Reframing Lincoln: Myth, Memory, and Changing Narratives

Anachronistic print showing Abraham Lincoln standing in front of the US flag, ca. 1908 (Library of Congress)

The Reframing Lincoln Seminar: Myth, Memory, and Changing Narratives is a weeklong PD event for up to 25 K–12 teachers at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The seminar will focus on how to study Lincoln as a myth, a man, and a president. It will explore Lincoln’s beliefs and actions on issues ranging from emancipation, to Black citizenship and equality, to civil liberties in America. Attention will be given not only to Lincoln as a politician, but Lincoln as a person, unraveling simplified narratives to unveil a figure in his full complexity. 

Offered in partnership with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Application Information

Interested K–12 teachers should complete an application to be considered. Applications will be reviewed by Gilder Lehrman Institute and Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum staff. The deadline to submit an application was March 5, 2024. Selected teachers will be notified by April 5, 2024.

Jonathan W. White, Project Director

Jonathan W. White is a professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University. He is the author or editor of more than ten books, including A House Built by Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House (2021), which received the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize in 2023, and Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln (2014). Professor White is also a distinguished lecturer for the Organization of American Historians, serves on the board of directors of the Abraham Lincoln Institute and the Abraham Lincoln Association, and is the vice chair of the Lincoln Forum.

Justin Emrich, Master Teacher

Justin Emrich, an American History teacher from central Ohio with 19 years of experience, was named the Gilder Lehrman Institute's Ohio History Teacher of the Year in 2016. Over the past 6 years, he has served as a Master Teacher for the Institute and actively led and participated in both in-person and online seminars on The Civil Rights Movement, Abraham Lincoln, Native American History and various other topics across the country. Additionally, he contributes to multiple teacher advisory committees for national organizations. Justin remains passionate about history education's role in helping students understand the past, present, and contribute to a better future.