Mr. Lincoln’s Bedroom President Lincoln was a light and often troubled sleeper. “His White House bed, nine feet long, nearly nine feet high at the headboard, had bunches of grapes, and flying birds carved in its black walnut. Nearby was a marble-topped…” Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Corridor Outside President’s Office Office seekers and other petitioners waited for the President in either the reception room or the corridor after presenting their cards to the messenger who stood outside his office. In this space, the President sometimes paced at… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Virtual Tours Emancipation ultimately was the penalty for the Southern rebellion According to Secretary of Navy Gideon Welles, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862 stemmed from a promise the President made that “if God gave us the victory in the approaching battle, he would consider it an indication of…” Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Lesson 2: The Civil War and the Suppression of Civil Liberties Abraham Lincoln was well versed in Constitutional Law. Before entering into politics he was a practicing attorney in the federal courts in Illinois, and when sworn into the Office of President in 1861, he vowed to uphold, protect, and defend the Constitution of the […]

Lesson 1: The Emancipation Proclamation President Lincoln’s original plan upon entering the Civil War in 1861 was to preserve the Union. The abolition of slavery, in his mind, was a secondary issue. Mr. Lincoln favored the gradual emancipation of slaves with compensation for owners, but he feared the racial consequences of… Abraham Lincoln’s White House […]

Packing Up and Leaving Mrs. Lincoln was too grief-stricken immediately to vacate the White house after her husband’s death. Unlike her son Robert, she did not take the train to Springfield, Illinois for President Lincoln’s burial. She was coherent enough, however, to veto internment of President Lincoln’s… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Looting and Destruction of The White House in 1864-65 Journalist Noah Brooks wrote in early 1864, “People who visit the White House usually have a free range over the East Room and one or two of the adjoining parlors; accordingly relic-hunters (let us hope they are no worse), have acquired the practice of cutting out […]

The Case of Major John Key After the Battle of Antietam and the release of the draft Emancipation Proclamation, it came to President Lincoln’s attention that Major John J. Key had said that defeating the Confederate army on the battlefield was not the Union objective: “That is not the game…” Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Favors & Requests Jobs and promotions were a frequent topic of conversation. A difficult early case was presented in March 1861 by fiery Kentucky politician Cassius M. Clay, who later recalled how protested his appointment as American Minister to Spain and ended up Minister to Russia: “I at once went on to…” Abraham Lincoln’s White […]

Pardons & Clemency Because the President was considered a compassionate man, many requests for pardons and deferrals of executions came to him. During his presidency, he reviewed over 1600 cases of military justice. Mr. Lincoln called many cases of military cowardice his… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >