Center for Lincoln Studies

23rd Annual Mary and James Beaumont Endowed Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series

jfrie — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 19:49:08 +0000

23rd Annual Mary and James Beaumont Endowed Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series jfrie Mon, 06/30/2025 - 14:49

On Thursday, October 16, 2025, The University of Illinois Springfield Center for Lincoln Studies presents the Mary and James Beaumont Endowed Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series featuring Jon Grinspan and Colleen Shogan speaking on the topic of Abraham Lincoln and the Age of Disruption.

Grinspan is author of Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War and will deliver his talk, "The Age of Vigilance," on the many organizations antebellum Americans formed claiming to protect their disrupted society. These movements culminated with the pro-Lincoln Wide Awakes and the outbreak of the Civil War.

Colleen Shogan, who served as the 11th Archivist of the United States and the first woman in American history appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to lead the National Archives, will bring our topic to the present and discuss our current age of disruption. Shogan's lecture will emphasize the vital role of cultural institutions, archives, libraries, and museums in preserving democratic values by safeguarding historical truth and public memory. Drawing inspiration from Abraham Lincoln and the Declaration of Independence, she will warn against the growing politicization of these institutions, arguing that nonpartisanship is essential for civic trust and national unity.

Jon Grinspan
Colleen Shogan

Grinspan is the Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. His award-winning books and New York Times articles have explored the deep history of American democracy, including the 19th century youth vote, Gilded Age political angst, militant anti-slavery clubs, Civil War coffee, and too-far political comedy.

Shogan is a noted author and political scientist. She is deeply committed to civics education and is a senior advisor at More Perfect, an alliance of 37 presidential centers and hundreds of civic leaders and organizations, that invites Americans to consider the most enduring lessons of our history while informing the future of our democracy.

REGISTRATION COMING SOON!

When

Thu, Oct 16 2025, 6:30 - 8:30pm Google Outlook iCal

Location

UIS Student Union Ballroom (2251 Richard Wright Dr, Springfield, IL 62703)

Event Type

Lecture

Department

Center for Lincoln Studies

Great-grandson of civil rights icon Ida B. Wells to speak at Juneteenth event

bwood8 — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 17:15:50 +0000

Great-grandson of civil rights icon Ida B. Wells to speak at Juneteenth event bwood8 Mon, 06/09/2025 - 12:15

Leading WELLS: Lessons in Courage and Leadership from Ida B. Wells

jfrie — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 21:05:04 +0000

Leading WELLS: Lessons in Courage and Leadership from Ida B. Wells jfrie Thu, 06/05/2025 - 16:05

Dan Duster is the great-grandson of American Civil Rights activist and hero Ida B. Wells. Duster will discuss Wells’s struggles and triumphs in the 1800s to motivate people to overcome obstacles and stand up against injustices in the workplace, schools, and communities.

Duster has helped community organizations, corporations, and schools implement plans for restorative justice. He has also worked with the National Governor’s Association and Congressional Tri-Caucus and was present at the White House for the signing of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Bill.

The Juneteenth Lecture is an annual lecture organized by the Center for Lincoln Studies in partnership with Juneteenth Inc. and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

The event is free and open to the public but at ticket is required.

Get Tickets Today!

When

Tue, Jun 17 2025, 6:30 - 7:30pm

Location

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield

Event Type

black history

Department

Center for Lincoln Studies

Juneteenth Lunch and Learn Panel: The Resiliency of Black History Beyond Erasures

jfrie — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 08:00:10 +0000

Juneteenth Lunch and Learn Panel: The Resiliency of Black History Beyond Erasures jfrie Tue, 06/03/2025 - 03:00

The Resiliency of Black History Beyond Erasures delves into the enduring strength and adaptability of Black history in the face of attempts to marginalize it. Black history is a tapestry woven with stories of triumph, resiliency, and cultural richness that have persisted despite systemic efforts to diminish their significance.

This resilience is evident in the preservation of oral histories, the vibrancy of cultural traditions, and the ongoing contributions of Black individuals to society. By celebrating this resilience, we recognize that Black history is not just a record of the past but a living, evolving narrative that continues to shape and inspire future generations.

The Juneteenth Lunch and Learn series was created in the spirit of "freeish" which underscores the journey toward true liberation and acknowledgment, ensuring that the legacy of Black history thrives beyond erasures.

When

Fri, Jun 13 2025, 12 - 2pm

Location

Illinois State Museum

Event Type

black history

Department

Center for Lincoln Studies

Making Our History: Artists Render Lincoln's Legacy

jfrie — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 21:39:49 +0000

Making Our History: Artists Render Lincoln's Legacy jfrie Fri, 02/07/2025 - 15:39

In 2021 and 2022 Graham Peck, Wepner Distinguished Professor of Lincoln Studies at UIS, co-directed an art residency with UIS Director of Visual Arts Brytton Bjorngaard that was generously funded by the University of Illinois Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and Humanities. Bjorngaard and Peck worked with twenty Illinois artists to interpret Lincoln’s contemporary legacies. Bjorngaard photographed their art, and Peck wrote short essays to historically contextualize their work. The Storyteller Studios shot videos that showcase the artists’ methods and conceptual approaches. Illinois State University Assistant Professor of Teacher Education Meghan Kessler made accompanying K-12 teacher modules. You can find the modules, photos, videos, and essays at Professor Peck's website.

Pictured: Pillar of Light by Judith Joseph

Getting to know you: Jennifer Harris

eewest2 — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 19:50:54 +0000

Getting to know you: Jennifer Harris eewest2 Wed, 01/29/2025 - 13:50

Faculty Fellows Program

jfrie — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 15:17:06 +0000

Faculty Fellows Program jfrie Tue, 01/28/2025 - 09:17

The Center for Lincoln Studies (CLS) is dedicated to engaging with UIS’s talented faculty. The Faculty Fellows program engages faculty to become the core of the Center’s intellectual community along with the Center’s two affiliate faculty. The faculty fellows will participate in Center programs and projects and the Center will amplify fellows’ work through its website and social media and provide travel funds to aid faculty research.

Each spring the Center invites applications from prospective faculty fellows. Each fellow serves for two years, renewable for an additional two years.

Current Faculty Fellows

Professor Devin Hunter, Department of History: Fellow term begins August 16, 2025

Eligibility

A Faculty Fellow must be a UIS faculty member at any level (tenured, tenure-track, non-tenure track).
A Faculty Fellow’s work should deal with Abraham Lincoln, his era, or legacy broadly construed. (For example, faculty members researching aspects of the nineteenth-century, leadership, or contemporary issues with U.S. democracy are eligible along with researchers who deal more directly with Lincoln and his life).

Expectations

At least once per academic year, faculty fellows will be asked to share their research with the Center for Lincoln Studies community. How this is done will be established between the fellow and the Center director. (Example, a fellow shares their research as part of a Center reception, advisory group meeting, or public event.)
Faculty Fellows make a consistent effort to become part of the life of the Center, participating in Center activities when able.

Benefits

The Center awards up to $1,000.00 per fellow during each of the fellowship years to be used in support of research related travel expenses and/or conference registration.
The Center will amplify faculty research, sharing it with the CLS community.

The Center for Lincoln Studies Book Series

jfrie — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:42:19 +0000

The Center for Lincoln Studies Book Series jfrie Fri, 01/17/2025 - 11:42

This UIS Center for Lincoln Studies Book Series, in partnership with University of Illinois Press, publishes significant monographs and documentary editions dealing with Abraham Lincoln and his legacy. Publication of books about Lincoln remains important as scholars continue to refine their understanding of Lincoln and the public continues to be fascinated by the 16th president. We welcome projects that are grounded in history, but also those that cross disciplinary boundaries throughout the humanities and social sciences.

Series Editor: Michael Burlingame

Written by a longtime friend and ally, Lincoln the Citizen offers a rare character study and insightful biography of Lincoln before he became president. Michael Burlingame restores material cut by editors of the original 1907 publication to present Henry Clay Whitney’s work in full.

Whitney reveals the legal and political spheres where Lincoln moved while providing eyewitness accounts and intimate stories shared by Lincoln himself. From his unique vantage point, Whitney informs analyses of everything from Lincoln’s melancholic temperament to his colorful early career to views on his marriage and family life. Burlingame places Whitney’s contributions within Lincoln studies but also weighs criticisms of the book and disputes over what information the author may or may not have invented.

A restored edition of an invaluable memoir, Lincoln the Citizen presents a wealth of overlooked biographical detail by one of the people who knew Lincoln best.

Order Lincoln the Citizen through 69��app Press.

UIS Center for Lincoln Studies Director Jacob Friefeld’s book earns the Caroline Bancroft History Prize

lavela1 — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 21:33:07 +0000

UIS Center for Lincoln Studies Director Jacob Friefeld’s book earns the Caroline Bancroft History Prize lavela1 Tue, 01/07/2025 - 15:33

UIS Center for Lincoln Studies Director Jacob Friefeld’s book earns a Nebraska Book Award

bwood8 — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 13:50:11 +0000

UIS Center for Lincoln Studies Director Jacob Friefeld’s book earns a Nebraska Book Award bwood8 Tue, 08/27/2024 - 08:50