| Abraham Lincoln | |||
|---|---|---|---|
  | |||
| Season | 8 | ||
| Airdate | January 9, 2007 | ||
| Curriculum | Social Studies | ||
Abraham Lincoln is a BrainPOP Social Studies video launched on January 9, 2007.
Summary[]
The movie starts out at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. where Tim sleeping there, and then he wakes up at the Abraham Lincoln statue as Tim says "Good morning, Mr. Presi - Wait a minute. Where am I?" Tim then finds Moby who teleported them to the Lincoln Memorial. Moby hands Tim a letter afterwards because Moby couldn't wait until after breakfast, but they proceed on with the history of Abraham Lincoln anyway.
Moby teleports him and Tim to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where the Battle of Gettysburg had a Union victory and Abraham Lincoln gave his famous speech called the Gettysburg Address which lasted two minutes.
After they talked about Abraham Lincoln, Moby tries to teleports him and Tim back home, but ends up in Mount Rushmore, South Dakota as Tim says "What the? Oh, this is just perfect!" ending the video.
Appearances[]
Transcript[]
Quiz[]
Quotes[]
Tim[]
- "Good morning, Mr. Presi-- wait a minute. Where am I? (realizes he is in Washington D.C. with Moby on an Abraham Lincoln statue monument) Moby!"
- "You couldn't wait until after breakfast to teleport us here?"
- "Oh, this is just perfect!"
FYI Comics[]
Sickness And Health[]
These days, it’s not all that uncommon for a man to attain a height of 6’4 (193 cm), but in Lincoln’s time, it was incredibly rare. In fact, in 1962 a doctor suggested that the former President may have suffered from something called Marfan syndrome.
This genetic disorder affects the body’s connective tissue, the stuff that holds organs in place and muscles and bones together. People with Marfan syndrome are often tall, with unusually long limbs and fingers.
That theory doesn’t seem likely, however, since Lincoln had neither cardiovascular problems nor vision problems—both of which are common among Marfan syndrome patients. In 2007, a doctor came up with an updated theory to explain Lincoln’s height: He might have suffered from multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B, or MEN2B.
This disease is caused by tumors that affect the endocrine system, which controls the body’s hormones. Side effects can include long limbs, bumpy lips, a large jaw, and drooping eyelids—all of which Lincoln had.
A DNA test would be the only way to confirm Lincoln had MEN2B. A sample could be obtained from a bloodstained pillowcase on display at a civil war museum in Philadelphia, but whether it should be done is a controversial issue.
Regardless of whether or not Lincoln suffered from one of these diseases, he was far from frail. On the contrary, his strength and endurance were almost legendary. In the 1860 presidential race, Lincoln campaigned as “Railsplitter of the West,” a reference to his early days on his family’s farm, where he split logs to make rail fences.
Myths[]
On the second floor of the White House, the Lincoln Bedroom is used as the sitting President's guest room, often hosting VIPs and other famous guests. But it wasn’t always a bedroom!
For President Abraham Lincoln, the room was his personal office and a meeting place for the Cabinet. Dark green wallpaper and Civil War maps covered the walls, and desks and tables were stacked high with newspapers, mail, and other important documents. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed here on January 1st, 1863.
It was only when all presidential offices were moved to the West Wing in 1902 that the room was turned into a bedroom. It was named the Lincoln Bedroom in 1945, when President Harry Truman and his wife filled it with furniture from the time of Lincoln.
The biggest piece of furniture was a large bed bought by Lincoln’s wife Mary Todd in 1861 as part of her refurbishing of the White House. Though Lincoln himself never used it, later Presidents like Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson did!
So what makes the Lincoln Bedroom so famous? Well, it’s said to be haunted! Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Eleanor Roosevelt all claimed to have felt the presence of Lincoln in or near the room, and Winston Churchill said he actually saw Lincoln’s ghost! He’s not alone, as many White House maids and butlers have also reported ghostly sightings.
Fond as he was of telling tall tales, Lincoln would no doubt have been amused to learn that he himself became the subject of one!
Quirky Stuff[]
In 2009, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History invited a master watchmaker to open up a gold pocket watch that belonged to Abraham Lincoln. The purpose was to discover whether a century-old rumor about a secret message engraved on the inside of the watch was true.
The watch—believed to be the first Lincoln ever owned—was donated to the museum in 1958 by his great-grandson. As the story goes, a watchmaker named Jonathan Dillon was repairing the watch in a Washington, D.C. shop in April 1861 when the shop’s owner ran upstairs to tell him that the Civil War had started.
In response, Dillon engraved the following on the brass underside of the watch:
“Jonathan Dillon April 13- 1861 Fort Sumpter [sic] was attacked by the rebels on the above date. J Dillon
April 13- 1861 Washington thank God we have a government Jonth Dillon.”
This story was passed down through several generations of Dillon’s descendants, but never confirmed. But in 2009, one of Dillon’s great-great-grandsons discovered a 1906 newspaper article in which Dillon described his secret engraving! The article was brought to the museum’s attention, and the decision was made to put the rumor to rest once and for all.
As it turns out, the story is true. The inscription really does exist, which means President Lincoln unknowingly carried this hidden message around in his pocket throughout the war!
The watch itself remains in mint condition and still has its original hands. After the master watchmaker reassembled it, it went back on display at the museum, next to a photograph and transcript of the now-famous inscription.
Trivia[]
- Lincoln earned the nickname “Honest Abe” during his time as a store manager in New Salem, Illinois. He would sometimes chase after customers to make sure they received proper change for their purchases.
- Lincoln is the only U.S. President to hold a patent, for his 1849 invention of a device that helped riverboats float in shallow depths.
- According to firsthand accounts, Lincoln’s voice was sharp and high-pitched, not deep and quiet, like the voices of so many Lincoln actors and impersonators.
- Following the suggestion of an 11-year-old girl, the clean-shaven Lincoln grew a beard before his first inauguration as President.
- Lincoln created a strong inner circle of advisors by filling his Cabinet with his political adversaries. For example, his Secretary of State was William H. Seward, his main rival for the Republican presidential nomination in 1860.
- In 1863, Lincoln proclaimed the fourth Thursday in November to be an official day of Thanksgiving, establishing an annual national holiday.
- The legislation creating the Secret Service (charged with protecting the President, among other things) was on Lincoln’s desk the night he was assassinated!
- Lincoln was often frustrated by what he viewed as over-cautiousness among Union Army officers. In one instance, to prove that Union forces could safely land at a beach behind enemy lines, the President of the United personally visited the Virginia site and walked up and down the beach, without any security!
Quotables[]
Here are some quotations from our 16th President! “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free.”
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
“As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”
“Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.”
“Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
“With malice toward none, with charity for all…let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds…to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”
“We [the Union and Confederacy] are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.”
“I happen temporarily to occupy this big White House. I am living witness that any one of your children may look to come here as my father’s child has.”
FYI comic[]
Halloween
Gallery[]
