February 12, 2007
Bowling
Green, Ky. - Many scholars and history buffs rank Abraham Lincoln among the top three U.S. presidents. His life and influence have made him an icon of treasured American political freedoms and aspirations. Although he had less than two years of formal education, Lincoln’s remarkable influence was driven by his commanding rhetoric as a speaker. His assassination in 1865 made him a martyr for a call to national unity.
In May, Western Kentucky University will offer “The Lincoln Tour: Following Lincoln from Hodgenville, KY to Springfield, IL.”
This nine-day course will begin in the classroom for four days of lectures and discussions of Abraham Lincoln’s life and accomplishments. The group will then travel to historic sites associated with his life from his birth in 1809 to his election as president in 1860. The tour will give participants an opportunity to visit the major Lincoln sites in Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois and explore significant episodes in the early life of our 16th president.
The course will be led by Glenn W. LaFantasie, WKU Civil War historian. Dr. LaFantasie received his Ph.D. in history from Brown University. He is the author of “Gettysburg Requiem: The Life and Lost Causes of Confederate Colonel William C. Oates” (Oxford University Press), and “Twilight at Little Round Top” (John Wiley & Sons).
Dr. LaFantasie has served as a public historian for numerous historical agencies and has worked for the U.S. Department of State. He is now a chaired professor of Civil War history at WKU.
This is a topics course, no pre-requisites required. The $1,500 cost covers the tuition for three credit hours, lodging, travel and admission to all tours during the trip.
The follow locations are some of the sites scheduled to be visited during “The Lincoln Tour.” Visit http://www.wku.edu/summer/lincoln.htm for a complete listing.
Kentucky: Hodgenville (birthplace), Knob Creek (childhood home) and Louisville (Farmington, family estate of Lincoln’s close friend Joshua Speed).
Indiana: Gentryville and Lincoln City (Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, Nancy Hanks’ grave site and Lincoln State Park).
Illinois: Springfield (Lincoln Presidential Museum, old State House, Lincoln Herndon Law Office, Lincoln Home, Lincoln Tomb and others), New Salem, Petersburg, and Charleston (Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum, Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, Shiloh Cemetery and Thomas Moore State Historic Site.)
For information about The Lincoln Tour, contact Sharon Woodward at 745-1910 or sharon.woodward@wku.edu
Continuing Education is a unit of the Division of Extended Learning and Outreach (DELO). DELO delivers quality credit and non-credit educational opportunities to individuals, organizations and the public using flexible and accessible formats. For more information on DELO, go to www.wku.edu/delo.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Sharon Woodward at (270) 745-1910.
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