken up like South America—as is then laughs when I get excited—This is one of inevitable if the right of secession prevails— Jan. 1, 1861 the hard things for the Unionists to contend but oh! how they wish they had a less Ultra “How could Washington dream a Lincoln—a with—so many of them don’t approve Lin- partisan than Lincoln, at the head of the low born clod hopper, would ever be elected coln’s course and have to fight his extreme Government.
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