Exhibitions

With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition
A Library of Congress Exhibition

October 10, 2009 – December 19, 2009
Smith and East Galleries

NEWBERRY PODCAST: Hear from John Sellers, curator of With Malice Toward None from the Library of Congress and one of the world's foremost experts on Abraham Lincoln.

In commemoration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the nation’s revered sixteenth president, With Malice Toward None reveals Lincoln the man, whose thoughts, words, and actions were deeply affected by personal experiences and pivotal historic events.

Lincoln Bible Through documents and books, broadsides and newspapers, prints and photographs,    artifacts and maps, the exhibition charts Lincoln’s growth from prairie politician to preeminent statesman. It provides a window into the Lincoln presidency, his struggle to keep the Union intact, and his attempts to heal the nation’s wounds. Filmed commentaries from distinguished Americans appear throughout the exhibition, forging a personal connection to the documents Lincoln wrote. Interactive programs trace the president-elect’s celebratory rail trip from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington and the return of his funeral train to Springfield as the nation mourned.

The exhibition places Lincoln’s words in a historical context and presents such bedrock documents in U.S. history as Lincoln’s hand-annotated First Inaugural Address, and early copies or facsimiles of the Second Inaugural Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Gettysburg Address.  A substantial number of important and interesting Lincoln manuscript letters are included as well, along with the Bible on which he swore the oath of office, his 1860 life mask, and the contents of his pockets on the night of his assassination. 

The exhibition provides a deeper understanding of how remarkable Lincoln’s decisions were for their time and why his words continue to resonate today.

Image Caption: The front cover of the 1861 Lincoln Inaugural Bible. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress. The same Bible was used by President Barack Obama as he took the presidential oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009. Photo by Michaela McNichol

Read what the press is saying about With Malice Toward None. View the exhibition's press kit.

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  With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition and its national tour are made possible through the generous support of Union Pacific Corporation. 

The Newberry installation of this exhibition is sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Gerald F. Fitzgerald, Sr.