What some officials at the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum are calling possibly one of the library’s most dramatic and interactive exhibitions will begin Friday.
The exhibition, “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War,” will explore how Lincoln exercised leadership at a pivotal time of crisis for the United States, the Constitution and the course of freedom worldwide. The exhibit runs through Sept. 14.
“We are delighted to offer visitors this new view of President Lincoln in an exhibition that is as timely as it is engaging,” said Truman Library Director Michael Devine.
Organized by the National Constitution Center in partnership with the Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Ind., and in cooperation with the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, the exhibition highlights the three constitutional crises which Lincoln faced as president: secession, slavery and civil liberties during the Civil War.
Highlights of the exhibition will include a video that takes visitors back to 1860 and an interactive program that shows Lincoln on March 4, 1860, delivering his first inaugural address and raising his hand to take the oath of office.
According to a press release from the Truman Library, the exhibition is a blend of imagery, text, multimedia presentations and computer interactives that allows visitors to examine original artifacts and documents, including rare signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. The ability to listen to Lincoln defend his record on civil liberties against critics who branded him a “tyrant,” is also included.
Visitors can also help Lincoln solve the problem of slavery by choosing the right keys to unlock slavery from the Constitution. A computer game that re-creates a Civil War jail cell and lets participants hold or release prisoners being held as “subversives,” is also part of the exhibition.
The exhibition’s interactive experience concludes with a question to every visitor: “Do you think America has lived up to the ideals Lincoln fought for – equality, freedom, democracy?”
Both adults and children will be able to record their answers on Post-it notes, creating an exhibit that changes with each individual response.
“The Truman Library is an ideal venue for this 21st-century experience,” Devine said. “From families with young children to Civil War buffs, everyone will find something engaging in Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War.”
“Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” is supported by the Lincoln Financial Group and is presented locally by UMB Bank.
Meeting Lincoln
Programs designed to engage visitors of all ages will be presented in conjunction with the “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War,” exhibition, running May 16 to Sept. 14 at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.
Offerings will range from reduced admission on the Fourth of July to a Lincoln look-a-like contest to a free Civil War film series beginning May 22. The series will feature Glory (1989), Buster Keaton’s The General (1927), Ride with the Devil (1999) and more.
Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War is included with Museum admission, which is free for children 5 and under, $3 for youths 6-15, $8 for adults and $7 for senior adults 65 and older. The Museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Extended hours are scheduled May through September on Thursday nights, when the Museum is open until 9 p.m.
