Happy Birthday Abe Lincoln!

The bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth is February 12. The nation is gearing up to celebrate and teachers are looking for brief, but meaningful ways to teach their students about the man who saved the Union.

The Center for Civic Education has just launched a website, Lincoln.civiced.org, that explores the contributions our sixteenth president made to American democracy.

"What Was Abraham Lincoln's Legacy to American Constitutionalism and Citizenship" is a lesson appropriate for high school students. It traces the rise of Lincoln from his humble origins to the presidency. The lesson also explores Lincoln's ideas and decisions regarding slavery and the use of presidential power to preserve the Federal Union during the Civil War.

The lesson was written by John J. Patrick, Professor Emeritus of Education at Indiana University. It has been endorsed by the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and was made possible by a grant from the Motorola Foundation.

The entire lesson is offered for free at Lincoln.civiced.org. It can be downloaded or read online. The website features the full text of the lesson, plus questions for students, a timeline of Lincoln's life, brief biographies of people mentioned in the lesson, the full text of primary sources, and a list of quotations by Lincoln.

In addition, an audio recording of the full text and an in-depth interview with the author is available on the website.

It has been my distinct pleasure to work with Professor Patrick on editing the lesson. It has sparked my interest in Lincoln, his life, his character, and what he meant for the country. I hope that teachers—and most of all you students out there—will find that studying Lincoln has the same effect on you. I welcome your comments.