Introduction

Through the analysis of primary documents, students will compare and contrast the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy by composing a well-researched essay.

Guiding Questions

How are events in different periods of history related?
What comparisons can be drawn between Lincoln's assassination and JFK's assassination?
How does the country respond to presidential assassination?
How can primary and secondary sources be used in a compare and contrast essay?

Objectives

Make connections between and recall information about seemingly disparate historical events
Draw conclusions based on the similarities that exist between the two assassinations
Independently conduct research on primary source articles about the response of the nation to the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy
Draft an essay outlining the similarities and differences of the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy
Visually compare and contrast the two assassinations by placing key points on a chart

Standards

Procedure

Lesson Activity One: Comparing the Assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy

Students learn about the overwhelming similarities between President Lincoln’s and President Kennedy’s Assassinations

Lesson Activity Two: Reading About the Assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy

Students will learn more about the historical contexts of the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations.

Lesson Activity Three: Primary Resource Analysis - "How did the country respond to the loss of the President?"

Students browse primary source websites and begin compiling research for their essays.

Lesson Activity Four: Essay Drafting - "What were the similarities and the differences between the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy?"

With their sources, students being to write an essay comparing and contrasting the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy.

Lesson Activity One: Comparing the Assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy

Introduce the topic and ask students if they have heard anything about the similarities between Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy (these have been circulating both in print and on line for years). Proceed to hand students the “TRUE FALSE” quiz (Supplemental handout #1) and provide students time to take the quiz without any research. The quiz should be based completely upon what students know or think is true or false. As it is a pre-assessment and designed to stimulate discussion and to determine the extent of background knowledge, no grading is required. Students may elect to self-correct when the teacher goes over the correct answers.

When all students have taken the quiz, the teacher will go over answers using the quiz answer key (also part of Supplemental handout #1).

As answers are revealed, encourage students to pause and consider whether there are enough similarities between the circumstances of each president’s death to warrant further investigation. (should be yes).

Instruct students to keep their quizzes to refer to as the class begins their investigation of the topic in class tomorrow.

Lesson Activity Two: Reading about the Assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy

Review yesterday’s discussions and answer any questions or concerns from students. Ask students to discuss a similarity between JFK’s and Lincoln’s assassinations and then share as a class.

After discussion, prompt students to read pages 39 to 41 of Chasing Lincoln’s Killer and pages 108 to 111 of “The President Has Been Shot!” in small groups. As they read, students should complete the graphic organizer for Day 2 (Supplemental handout #2), entitled “The Assassination,” which highlights the similarities and differences between the assassination of each president.

Teachers should then go over and highlight the big ideas from the readings before explaining to the class that there were multiple differences between the assassinations, as well, e.g.

Lincoln was in a theatre in Washington and Kennedy was in a car traveling through Dallas.
Lincoln lived for approximately 9 hours after he was shot, but Kennedy passed away within the hour.
Lincoln was shot in April and Kennedy was shot in November.

Teacher should proceed to wrap up discussion and have students complete a “Ticket out the Door” on a sticky note citing a detail that they read today that will stick with them and be sure to put their first name on the note with their detail Students will stick that note on the door as they exit.

Lesson Activity Three: Primary Resource Analysis - “How did the country respond to the loss of the president?”

Explain to students that they will research and collect articles to write an essay.

Have students independently explore each of the 3 websites listed:

Remembering Lincoln (http://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/)
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (https://www.gilderlehrman.org/)
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (http://www.jfk.org/)

Have them locate at least one positive and negative example from each website of the country’s responses to the deaths of both Lincoln and Kennedy.

If students are struggling, teacher can provide them with a copy of Supplemental handout #3 which outlines direct links to both positive and negative reactions and responses to both assassinations.

Students will bookmark what they find in order to use this information in the drafting of their essays.

Proceed to ask students if they were surprised by the reactions they located and have them share resources with a partner.

Lesson Activity Four: Essay drafting - “What were the similarities and the differences between the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy?”

Provide students with the writing prompt assignment (Supplemental handout #4) and explain teacher expectations. Answer questions and concerns accordingly.

Students will then independently begin drafting their essays using the notes and observations that they recorded on the graphic organizer (Supplemental handout #4)

Logistical requirements are as follows:

Write a minimum of 5 paragraphs referencing at least one primary source and one secondary source.
A properly written bibliography will be required.
Students will be graded on both language and content (this can be modified by the teacher depending upon individual teacher goals and objectives).

Teacher will ask students if they have any questions about their assignment.

Students will be given the final due date for their submission and be advised that no additional class time will be dedicated to the project (teacher may adapt this and provide additional days for typing and drafting if they choose to do so).

Materials

External Resources

Grade Level

6 to 8
Timeframe

2 to 3 classes (45 min/period)
Class Subject

History
Skills

Analysis, Close Reading, Collaboration, Connections, Evaluate, Form Opinions, History, Primary Sources, Research

Teacher Information

Georgrette Hackman

Cocalico Middle School

5, 6, 7

Social Studies

Suggest an edit or object

Introduction

By introducing students to the concepts of exhibit design, students will use Remembering Lincoln artifacts to create their own online exhibit.

Note: While this lesson focuses on using the Remembering Lincoln artifacts, it could be easily adapted to use have students create their own exhibits using artifacts from Google Arts and Culture (https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/u/0/partner/fords-theatre) or Smithsonian Learning Lab (https://learninglab.si.edu/).

Guiding Questions

How do curators create a museum exhibit?
How elements make up a museum exhibit?
How do curators tell a story through artifacts and images?

Objectives

Identify the elements of a museum exhibit
Create an online exhibit that tells a story and includes a takeaway message for the audience.
Sort primary and secondary sources in order to identify which sources best help tell the story in the exhibition.
Use images and text to create a cohesive tone for the exhibit.

Standards

Procedure

Lesson Activity One: Introduction to Online Exhibits

- Students review how exhibits are created.

Lesson Activity Two: Exhibit Planning

- Using an Exhibition Planning Guide, students plan their own exhibit.

Lesson Activity Three: Exhibit Production

- Students create their own exhibit using Remembering Lincoln artifacts.

Read More »

Lesson Activity One: Introduction to Online Exhibits

Begin class by asking students if they’ve been to a museum. Ask them to share their experiences with visiting museums. Make sure to draw out what they liked or didn’t like about how different exhibitions were set up.

Explain to students that they will be creating their own online museum exhibit about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln using artifacts, images, and documents from the Remembering Lincoln website.

Pass out the Online Exhibit Scavenger Hunt Worksheet. Review with the students the four parts of setting up an exhibit:

The Story: The Focus of the Exhibit.
Take Away: One piece of information the viewer should walk away with after viewing the exhibit—similar to the thesis statement for an essay.
So What?: Explanation of how this exhibit relates to the viewers.
Mood: The overall feeling the viewers should walk away with.

Depending on the needs of your class, you can review an online exhibit together, in small groups or individually. Students should then fill out the Online Exhibit Scavenger Hunt Worksheet.

Here are some recommend exhibits for the Scavenger Hunt, but you can use whatever exhibits work best for your class.

Silent Witnesses: Artifacts of the Lincoln Assassination by Ford’s Theatre
- https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/u/0/exhibit/dwIS9Mh5nGISLg
Game Changers by National Women’s History Museum
- https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/u/0/exhibit/gRJ3eKVt
Public Art: Made with Consent by graffitimundo
- https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/u/0/exhibit/wQmsh3tM
Albert Einstein German, Swiss and American by the Einstein Archives
- https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/u/0/exhibit/QQrk18h6
Pinball in America by The Strong National Museum of Play
- https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/u/0/exhibit/oAKShPEYG8fuKg
Lincoln from Postmaster to President by Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum
- https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/u/0/exhibit/qQIyKfA3Q9CcLg

Lesson Activity Two: Exhibit Planning

Share out the Exhibit Planning Guide to students. Students should begin planning their own exhibit; this can be done individually or in groups. Here are a couple examples using the Remembering Lincoln resources:

Story	Take Away	So What?	Mood
The Trail of the Funeral Train	Lincoln’s body traveled the United States so that Americans could say goodbye to the martyred president.	The modern funeral rites of political leaders stem from Lincoln’s Funeral Train.	Morose
Chasing After Lincoln’s Killers	The hunt for Lincoln’s killers was one of the most significant manhunts in U.S. history.	The manhunt for Lincoln’s killers, and their subsequent trial, set a precedent for how the country dealt with political violence.	Exhilarating
The reactions of everyday people to the Assassination	Lincoln’s death affected people from all walks of life in many different ways.	How people reacted to Lincoln’s death affected how the country came back together after the Civil War.	Heartbroken

There are two ways students can plan their exhibit. 1) They can decide on their story first and then browse resources that support their story. 2) They can browse resources and mark the ones that interest them. Once they have a collection, they can look at the items and find a story that connects them. Once they find their story, they would refine their artifact collection to make sure everything matches their story and take away.

Lesson Activity Three: Exhibit Production

There are many different platforms that allow students to create their own exhibit. Here is a comparison of three different platforms that we are familiar with. Regardless of what platform you use, review the how to guide with your students.

Platform	Google Arts and Culture	Smithsonian Learning Lab	Kid Curators
Type	Online	Online	3D School Exhibit
How To Guide	https://youtu.be/BDuDpIrVVYI	https://learninglab.si.edu/help/getting-started/create	http://kidcurators.com/
Text Inclusions	Title (150 Characters) Description (800 Characters)	Title (Unlimited characters) Description (unlimited characters)	Unlimited text options
Remembering Lincoln Sources	Some resources are available through the Ford’s Theatre Collection: https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/u/0/partner/fords-theatre	Students can add items from the Remembering Lincoln website to Smithsonian Learning Lab	Unlimited use of items

Review the description writing checklist with your students and have them finish their exhibit and share it with you.

Materials

External Resources

Grade Level

9 to 12
Timeframe

2 to 3 classes (45 min/period)
Class Subject

History
Skills

Close Reading, Creating Visuals, Digital History, Explore Artifacts, History, Interpreting, Material Analysis, Primary Sources, Reading, Research

Teacher Information

Krista McKim

Montgomery County Public Schools

9, 10, 11, 12

History

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from

Drum played at the funeral of Abraham Lincoln

Full Title

Drum played at the funeral of Abraham Lincoln
Description

Drum played at the funeral of Abraham Lincoln by W. H. Brooks, a resident of Portland, OR and Hillsboro, OR after 1908. Brooks enlisted in the Union army in 1861 when he was 14 years old and served in the 14th Iowa Regiment in a brigade the Confederates dubbed the "Hornets' Nest" because it so fiercely defended its position in a sunken road at Shiloh, Tennessee. In 1931, Brooks told an Oregonian reporter he had marched more than 800 miles before his discharge from the army. He recounted, "I was in the consolidated drum corps that played in the funeral procession of President Lincoln from the city to Oak Ridge cemetery in May 1865. I saw the president's casket placed in the vault."
Source

Oregon Historical Society
Rights

Use of this item for research, teaching, and private study is permitted with proper citation and attribution. Reproduction of this item for publication, broadcast, or commercial use requires written permission.
Tags
Cite this Item

William Henry Brooks, 14th Iowa Regiment. "Drum played at the funeral of Abraham Lincoln". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 2, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/1041

Creator

William Henry Brooks, 14th Iowa Regiment
Dimensions

diameter 16"; depth 9"
Share
Print

from

Drum played at the funeral of Abraham Lincoln

Description

Drum played at the funeral of Abraham Lincoln by W. H. Brooks, a resident of Portland, OR and Hillsboro, OR after 1908. Brooks enlisted in the Union army in 1861 when he was 14 years old and served in the 14th Iowa Regiment in a brigade the Confederates dubbed the "Hornets' Nest" because it so fiercely defended its position in a sunken road at Shiloh, Tennessee. In 1931, Brooks told an Oregonian reporter he had marched more than 800 miles before his discharge from the army. He recounted, "I was in the consolidated drum corps that played in the funeral procession of President Lincoln from the city to Oak Ridge cemetery in May 1865. I saw the president's casket placed in the vault."
Source

Oregon Historical Society
Rights

Use of this item for research, teaching, and private study is permitted with proper citation and attribution. Reproduction of this item for publication, broadcast, or commercial use requires written permission.
Creator

William Henry Brooks, 14th Iowa Regiment
Dimensions

diameter 16"; depth 9"

from Apr. 14, 1865

Silas H. Billings Diary

View Full Document

Full Title

Silas H. Billings Diary
Description

Silas H. Billings was a U.S. Army soldier from Lafayette, New York, wounded at the Battle of Winchester in September 1864. In April 1865 he was a patient at Saterlee Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when he learned that John Wilkes Booth had assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Billings then received permission to attend Lincoln's funeral in Philadelphia. Like many people at the time, Billings recorded both newsworthy events, like Lincoln's assassination, and the details of his everyday life together. After the Civil War, Billings became a school teacher and part-time farmhand. His wounds led to his death in 1873, at the age of only 30.
Transcription

[inside cover]
Silas H. Billings
Wounded at
Winchester Va
Sept 19 1864

[Friday, April 14, 1865]
Abraham Lincoln
is Shot at Fords
Theatre at 9,30 p m and dies at 722 am

Wm H & Fred Seward are stabbed at or
about the same time

[Saturday, April 15, 1865]
my eye is very bad

[Wednesday, April 19, 1865]
Funeral of our Chief
Abraham Lincoln
President of the
U S of America

Recd a Visit from
C F Falch co. "D" 9 ny
Ward 2 Turners Lane

[Saturday, April, 22, 1865]
Recd a pass 2 pm to 9 pm
went downtown to Corner
of Broad & Prime Sts
Funeral Train of the
late President A Lincoln
arrives at 4,30 pm
Procession is formed in
Broad & goes down to
Walnut up to 21st
down to Vine down to
2nd up to Chesnut to
Independence Hall on
Chesnut between 5th & 6th
Source

Marjorie Billings Martinez, great-granddaughter of Silas H. Billings
Rights

This item may be reproduced and used for any purpose, including research, teaching, private study, publication, broadcast or commercial use, with proper citation and attribution.
Tags
Cite this Item

Silas H. Billings. "Silas H. Billings Diary". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 2, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/1040

Creator

Silas H. Billings
Date

April 14, 1865
Share
Print

from Apr. 14, 1865

Silas H. Billings Diary

Description

Silas H. Billings was a U.S. Army soldier from Lafayette, New York, wounded at the Battle of Winchester in September 1864. In April 1865 he was a patient at Saterlee Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when he learned that John Wilkes Booth had assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Billings then received permission to attend Lincoln's funeral in Philadelphia. Like many people at the time, Billings recorded both newsworthy events, like Lincoln's assassination, and the details of his everyday life together. After the Civil War, Billings became a school teacher and part-time farmhand. His wounds led to his death in 1873, at the age of only 30.
Source

Marjorie Billings Martinez, great-granddaughter of Silas H. Billings
Rights

This item may be reproduced and used for any purpose, including research, teaching, private study, publication, broadcast or commercial use, with proper citation and attribution.
Creator

Silas H. Billings
Date

April 14, 1865

Introduction

This Citizen Historian lesson teaches students to go into local archives to in order to find and analyze artifacts related to the Lincoln Assassination and share on the Remembering Lincoln website.

Note: We recommend that the teacher has introduced primary sources to the students before conducting this lesson. Here are some recommended sources for teaching an introduction to primary and secondary sources:

PBS’s History Detectives - http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/educators/lessonplan/primary-sources/
Teaching History’s Primary and Secondary Sources through Video - http://teachinghistory.org/digital-classroom/ask-a-digital-historian/24664
Library of Congress’s Using Primary Sources- http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/
National Archives’ Getting Started with Primary Sources in the Classroom - https://www.archives.gov/education/research/

Guiding Questions

How did the different people in the United States and the world react to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln?
How do you find primary sources related to a specific event in history?
What is the purpose of archives and how do you use them?

Objectives

Discover and analyze primary sources related to the Lincoln assassination
Locate items in a local archive
Summarize those sources
Share the findings at large

Standards

Procedure

Teacher Preparation
What the teacher needs to do to prepare for a visit to the Archives.
Lesson Activity One: Introduction to Remembering Lincoln
The teacher introduces students to citizen history projects and the Remembering Lincoln website.
Lesson Activity Two: Archives
Students visit the Archives in order to find an artifact to submit to the Remembering Lincoln website.
Lesson Activity Three: Primary Source Analysis and Submission
After analyzing their artifact, students submit it to the Remembering Lincoln site.
Lesson Activity Four: Summary of Learning
Using ABC Summarize, students share what they learned from visiting the Archives and researching Abraham Lincoln. Read More »

Teacher Preparation:
Taking students into an archive to conduct original research requires planning. Here are some steps to help get you started.

Find a Local Archive
You can begin your search by looking at the following directories: http://www.archives.gov/locations/ and https://beta.worldcat.org/archivegrid/. If you can’t find a local archive through those sources, try using Google search terms like “archives,” “historical society” or “public library” “near me”.
Find a Contact at the Archive
Once you have found your archive, look at a staff list (if it is available) to find an education specialist or outreach archivist. People in these positions tend to be more familiar with working with students then your typical archivist might be. If the archive doesn’t have an educational specialist or community outreach person, try contacting the head archivist or director.
Once you have made contact, tell them about the Remembering Lincoln project. We have created a form letter to help you get the conversation started--please email rememberinglincoln@fords.org for the letter. Some institutions like the National Archives, DC Public Libraries, and Wisconsin Historical Society have fantastic programs that introduce students to the archival process.
Also be sure to ask the following questions to help you find out if the archive is a good fit for your students. Sometimes you can find this information on their website without contacting a staff member.
- Do you have items dated between April 15, 1865 and June 1, 1866?
- What is your capacity? (If an archive has a small capacity, you can still send conduct this project. See if there is a local museum or historic site near the archive. If so, arrange for half of your kids to go to the archive and the other half to go to the museum. Then have the students switch. You could arrange two visits and have half of the students go on one day and the other on the second day. Additionally, you also could have the students go on their own as an extension activity.)
- What are the rules to your archive?
- Do you have experience working with students?
- Since our students are under 18, do you need any parent signatures?
- Can students take pictures or scan items to submit to the Remembering Lincoln website?
- Will students need money to make copies?
Prep your Students
Make sure you review any rules and expectations with your students before you go to the archive. It could also help to have students view the following videos to give them an idea of what archives are like: Researching at the National Archives: https://youtu.be/5HNYhMlXYhU and Microfilm: https://youtu.be/mRuT7TEs2O4
Go to the Archives!

Lesson Activity One: Introduction to Remembering Lincoln
Begin class by showing students the Remembering Lincoln website. You help them become familiar with the search by giving them mini-quests, such as:

Find a source from the Confederate states.
Find a source from a woman.
Find a source from Lincoln's funeral train.

Ask students why people would want to collect responses to Lincoln’s assassination. Also ask them why Lincoln’s assassination matters today. Explain to students that they will be adding to the collection. This is also a good time to review the rules of the archive your students are going to visit. Pass out the Archive Notes sheet and have students brainstorm together some good key concepts to help guide their search in the archives. It can be helpful to have students focus on different key concepts so that students aren’t finding the same items. You can also review the different items students might find through the Archive Items sheet.

Lesson Activity Two: Archives
Students should work with each other and the archivists to find an item related to the Lincoln assassination. Once they find an artifact, students should fill out their Archive Notes sheet and take a high quality image of their item.

Lesson Activity Three: Primary Source Analysis and Submission
Students should analyze the item that they have chosen. We recommend using either the Library of Congress Primary Analysis Tool: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/guides.html or the National Archives Document Analysis Worksheets: https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/
Next students should upload it to the Remembering Lincoln site through Google Forms: http://goo.gl/forms/SEbfTf80OuWLt2Yz1 They should use the Submission Guidelines to help them through this process. Neither students nor teachers will have access to their responses after they submit. It might be helpful to have students copy and paste the information in a Google doc that they can share with the teacher.

Lesson Activity Four: Summary of Learning
Give each student or a small group of students a letter in the alphabet. They are to create a phrase related to what they learned from this project starting with that letter. Starting with A, students share their phrases with the class. They also can write down their phrases on a strip of paper and then a chart can be constructed to hang in the classroom.

Assessment:
Pair students in class, have each pair interview each other. They should ask each other about their source and what they learned from the process. The interviewer writes up a paragraph based on their partner’s responses. The focus on the paragraph should be “What (Insert Name) learned…” Each student should take time being the interviewer and interviewee.
Extension: If students enjoyed submitting original sources to Remembering Lincoln, they can also submit to U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s similar project to find how U.S. local newspapers reported the Holocaust. Find out more information here: https://newspapers.ushmm.org/

Materials

Archive Items Worksheet (.pdf)
Archive Notes Worksheet (.pdf)

Grade Level

9 to 12
Timeframe

2 to 3 classes (45 min/period)
Class Subject

History
Skills

Research, Primary Sources, Interpreting

Teacher Information

Krista McKim

Montgomery County Public Schools, MarylandRockville High School, Rockville, Maryland

11

English

Suggest an edit or object

Introduction

This Citizen Historian lesson teaches students to search on the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America website (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/), a repository of newspapers, for primary sources showing how people responded to the Lincoln assassination. After they find sources, students will submit them to the Remembering Lincoln website.

Note: We recommend that the teacher has introduced primary sources to the students before conducting this lesson. Here are some recommended sources for teaching an introduction to primary and secondary sources:

PBS’s History Detectives - http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/educators/lessonplan/primary-sources/
Teaching History’s Primary and Secondary Sources through Video - http://teachinghistory.org/digital-classroom/ask-a-digital-historian/24664
Library of Congress’s Using Primary Sources- http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/
National Archives’ Getting Started with Primary Sources in the Classroom - https://www.archives.gov/education/research/

Guiding Questions

How did the different people in the United States and the world react to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln?
How do you find primary sources related to a specific event in history?

Objectives

Discover and analyze primary sources related to the Lincoln assassination
Summarize those sources
Share these findings at large

Standards

Procedure

Lesson Activity One: Introduction to Remembering Lincoln
Students are introduced to citizen history projects and the Remembering Lincoln website.
Lesson Activity Two: Research and Submission
Students use Chronicling America to find and submit articles related to Lincoln’s death.
Lesson Activity Three: Summary of Learning
Students use corporative graphing to identify connections between their sources. Read More »

Lesson Activity One: Introduction to Remembering Lincoln
Begin class by showing student the Remembering Lincoln website. You help them become familiar with the search by giving them mini-quests, such as:

Find a source from the Confederate states.
Find a source from a woman.
Find a source from the journey of Lincoln's funeral train.

Ask students why people would want to collect responses to Lincoln’s assassination. Also ask them why Lincoln’s assassination matters today. Explain to students that they will be adding to the collection.

Lesson Activity Two: Research and Submission
Students should go to http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ and search for an article related to the Lincoln assassination. Please note that Remembering Lincoln only accepts sources from April 15, 1865 until June 1, 1866.
Students should use the search fields to limit their options to 1865 and 1866. They should use search terms to find information related to a subtopic of the assassination that interests them. You can also assign different search terms to get make sure multiple sides of the issue are represented.
Possible search terms:

Lincoln Death
Manhunt
Seward attack

It might be helpful to have students pick different search times or months to search this will help get a larger range of responses. To limit kids from picking the same source, you can use a shared Google doc for students to list their sources.

Once students find an article that interests them, they should upload it to the Remembering Lincoln site through Google Forms: http://goo.gl/forms/SEbfTf80OuWLt2Yz1
They should use the Submission Guidelines (included below) to help them through this process. Neither students nor teachers will have access to their responses after they submit. It might be helpful to have students copy and paste the information in a Google doc that they can share with their teacher. It also might be helpful to have this information when the students participate in the Summary of Learning in Lesson Activity Three.

Note: Transcription is an optional field. If you would like students to transcribe the article, please refer to our Transcription lesson. Chronicling America has a system to automatically transcribe documents, but it needs human review because you will often find text like this: Meanwhile the armies directly south of the Pinsk marshes are lighting a pitched battle with the Austro-German forces of General von J.insingen along 4U" !?*?/* nf tho Cfnlrhml riv^r. It I UIC line MM. un, ...

Lesson Activity Three: Summary of Learning
The teacher should hang five chart papers around the room for corporative graphing.

Date of Source (Page One): April 15, 1865 – April 1865 – May 1865 – June until December 1865 – January until June 1866
Location of Source (Page Two): DC – Union States –Confederate States – Border States – Western States and Territories - International
Tone of Source (Page Three): Celebration – Mourning
Accuracy of Information (Page Four): Accurate – Inaccurate
Topic of Source (Page Five): Assassination – Manhunt- Funeral – Other

After students have submitted their sources, they should mark when their sources falls on each of the chart papers. The teacher should lead a class discussion on what the students learned from researching the sources and comparing the sources. Example discussion questions could include:

Did different parts of the country react differently to assassination?
Why do you think that was?
How is the news the similar to today? How is it different? Online vs. print? (It might be helpful to bring in a current newspaper for students to look at for comparison)

Assessment:
Teacher can use the One Minute Paper to assess learning. Students have one minute to respond to the following questions:

What was the most important thing you learned?
What important questions remain unanswered?

Before giving them one minute to write, give students a couple minutes to think about their responses.

Extension: If students enjoyed submitting original sources to Remembering Lincoln, they can also submit to U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s similar project to find how U.S. local newspapers reported the Holocaust. Find out more information here: https://newspapers.ushmm.org/

Materials

Submission Guidelines (.pdf)

External Resources

Grade Level

9 to 12
Timeframe

2 to 3 classes (45 min/period)
Class Subject

History
Skills

digital history, interpreting, primary sources, reporting/journalism, research, research structures

Teacher Information

Krista McKim

Rockville High School, Rockville, Maryland

11

English

Suggest an edit or object

Introduction

This Citizen Historian lesson teaches students to look at primary sources and transcribe a source to make it searchable for all students and researchers. The transcription will become part of the Remembering Lincoln database, and students will receive credit for transcription on the site.

Note: We recommend that the teacher has introduced primary sources to the students before conducting this lesson. Here are some recommended sources for teaching an introduction to primary and secondary sources:

PBS’s History Detectives - http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/educators/lessonplan/primary-sources/
Teaching History’s Primary and Secondary Sources through Video - http://teachinghistory.org/digital-classroom/ask-a-digital-historian/24664
Library of Congress’s Using Primary Sources- http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/
National Archives’ Getting Started with Primary Sources in the Classroom - https://www.archives.gov/education/research/

Guiding Questions

How did the world react to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln?
What guidelines do historians use to transcribe resources?
Why do researchers find transcribed primary sources useful?

Objectives

Transcribe primary sources related to the Lincoln assassination
Discuss what criteria historians might use to decide what to transcribe
Describe why transcription is useful

Standards

Procedure

Lesson Activity One: Introduction to Transcription
The teacher introduces students to citizen history projects and the Remembering Lincoln website.

Lesson Activity Two: Transcription
Students find, transcribe, review, and submit a resource from the Remembering Lincoln website.

Lesson Activity Three: Summary of Learning
Using an Agreement Circle, students compare their Remembering Lincoln resources. Read More »

Lesson Activity One: Introduction to Transcription
Ask students to reflect on why transcription is useful and important to different members of the community. If students are struggling to come up with answers ask them how it might be helpful to the following people:

Historian
Student
Visually Impaired Researcher

Explain to students that they will be transcribing an item related to the Lincoln assassination. This would be a good time to show the Remembering Lincoln website to them and showing them what is included on the website. Pass out the transcription guide and review it as a class.

Lesson Activity Two: Transcription
Have students venture to the Remembering Lincoln website. Before having them search for an item to transcribe, you help them become familiar with the search by giving them mini-quests, such as:

Find a source from a Confederate state.
Find a source written by a woman.
Find a source about the journey of Lincoln's funeral train.

They should begin searching for a source by going to "Browse Reponses" (http://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/browse) and picking one of these tags: “untranscribed: handwritten” (http://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/browse/all/all/?tags=untranscribed:%20handwritten) or “untranscribed: printed” (http://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/browse/all/all/?tags=untranscribed:%20printed). They can limit their searches by using other search terms as well.

Once students have picked an item, they should open a Google document and transcribe the item using the transcription guidelines. To limit kids from picking the same source, the teacher can use a shared Google doc for students to list their sources. Students should refer to the Cursive Letter Reference Guide (included with this lesson) if they are having trouble transcribing handwritten items.

After they are finished with the transcription, they should share their document with another student. The other student should review the transcription and highlight any inaccuracies. After the item is reviewed, the reviewer and transcriber should meet and decide on a final transcription and submit the transcription using this link: http://goo.gl/forms/yS863RuGcgN5msNb2
A Ford’s Theatre staff member will contact you about including the transcription on the website.

Lesson Activity Three: Summary of Learning
The teacher can use an agreement circle to review the different responses of Lincoln’s assassination around the United States and world. An agreement circle allows students to see what views are in the minority and majority. In an agreement circle, students stand in a circle and the teacher makes a statement. Students whose sources agree with the statement step forward. Some suggested statements include:

My source is from the North.
My source celebrated the assassination.
My source discussed the manhunt.
My source mourned the assassination.
My source was from the first month after the assassination.
My source included an image (map, pictures, sketch, etc)
My source was written by ______________ (solider, woman, formerly enslaved person, etc)

After the agreement circle, students should return to their seats. The teacher should lead a class discussion on what the students learned from transcribing the sources. Example discussion questions could include:

Did different parts of the country react differently to assassination?
Why do you think that was?
How is the news the similar to today? How is it different?

Assessment:
The teacher can finish class by having student fill out an exit card completing the following sentence: “I used to think…but now I know…”

Extension: If the students enjoying transcribing primary sources, the teacher might want to introduce students to the Smithsonian Institution’s Transcription Center: https://transcription.si.edu/

A special thank-you to Jason Rude of New Hampton Middle School, New Hampton, Iowa, and Elissa Frankle and Eric Schmalz of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum for their assistance in preparation of this teaching module.

Materials

Transcription Guidelines (.pdf)
Cursive Letter Reference Guide (.pdf)

External Resources

Remembering Lincoln Submission Form

Grade Level

9 to 12
Timeframe

2 to 3 classes (45 min/period)
Class Subject

History
Skills

analysis, connections, history, primary sources, team work

Teacher Information

Krista McKim

Rockville High School, Rockville, Maryland

11

English

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from May. 1, 1865

The President's grave

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Full Title

The President's grave
Description

Work for vocal quartet and piano associated with the Union side. Part of the Library of Congress Civil War Sheet Music Collection.
Transcription

Verse 1
Be silent! there cometh on spirit wings sped,
The wail of a nation in grief for the dead;
The strong and the mighty, from glory and light,
Hath waned in his brightness and left us in night;
The proud eagle banners all droopingly wave,
And the wild wings are hushed round the President's grave.
And the wild winds are hushed round the President's grave.

Verse 2
A deep brooding sorrow comes over the heart
A moan like the tempest, when summers depart,
A gushing of anguish, unbroken and still,
As tolleth the requiem o'er valley and hill;
The sun that rose bright o'er the free and the brave
Now is setting in gloom o'er the President's grave.
Now is setting in gloom o'er the President's grave.

Verse 3
Be silent! our father hath laid him to rest,
A hero of battles hath yielded his crest,
A statesman hath fallen, his counsels are o'er,
His firmness and wisdom shall guide us no more:
Let cannon boom forth and the banners all wave,
While we mingle our tears o'er the President's grave.
While we mingle our tears o'er the President's grave.
Source

Library of Congress Classification M1640.M
Rights

Public Domain. Suggested credit line: Civil War Sheet Music Collection, Library of Congress, Music Division.
Tags
Cite this Item

Miller, L. B. (composer); Babbitt, Edwin S. (lyricist). "The President's grave". Chicago: Root & Cady, 1865. Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 2, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/1035

Creator

Miller, L. B. (composer); Babbitt, Edwin S. (lyricist)
Publisher

Chicago: Root & Cady, 1865
Date

1865
Material

Sheet Music
Share
Print

from May. 1, 1865

The President's grave

Description

Work for vocal quartet and piano associated with the Union side. Part of the Library of Congress Civil War Sheet Music Collection.
Source

Library of Congress Classification M1640.M
Rights

Public Domain. Suggested credit line: Civil War Sheet Music Collection, Library of Congress, Music Division.
Creator

Miller, L. B. (composer); Babbitt, Edwin S. (lyricist)
Publisher

Chicago: Root & Cady, 1865
Date

May 1, 1865
Material

Sheet Music

from May. 1, 1865

Lincoln's grave

View Full Document

Full Title

Lincoln's grave
Description

Song for high voice and piano that comments describes President Lincoln as a "martyr of freedom." Sheet music from the Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana, Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Associated with the Union side.
Transcription

Verse 1
Far out on the plains of the beautiful west,
Whose glory and wonder Columbia adorn,
The martyr of freedom in triumph shall rest,
To bless all the living and all yet unborn;
The hand that hath slain him, how vile, O how vile!
To mar that fair visage so kind and so true!
No more shall assail him whose heart knew no guile,
But wither and perish a doom justly due.
But wither and perish a doom justly due.

Verse 2
O shade of the blessed, a nation in tears,
In sorrow and sadness its loss must deplore,
The God who hath led thee will quell all our fears,
His goodness that gave thee we still will adore;
Sweet peace, gentle sleeper, thy spirit attend,
While men, yes while angels thy praises shall sing,
Against thy blest mem'ry O who dare offend!
And not to its altar his best off'rings bring.

Verse 3
O spirit undying for death none the less,
But like Him who died that the earth might rejoice,
Thou risest victorious the nations to bless;
The bondman's delivrer, America's choice,
The hand that hath slain thee, how vile, O how vile!
To mar thy fair visage, so kind and so true,
No more shall assail thee whose heart knew no guile,
But wither and perish a doom justly due.
Source

Sheet Music from the Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana
Rights

Public Domain. Suggested credit line: Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana, Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division.
Tags
Cite this Item

Gougler, Isaiah W. (composer & lyricist). "Lincoln's grave". New York: Wm. A. Pond & Co., ca. 1865. Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 2, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/1034

Creator

Gougler, Isaiah W. (composer & lyricist)
Publisher

New York: Wm. A. Pond & Co., ca. 1865
Date

ca. 1865
Material

Sheet Music
Share
Print

from May. 1, 1865

Lincoln's grave

Description

Song for high voice and piano that comments describes President Lincoln as a "martyr of freedom." Sheet music from the Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana, Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Associated with the Union side.
Source

Sheet Music from the Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana
Rights

Public Domain. Suggested credit line: Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana, Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division.
Creator

Gougler, Isaiah W. (composer & lyricist)
Publisher

New York: Wm. A. Pond & Co., ca. 1865
Date

May 1, 1865
Material

Sheet Music

from May. 1, 1865

Requiem march in honor of President Lincoln

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Full Title

Requiem march in honor of President Lincoln
Description

This is sheet music for President Lincoln's funeral march for solo piano. The title on the cover page is "Requiem March In honor of President Lincoln," while the first page of music lists the title as "President Lincoln's funeral march." A requiem is traditionally in a minor key and imitates the solemn, slow pace of a funeral procession. This piece is part of the Library of Congress Civil War Sheet Music Collection, associated with the Union side. Probably a third of the entire U.S. population at the time, out of a total of 31 million, participated in some kind of memorial commemoration for Lincoln. Roughly 150,000 people were present at Lincoln's funeral in Springfield.
Source

Library of Congress Classification M20.C59F
Rights

Public Domain. Suggested credit line: Civil War Sheet Music Collection, Library of Congress, Music Division.
Tags
Cite this Item

Fiske, W. O.. "Requiem march in honor of President Lincoln". Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co., 1865. Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 2, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/1033

Creator

Fiske, W. O.
Publisher

Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co., 1865
Date

1865
Material

Sheet Music
Share
Print

from May. 1, 1865

Requiem march in honor of President Lincoln

Description

This is sheet music for President Lincoln's funeral march for solo piano. The title on the cover page is "Requiem March In honor of President Lincoln," while the first page of music lists the title as "President Lincoln's funeral march." A requiem is traditionally in a minor key and imitates the solemn, slow pace of a funeral procession. This piece is part of the Library of Congress Civil War Sheet Music Collection, associated with the Union side. Probably a third of the entire U.S. population at the time, out of a total of 31 million, participated in some kind of memorial commemoration for Lincoln. Roughly 150,000 people were present at Lincoln's funeral in Springfield.
Source

Library of Congress Classification M20.C59F
Rights

Public Domain. Suggested credit line: Civil War Sheet Music Collection, Library of Congress, Music Division.
Creator

Fiske, W. O.
Publisher

Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co., 1865
Date

May 1, 1865
Material

Sheet Music

History Repeating: Lincoln and Kennedy Assassinations

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Drum played at the funeral of Abraham Lincoln

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from Apr. 14, 1865

Silas H. Billings Diary

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Silas H. Billings Diary

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