Theme of the Week - Abraham Lincoln

" Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Addres

This week's theme is Abraham Lincoln. He was our county's sixteenth president and a great man.. Here you will find ideas, links to activities, worksheets and lots more.

Here is what the American Embassy tells us:

Of all the presidents in the history of the United State, Abraham Lincoln is probably the one that Americans remember the best and with deepest affection. His childhood in the frontier of Indiana set the course for his character and motivation later in life. He brought a new honesty and integrity to the White House. He would always be remembered as "honest Abe." Most of all, he is associated with the final abolition of slavery. Lincoln became a virtual symbol of the American dream whereby an ordinary person from humble beginnings could reach the pinnacle of society as president of the country.

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Kentucky, and spent the first seven years of his life there. They were difficult years in which Thomas Lincoln, Abe's father tried to make a living as a carpenter and farmer. The Lincolns moved from farm to farm around Kentucky, until 1816, when the family left to settle in Indiana. The United States was still young, and the midwest was a wild, unsettled frontier. They stopped in the middle of a forest in Spencer County, Indiana. Neighbors were few and far away, and the family lived in a three-sided shelter until Abe's father cleared enough land and built a log cabin.

Abe and his sister helped with the heavy daily tasks that came with farming. He cleared the woods for farmland with his father, and became so skilled at splitting logs that neighbors settling into the Indiana territory paid him to split logs. At the time, he confessed that he did not really like manual labor. He wrote later that although he was very young, an axe was put into his hand, and he "was almost constantly handling that most useful instrument."

In his entire life, Abe was only able to go to school for a total of one year. This lack of education only made him hungry for more knowledge. His mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, influenced him in his quest for learning. Although she was completely uneducated and could not read or write, she encouraged her children to study by themselves. His beloved mother died when he was nine years old, The family was greatly saddened, and for a while lived almost in squalor. Two years later, however, Thomas Lincoln remarried. Abe's stepmother was also instrumental in encouraging him to read. He even travelled to neighboring farms and counties to borrow books. He was often found reading next to a pile of logs that he should have been splitting.

When he was older, Abe noticed that people loved to listen to stories. He began telling tall tales in the general store where he worked. Customers came and stayed when they knew he was there, just to hear him talk. The family moved once again, this time to Illinois. He began working in a store in the new capital of Springfield. His powers of speech soon helped him enter a new arena, that of politics and law. In 1834 he was elected into the House of Representatives and began studying to become a lawyer.

In 1839, he met his future wife Mary Todd. Coincidentally, she had been born in Kentucky, and her family had recently moved to Illinois. They had a long and unstable courtship, because Abe was indecisive about marrying. They finally exchanged their vows in Mary's home in November 1842. Abraham Lincoln began a long road to become the sixteenth president of the United States. He practiced law all across the state for the next few years, traveling far on horseback to different counties. I n 1847 he was elected into Congress, but his opinions did not ensure him a long stay there. He was vehemently against slavery and took stands on other controversial issues. He was not elected for a second term, so he returned to his law practice.

A few years later, slavery became a stronger issue, and more people were willing to abolish it. Lincoln joined the Republicans, a new political party that was opposed to slavery. The Republicans nominated him for the U.S. Senate in 1858, and in his acceptance speech, he stated:

"A house divided against itself cannot stand... This government cannot endure, permanently half-slave and half-free... I do not expect the Union to be dissolved. I do not expect the house to fall but I do expect it will cease to be divided. "

Abraham Lincoln's oratorical powers brought him to the attention of the nation. He challenged the Democratic nominee to the Senate to a series of debates. Using the simple language that he used to communicate with people all his life, he defeated Douglas in the debates but lost to him in the election.

Nominated by the Republican Party in 1860 as its candidate for the Presidency of the United States, Lincoln won by a small margin. But with his election, the country began the process of "dividing against itself." South Carolina had seceded from the Union before he was even inaugurated. Other states followed to form the Confederate States of America. The North and South were divided, and the Civil War began. The war was not only over the abolition of slavery, but also the rights of individual states to make their own choices on other issues.

The bloody Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania was the largest battle ever fought on American soil. On November 19, 1863, at a ceremony to establish Gettysburg as a national monument, Lincoln delivered what was to become one of the finest orations in American history, the Gettysburg Address. Yet just after he delivered it, there was polite applause, and reactions varied from indifference to disappointment. Edward Everett, ex-governor of Massachusetts, was the main speaker, and his speech had lasted for almost two hours. On his trip back to Washington, Lincoln himself said of his speech: "It was a flat failure. I am distressed about it. I ought to have prepared it with more care." But Edward Everett assured Lincoln saying: "I would be glad if I could flatter myself that I came near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes."

Activities:

1. (History,Geography)Get a United States map to use for this unit. Mark each of the places Lincoln lived or worked.
2. (Language Arts,History) Read a book about Abraham Lincoln. Read to younger children and show pictures of him. Talk about who he was and when he lived.
3. (Language Arts) Have the children make their own book of Abraham Lincoln. Use clipart and drawings.
4. (History, Art) Add him to the timeline. We make our own figures. Use this pattern to make your timeline look like a stovetop hat.
5. (Research, History,Civics.Art) Abraham Lincoln is honored in many ways. Research some of these ways. Look up the Lincoln Memorial .What does the 36 pillars stand for ? (Each state of the union when he died.) Make a poster showing ways he is honored.
6. (Math)Now is a good time to introduce pennies and the five dollar bill to younger children. Teach what these are worth. Make up word problems using them.
7. (Math) Learn to count by 5's using paper money. Little ones can use pennies as counters. How many pennies in a nickel? dime? quarter? How many ones in a five dollar bill ?
8. (Art) Make pencil rubbings of Abraham Lincoln by placing a piece of paper of the coins and rubbing with a pencil or crayon.
9. (History, Computer Skills) How much to you know about Abe Lincoln? Take this Quiz put together by a group of first graders to find out.
10. (Character study): Now is a good time to introduce young children the Civil War. Older children can read books on the subject. Talk about the reasons behind the war. What role did Lincoln play? Add the start and end of the war to your timeline.
11. (Language Arts, Character, History) What is a leader? What makes a good leader? Make a list of qualities that you think Abraham Lincoln had. Now read several of the books on Lincoln. Make a list of the good qualities he had as a leader.
12. (History, Critical thinking) Compare Washington and Lincoln. What qualities did they have that were the same? How were they lives the same or different? Do this Worksheet: Comparison Washington & Lincoln
13. (History, Art) Make a campaign poster for Lincoln .
14. (Bible, Character) Abraham Lincoln was known as "Honest Abe" and was a man of prayer. Why is honesty so very important? What does integrity mean? Find several Bible verses on honesty or lying and copy them in your best handwriting.
15. (Cooking. HomeEc) Make one of the recipes listed below .
16. (History, Music) Have the children listen to the song "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." It was written by Julia Ward Howe in 1861. What does this song mean? Add her to your timeline
17. )(History) Add Mary Todd Lincoln to your timeline. Find about her here: Mary Todd Lincoln Research Site .
18. (History, geography)On a map mark Lincolns birthplace as well as the places the various important events took place. Mark the major battles of the Civil War.
19. ((History, Careers, Language Arts) Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at the Ford Theater. What does it mean to be assassinated? Pretend you are a newspaper reporter and write a newspaper article covering the event. Here is a link to help you out.All about Lincoln's Assassination
20. ((History)Lincoln is given credit for freeing the slaves. What do you think being a slave was like. Read a book on slavery and then pretend you are the son or daughter of a slave and write a letter to a friend about your life.
21. (History, Art) Make a model of a log cabin liked Abe lived in as a boy.
22. (Field Trip, Math) Abe walked miles to get to a a book to learn. Plan a trip to your library. Keep track of your mileage or distance. Would you be willing to walk that far just for a book? What would twice as far be? Would you walk that far?

Worksheets & Coloring Pages:

• Civil War Worksheets
• Lincoln Worksheets
• Worksheets on Lincoln
• Abe Lincoln Crossword Puzzle
• Lincoln as a boy
• Lincoln's Cabin
• Lincoln Memorial
• Lincoln Family Portrait
• Mary Todd Lincoln
• Abraham Lincoln - A coloring page of President Lincoln
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• Civil War Coloring Book

Food Fun

• Hardtack
• More Civil War recipes

Books to read:

• Just Like Abraham Lincoln written and illustrated by Bernard Waber
• Lincoln on God and Country by Gordon Leidne
• Lincoln, Prairie Lawyer by John J. Duff;
• Lincoln Runs for Congress by Donald W. Riddle.
• reading David A. Adler's book, A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln
• Abraham Lincoln, A Man for All the People , a ballad by Myra Coln Livingston
• Russell Freedman. Lincoln: A Photobiography. This Newberry award
• Susan Dye Lee. Heroes of the Civil War: Abraham Lincoln
• Jim Murphy. The Long Road to Gettysburg
• Beatty, P. (1997). Charley Skedaddle.
• Burchhard, P. (1967). Jed: The Story of a Yankee Soldier and a Southern Boy.
•     Fleishman, P. (1993). Bull Run.
• Gauch, P. L. (1975). Thunder at Gettysburg.
• Hunt, I. (1964). Across Five Aprils.
• Keith, H. (1957). Rifles for Watie.
• Reeder, C. (1989). Shades of Gray.
• Winter, J. (1988). Follow the Drinking Gourd.
• Boatner, III, M. M. (1988). The Civil War Dictionary.
• Catton, B. (1956). This Hallowed Ground: The Story of the Union Side of the Civil War.
• Catton, B. (Ed.). (1958) The Battle of Gettysburg.
• Catton, B. (Ed.). (1961). The Golden Book of the Civil War.
• Commager, H. S. (1950). The Blue and the Grey: The Story of the Civil War as Told by Participants. I
• Davis, B. (1960). The Civil War: Strange and Fascinating Facts.
• Long, E. B. (1971). The Civil War Day by Day
• Massey, M. E. (1966). Women in the Civil War.
• Stern, P. V. D. (1959). Secret Missions of the Civil War.
• Trudeau, N. A. (1998). Like Men of War.
• Wiley, B.I. (1999). The Life of Billy Yank.

Copyright - Belinda Mooney

Some coloring sheets and graphics copyright www.arttoday.com Used with permission.