Making History Come Alive: Abraham Lincoln

Movie: Lincoln (2012)

This weekend I watched the movie entitled "Lincoln" which is of course about Abraham Lincoln. The movie focuses on the dilemma of how Lincoln attempted and eventually succeeded in the pushing of the Thirteenth Amendment which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude (except when used as a punishment for a crime). What was interesting was the insight of the movie to show how the Civil War was coming to an end, as was eveident through the peace talks that were nearing, yet Lincoln insisted upon the importance of the need to pass the amendment before the Civil War ended. The movie is a long one because it lasts about two and a half hours, and it can be a little slow at parts. Overall, the movie seems to be historically accurate, which made me appreciate the movie even more. I read an interesting and short blog post on the historical accuracy of the film by Forrest Wickman. As an educator it is my belief that students should be exposed to movies, clips, pictures, primary documents, museums  artifacts, and other learning tools to help make history come alive. It is not enough to simply read from a textbook and view those pictures, but supplementary material and assignments should be designed to make history come alive for the student. This film is a great way for anyone to better get to know Lincoln, the Civil War, and the passage of the 13th Amendment. Check out the Lincoln (2012) movie trailer below!

Disneyland: Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln Show

Another great way to make history come alive, or more specifically, to make Abraham Lincoln come alive, is by visiting Disneyland! Yes, you read that correctly. On your next visit to Disneyland, I suggest a visit to the Opera House on Main Street that has the performance entitled "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln." Inside you find many historical artifacts from the creation of Disneyland, and then at the appropriate time you are ushered into a theater where you watch an Animatronics show of Lincoln. I really remember enjoying this show because of the authentic primary documents in the show ranging from Civil War photos to songs. Alas, if you can't go to Disneyland, there is a Youtube video of the entire show!

Making Historical Trading Cards

     Just today I found out about an Apple app designed for iPad that allows anyone to create their own historical trading cards! It is designed by International Reading Association and seems to have great reviews from educators. This seems like a great way for students to make historical people and events their own, and perhaps help history come alive for them! The only limitation I see as of now, is that it is only compatible with the iPad. I did a Google search for a similar app but on the web, and was not able to find anything.