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>> here in the library where we are standing this is the archive where we have 52,000 items related to abraham lincoln and a vast archive of illinois history, 12 million pages worth of manuscripts, 200,000 books, photographs, videos etc. the place where researchers come to write books about abraham lincoln, education etc. even filmmakers come here and across the street in the museum that is where the public comes from all over the world. over 100 countries worldwide come to our museum to learn more about the life and times of abraham lincoln. here in the library we love the museum because it is our stage where we can put these documents and personal items

that illustrate the life of abraham lincoln and share them with the world. we have 52,000 pieces in our lincoln collection, the majority of those pieces are downstairs in our archives. many of those pieces reside in our vault. we hear it is our job to preserve these items, we cut 500 years from now, know it sounds like a long way off but i want people to see these pieces that help bring abraham lincoln's life will color so today i pulled some items from the vault that i did to share with you. you have full of documents, some from abraham an's personal life, some from his very public life that help illustrate why today abraham lincoln is considered america's greatest president, and the most written about american of all time.

the first piece comes from january of 1851 abraham lincoln had just come back from being a congressman. his term in congress didn't go particularly well. he devoted himself at that point to rebuilding his law practice. he got a series of letters coming from his father's home, the news was that his father was not doing well. his health was really failing and they were begging lincoln to come visit his father on his deathbed and abraham lincoln didn't answer the first letter, not until the second letter comes that he decided to pen the letter addressed to as he says dear brother, to his stepbrother john johnston and abraham lincoln writes, really, the last words that he wants red to his father. i will read a little bit here

to give you a flavor of what mister lincoln writes. you already know i desire that neither father or mother shall want of any comfort even health or sickness while they live and i feel sure that you have not failed to use my name if necessary to procure a doctor or any such lincoln was a well-known lawyer, he could use his name and you could acquire a doctor to help his father but abraham lincoln says in this letter my business is such now that i could hardly leave home. if it were not as it is that my own wife is sick in bed, it is a case of baby sickness and i suppose is not dangerous, mary had just given birth the previous december to their little boy willie, but he writes down a small paragraph here he wants red to his

father, these are the last words lincoln wants spoken to his father. i sincerely hope father make it recover his health. tell him to remember, call upon and confided in our great and good and merciful maker who will not turn away from him in any extra money. he notes the follow the spirit numbers the hairs on her heads and he will not forget the dying man who puts his faith in him. pretty religious words from abraham lincoln who is well-known that he had not exactly the most orthodox religious views but of course as mister lincoln matures his religious views become more mature as well. those words that he wants red to his father come from the gospels, abraham lincoln was certainly an individual who knew his bible very well but i think it is significant he chooses those religious words to be read to his father on his deathbed because he knew his father was a religious man.

he did die from that. abraham lincoln didn't visit him on his deathbed, didn't attend his funeral, never introduced his wife for his children to his father. it is a complicated relationship. the next piece that i decided to show comes from abraham lincoln's presidency. this is one of the most significant documents that abraham lincoln ever issued. this is a copy of the emancipation proclamation. for the first half of the civil war abraham lincoln thought a conservative war, a war to save the union and not to attack slavery. by the summer of 1862 it is clear that something needs to be done about slavery and so abraham lincoln, after the battle of antietam, one of the bloodiest days in american

history, issues the emancipation proclamation which frees those slaves that are in territories that are currently under rebellion. the original emancipation proclamation doesn't exist. it was burned up in the great chicago fire in 1871. this is one of we think 48 copies that abraham was signed "after words," these were commemorative copies, this includes abraham lincoln's original signature as well as the signature of his secretary of state and his secretary. this was a document that was issued as a war measure, abraham lincoln was commander-in-chief, trying to put down the rebellion. in theory the emancipation proclamation would only be in effect as long as there was open rebellion, once the rebellion was quashed the emancipation proclamation would no longer be the law of the

land. that is what makes the thirteenth amendment so significant. in january of 1865 congress passed the thirteenth amendment, that is how the 250 year institution of american slavery meets its end. i chose this document to help illustrate abraham lincoln's relationship with his generals, famously abraham lincoln went through several generals commanding union forces before he found ultimately ulysses s grant that helps bring the end to the american civil war. early in the war abraham lincoln thought he had found his general, general george mcclellan, a young, very intelligent individual, graduate of west point, graduated second in his class in 1946. lincoln thought mcclellan could bring the end to the war. it turns out problems involved along the way. after the battle of antietam in september of 1862, abraham

lincoln is begging general mcclellan to move the army and to pursue the rebels, pursue robert ely and bring the end to this horrible war. and time and time again general mcclellan would have a series of excuses for the president on why he couldn't lead his soldiers to deliver a knockout blow to the confederate forces. in this letter written october 20 seventh 1862, you get a sense of mister lincoln -- he is losing his patience with his general. he writes general mcclellan, yours of yesterday received. most certainly i intend no injustice to any and if i have done any i deeply regret it but to be told after more than four weeks total in action of the army and during which period we have sent to the army every fresh horse we possibly could amounting in the whole two

koran leaves a blank space, that the calvary horses -- cavalry horses were too fatigues to move presents a cheerless, almost hopeless prospect for the future and it may have something of impatience into my dispatches. if not recruited and rested then, when could they ever be? mister lincoln is writing in response to a report that mcclellan asked staff had sent to him saying they couldn't pursue robert ely's forces at the moment because their horses were too fatigues and even suffering from sore tongues as the general said. abraham lincoln had to have been frustrated when he got this report back. notice, he left a gap. when he completed this letter i think abraham lincoln wanted to know the exact number of horses he had sent general mcclellan and his army and abraham lincoln found out, 7918 horses to mcclellan.

he is frustrated with general mcclellan but how much longer is he going to have patience for mcclelland. and election comes up the next week, in 1862, the midterm election. the day after the election he relieved mcclelland of duty. the next piece that was brought out of the vault today is the most significant piece that we have at the abraham lincoln presidential library and that is saying a lot. but this is one of five copies in existence of the gettysburg address handwritten by abraham lincoln. this time that he wrote out the gettysburg address he gave it to edward everest. today we don't really remember edward at first but in the nineteenth century everett -- edward everest was a prominent individual, a great speaker, actually the main speaker at gettysburg on november 19th,

1863. he gives the main speech when they are dedicating the cemetery. he gives a talk that lasts for over two hours. he did not speak from notes and he sort of put the battle of gettysburg into the context of world history, the great battles of world history. after he finished his talk abraham lincoln came up and read from two sheets of paper. "after words," everett sent him a little note that said you said more in two minutes than i was able to say in two hours. when you write out the gettysburg address and send it to me? this is whatever handling consents to him. everett made a scrapbook memorializing that day and on the final pages he pasted in these two pages of the gettysburg address. in the twentieth century, that scrapbook was available for purchase and school kids in

illinois during world war ii saved their pennies, their nickels, their money and they were able to purchase that scrapbook containing the gettysburg address, they then donated that scrapbook to the illinois historical library and that collection. i love this piece, the gettysburg address, written by abraham lincoln. how could you get better than that but it has in illinois connection and that is our mission at the presidential library and museum where abraham lincoln in the entirety of illinois history and this document speaks to that. i did to end by showing you a letter from the end of abraham lincoln's life. this was written on march 20th, 1865, and this is abraham lincoln's response to an admirer. a young lady who told her brother that she wanted abraham lincoln to handwrite the second

inaugural and send it to her. the request comes to abraham lincoln and he wants to do something nice for this young lady named mrs. amanda hall. he doesn't write out the entirety of his second inaugural address. the second inaugural is the shortest inaugural address in american history, just 702 words. it is incredibly poignant, it is also maybe the best religious meditation on the meaning of the civil war and as they said at the time abraham lincoln's second inaugural sounded more like a sermon than it did a standard political speech. what is interesting is mister lincoln just right out one paragraph from the second inaugural and it is not the most famous paragraph that we remember today, with malice toward none, charity from all. instead abraham lincoln writes out this paragraph. fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray that this mighty scourge of war may speedily

pass away, yet if god wills that it continues until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's 250 years of unrequited toil shall be sunk and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said 3000 years ago, so still it must be said, the judgments of the lord are true or and righteous altogether. abraham lincoln had been searching throughout the american civil war to figure out what is god's purpose? why the american people have to suffer such a horrible calamity of civil war, four years this war had gone on, 600,000 casualties by this point. mister lincoln spent a lot of time talking to god. this is the answer that he thinks god is sending to america. both sides, north and south,

have to suffer because both sides played a role in the egregious sin of american slavery. abraham lincoln feared that people might not react really well to his words in the second inaugural, to his conclusion of why their suffering had to occur, because in abraham lincoln's words people don't often like to be told when they are wrong. beautiful, poignant note. and and and they are powerful powerful pieces. documents are the bad walk -- bedrock of what makes of those 18,000 books that are written about abraham lincoln, new documents come to light all-time and every once in a while, puzzle pieces fit together. those objects, you can read about the civil war, watch

movies or documentaries about abraham lincoln's life but there is power. he achieved great amazing things that we can't lose sight of another citizen of america and that is a really powerful lesson. ..

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ or author interview program "after words", continue advisor the biden administration texas pelican leader built with coronavirus response to the pandemic within tomorrow night matthew spalding executive director of president trump 1776 commission and peter would take a critical look at the 1619 project which examines the foundations of american beginnings. in june becker former chief of staff for george h.w. book recalls the first president post- presidential find full schedule information @booktv .org or consult your program guide a new discusses the successes and failures of remote work during the pandemic