February 2009 marked the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. This two-part series, "Looking For Lincoln," endorsed by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, features historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Henry Louis Gates Jr. in an exploration of how Abraham Lincoln the man was transformed into Abraham Lincoln the legend.
Lincoln Myths and Misconceptions
Think you know your Lincoln? Test your knowledge about Lincoln myths and misconceptions in our quiz.
Interactive Timeline: Lincoln Over Time
Take this interactive challenge to place events and images from the life of Abraham Lincoln in chronological order.
The documentary tells Lincoln's story as it was shaped by our nation in the years immediately following his death.
In the film, Gates shows how the Lincoln legend grew out of controversy, greed, love, clashing political perspectives, power struggles, and considerable disagreement over how our 16th president should be remembered.
His quest to piece together Lincoln’s complex life takes him from Illinois to Gettysburg to Washington, D.C., and face-to-face with people who live with Lincoln every day – relic hunters, re-enactors, and others for whom the study of Lincoln is a passion.
Among those weighing in: Pulitzer Prize winners Doris Kearns Goodwin and Tony Kushner; presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush; and Lincoln scholars including Harold Holzer, co-chair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission; Harvard University’s president Drew Faust and history professor David Hebert Donald; Yale University history professor David Blight; and Allen Guelzo of Gettysburg College. Former Ebony magazine editor Lerone Bennett challenges Lincoln’s record on race; writer Joshua Shenk talks about Lincoln’s depression; and New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik illuminates how Lincoln’s words changed the course of history.
"Looking For Lincoln" is available for online viewing.