Lincoln's Public Letters
Instructional Resources for Analyzing Historical Documents
Lincoln's Public Letters:
This website was created as a resource for Advanced Placement United States History Teachers to guide
their students through a close reading Lincoln's Public Letters using the framework for interpreting primary sources on the AP US History Exam. However, all activities and handouts can be easily modified for non-AP students.
Throughout the eighteenth century, the public letter was a popular means used by political leaders t0 disseminate their positions on critical issues. Though
addressed to a particular individual, the public letter
was written with the intent that it would be shared
with a larger audience, either by having it read aloud at a public forum or published in newspapers or pamphlets, or sometimes all three. Abraham Linclon used the public letter often and to great effect while president, most notably in response to criticism over his use of presidential war powers. Many questioned whether or not Lincoln had the Constitutional authority to suspend civil liberties, emanciapte those enslaved in the Confederate states, and enlist former slaves into the Union army. As he makes clear in his letters, Lincoln was confident the Constitution granted him the power to authorize all three.
A close reading of the public letters in which Lincoln defended his policies provides students of U.S. history an opportunity to analyze historical documents using the four criteria from the AP US History curriculum frameworks: Historical Context, Intended Purpose, Intended Audience and Point of View. Instructional guides, historical documents, and an example of a Close Reading Documentary of Lincoln's Letter to James Conkling based on the AP US History Frameworks can be found by clicking on the buttons below.
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