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Wisconsin Public Radio

THE PRESIDENT FROM ILLINOIS

Program 09-02-08-A

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He was born in a log cabin, taught himself to read, became a lawyer, debated Stephen Douglass, and was elected President. He led our country through a bloody Civil War, freed the slaves, reuinted North and South and, at the height of his success, was assassinated. Abraham Lincoln is an American legend. But how much do we really know about the man behind the myth. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, debating Lincoln. We celebrate the 200th birthday of "Honest Abe" with a fresh look at the man, the myth and what he means today.

SEGMENT 1:

Historian Orville Vernon Burton tells Jim Fleming about the parallels between Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama. He thinks the men and their times have a lot in common. Burton is the author of "The Age of Lincoln." And we hear voxpops from visitors and staff at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

SEGMENT 2:

We hear a montage of political advertising from the presidential election of 1860. And, Doris Kearns Goodwin talks with Jim Fleming about her best-selling biography, "Team of Rivals." And we hear more voxpops about lessons President Obama might draw from this aspect of President Lincoln's experience. Also, Harvard University historian John Stauffer talks with Steve Paulson about whether or not Lincoln was a racist. Stauffer is the author, most recently, of "Giants: the Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln."

SEGMENT 3:

Historian and president of Harvard University, Drew Gilpin Faust tells Steve Paulson that Civil War deaths consumed the entire nation with grief and transformed America in many ways. Her book is called "The Republic of Suffering." Also, Sarah Vowell is obsessed by presidential assassinations. She tells Steve Paulson about her road trip to explore the mysterious "Dr. Mud," the surgeon who treated Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Maybe he was in on it?

CD copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 09-02-08-A.

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Books & CDs:

Orville Vernon Burton, The Age of Lincoln (Hill & Wang)
Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals (Simon & Schuster)
John Stauffer, Giants: the Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln (Twelve)
Drew Gilpin Faust, This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War (Knopf)
Sarah Vowell, Assassination Vacation (Simon & Schuster)

Websites:

• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, IL
  www.alplm.org

Music:

• -Chris Vallillo, “Battle Cry of Freedom,” on the CD “Abraham Lincoln in Song”. (Gin Ridge Music, BMI 2007)

• -Jim Taylor, “McClanahan’s March,” on the CD “The Civil War Collection: Selections from The Falls of Richmond and Little Rose is Gone”. (Pearl Mae Music)

• -Jim Taylor, “Rebel Raid/Abe’s Retreat” on “The Civil War Collection”.

• -Richie Havens, “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” on the anthology “Songs of the Civil War,” produced by Jim Brown, Ken Burns and Don DeVito. (Columbia – 1991 Sony Music)

• - Jay Ungar and Molly Mason with Fiddle Fever, “Marching Through Georgia,” on “Songs of the Civil War”.

• -Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, “Ashokan Farewell,” on “Songs of the Civil War”.

• -Norman Blake and Tony Rice, “Lincoln’s Funeral Train,” on “Norman Blake and Tony Rice: 2” (Rounder, 1990)

Distribution dates: week of 02/08/2009 - hour 1 click HERE for timings and cues

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Questions and comments can be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org

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