Lincoln: On the Tri-State Heritage Trail

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About this website

During the year prior to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial of 2009, several geographers discussed the possibility of offering field experiences that present Lincoln’s life from a geographic (spatial) perspective in lieu of the traditional historic (chronological) perspective. Key states in which Abraham Lincoln lived, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., partnered to offer kindergarten through twelfth grade educators field experiences designed to better understand Abraham Lincoln: as a toddler, a child, a teen, a young man, a husband, a father, a worker, and a political leader. As a result of the field experiences, educator participants created many diverse materials designed for classroom use: movies, Power Points, lesson plans, digital images and more. A repository for the materials was created via the Lincoln on the Tri-State Heritage Trail website THANKS to a grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

As you view the various locations throughout the tri-state region that have an Abraham Lincoln connection, think about patterns and relationships AND about change in place over time. Think about then and now. Try to understand the physical landscape, the economy, the politics and policies, the human needs and cultural attitudes, and resources. Imagine yourself surviving during Lincoln’s era.

Creation of the website was possible only due to the imagination and technical skills of Vince, Erik, and Michael at the IUPUI Production & Media Services, Information Technologies.

National Geographic Education Foundation