The following is an excerpt from a column by University of Illinois Springfield Director of Engagement and Curator of The Sangamon Experience Anne Moseley. This column appeared in The State Journal-Register on March 27, 2021.
The life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln has been shared by friends, family and historians for generations. Scholars have sought out every manuscript, artifact, and oral history passed down from those who knew him. Politicians have referred to his legacy for guidance, and people from all over the world regard him as a great individual. To this day, he is the second most written about individual in the world.
Lincoln remains a person to be studied, and there is certainly more to discover about his life and the people whose lives he influenced and the lives of those who influenced him. Lincoln lived during a difficult time in our nation’s history; his choices, the good and the bad, made him into the Great Emancipator. Many of those choices were made here in Illinois.
In an article published by this newspaper on Jan. 2, Dr. Temple said, "We think we know a lot about him, but yet there are things we're not really sure about." Lincoln remains a person of interest, even to historians who are still learning about him.
The Center for Lincoln Studies, which officially opened Feb. 12 at UIS, will provide activities related to the study of Lincoln, Springfield, the state of Illinois and the nation during the period from 1800-1876, and to his impact on the modern period. Through education, research and outreach, the Center will provide students, faculty, scholars and the public with opportunities to understand the life and times of the 16th president and his continued influence on our world. While there are various public and private groups that study or have studied this period, our university will be the first public university center in Illinois devoted to Lincoln studies.