Submitted by Jetta Bates-Vasilatos
Illinois has been in the spotlight lately — Lincoln's bicentennial birthday, the 100th anniversary of the 1908 Springfield Race Riots, which lead to the formation of the NAACP, and, of course, the election of Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who became the first African-American president of the United States. This historical trifecta, coupled with our entry into Black History Month, inspired this globetrotting Chicago girl to go on her first Illinois road trip and really pay attention to her own interesting state.
A good road trip requires research to add meaning to the experience, and it was time to do some sleuthing. We all know Lincoln emancipated the slaves, but I really wanted to understand the legacy of a man who has been accused by many of being a racist and separatist, yet is so respected by President Obama that he chose to be sworn in with Lincoln’s bible (which hadn’t been used since 1861, when Lincoln was sworn in with it). After reviewing information from experts such as Dr. Wayne C. Temple, one of the world’s leading Lincoln scholars, and James Cornelius, curator of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, I came to the following conclusion: Lincoln was a complicated, shrewdly political man who was adept at walking the fine line between his convictions and pre-Civil War America.
Lincoln believed that the Declaration of Independence applied to every man, and his compassion for African-Americans has been noted time and again in writings by and about him — a touching example was when he sent a personal check for $69.30 (quite a bit a money in those days!) to ensure John Shelby, a young freeman of color who had forgotten his "papers" and was arrested in New Orleans as a runaway slave, could safely return to Springfield. Lincoln kept this act of kindness private, never using its obvious appeal to win the political favor of Republican abolitionist voters. But Lincoln also had a keen understanding of the social and political climate of the antebellum north, with its racist, highly restrictive and punitive Black Laws that denied African-Americans basic liberties such as intermarrying, voting, and testifying in court. This tug of war between Lincoln’s moral convictions and what he could achieve politically was supported in his famed letter to Kentucky newspaper editor Albert G. Hodges: "I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I cannot remember when I did not so think, and feel. And yet I have never understood that the Presidency conferred upon me an unrestricted right to act officially upon this judgment and feeling."
Much like politics today, Lincoln operated with a "give and take" wisdom, affecting change and guaranteeing the big goal through collaboration and small, yet deliberate steps. He considered slavery to be a state institution that should be allowed to continue where it currently existed, yet he opposed the extension of the institution into new territories… he felt his plan to stop the spread of slavery would eventually lead to its demise. I now understand why President Obama looks to the lessons of Lincoln for guidance, and why parallels have been drawn between these two men who both rose from modest means to become leaders of a powerful nation.
You can see the influence in President Obama's victory night speech: "As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, 'we are not enemies, but friends. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.' "
Like President Obama has learned, to know Lincoln is to respect his leadership and strength, and I cannot wait to learn more about him by visiting these special areas of interest:
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
The passion that James Cornelius (curator of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum) has for Lincoln history makes this a must-see for me, and I heard Mr. Cornelius is a riveting storyteller
Lincoln Home (stands at 8th and Jackson Sts. in Springfield)
The Lincoln Family Tomb (Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery)
They say rubbing the nose of the bronze bust of Lincoln at the tomb's 117-foot-tall granite entrance brings you good luck!
Edwards Place (700 N. 4th Street, Springfield) As the saying goes, "besides every good man there is a good woman," and Edwards Place is the home where Mary Todd-Lincoln, Lincoln's highly educated muse and confidant, spent her final days; she is buried beside her husband in the Lincoln Family Tomb.
Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site (209 S. Sixth Street, Springfield)
This is the only building where Lincoln practiced law that is still standing 
Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site (Menard County, 20 miles north of Springfield on Route 97)
This reconstructed village in Petersburg was Lincoln’s home from 183–1837. His bid for office was rejected in Salem, the only time this ever happened in his political career.
Old State Capitol State Historic Site (6th and Adams Sts., Springfield)
This was the site of Lincoln's famous "House Divided" speech on June 16, 1858, which he gave after being endorsed for U.S. Senate. Imagine standing where Lincoln delivered the line, "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free." Thrilling!