Lincoln's Secret Letters
“Abraham Lincoln led a busy life as a laborer, politician, lawyer, father, husband, and the first Republican President. Find out what occupied his mind by transcribing papers sent to him by friends, family, fellow lawyers and politicians, allies and adversaries, as well as his diverse constituents. Most of Lincoln's own papers have been transcribed, but these letters to him have not.” Help the Library of Congress get a more complete picture of his life and times.
How do I get started? Just go to the Library of Congress website and start transcribing right now.
How much time will this take? This is a low time commitment. Spend as much time as you want, one hour or many. You will be helping these national treasures to be searchable and discoverable by all!
How do I expand this narrative arc? If historical research is in your narrative arc, consider building on this interest with one of the following:
See our post on getting any historical research you may have done published in The Concord Review.
Get involved with more civil war research through the Library of Congress website.
See our post other posts about history contests, including the National World War II Museum History Contest.
If your school offers the ability to do an independent study or writing projects, consider doing a research project on ordinary life in America during the time of Lincoln. These documents include materials from friends and associates from Lincoln’s Springfield days, well-known political figures and reformers, and individuals and organizations Note: these papers are Primary Sources for historical research purposes which makes any such research project even more impressive!
HOT TIP: This is a great little project to kick off or complement a general interest in history or historial research. Make sure to build on this project with some larger and more time-intensive commitments in these interest areas.