HST 414 - Seminar in US History: Lincoln: Politician to Pop Icon

Course Units: 1.0

Abraham Lincoln has received perhaps the most attention of any U.S. president in both scholarly studies and popular portrayals. Why? This course examines Lincoln during his lifetime: as a man coming of age in Jacksonian America, as an itinerant lawyer, as a fond father and troubled husband, as a politician during a major change in the party system, and as a wartime president. Furthermore, we consider Lincoln’s post-assassination career from martyred president to memorialized and criticized symbol of civil rights to motion picture subject. Students will propose, research, and write a seminar paper that examines an aspect of Abraham Lincoln as a major figure in American history and culture. CC: SOCS, WAC, WAC-R ISP: AMS