Andrew Ferguson, author of Land of Lincoln, recounts in the video above, some of the zany, and touching, ways in which people recall our 16th President. You get a lot of both when you live in Illinois! For example, if you see a bust or a statue of Lincoln you rub his nose for luck. At the U of I at Champaign-Urbana, Lincoln Hall has a bust of Lincoln with a very shiny nose as generations of Illini taking tests have sought any help they could get!
Lincoln is unusual in American history in that he is not a figure relegated to the history books. Slavery and the Civil War remain touchy points, 150 years later, in the American psyche, and empassioned debates about Lincoln have raged in this country since 1860. (more…)
Donald R. McClarey
Paul Zummo
Almost Chosen People 