Q & Abe

For this episode, we're answering a question from a young person impressed by Lincoln's height. Along the way we talk about the peach basket story, Lincoln's wrestling bouts, whether he would've been able to keep up in the NBA, and the intersection of sports and activism. Come along with us! Guests: Curtis Harris Tamika Dudley Len Elmore Lee Roy Smith www.lincolncottage.org Hosted on Acast. See ac...

This bonus episode accompanies episode 4.2, "Where's all the furniture?" Erin Carlson Mast explains how the interpretation team made the decision that it was going to be ok for visitors to sit on the antique furniture in the house, and tells the story of how the Cottage acquired some objects from when Lincoln was in residence. www.lincolncottage.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

For this episode, we're exploring one of our all-time top questions at the Cottage. Along the way we'll stop by the White House records, historical cooties, measuring authenticity, and defining what a museum even is, anyway. Come along with us! Guests: Matt Costello Erin Carlson Mast Rainey Tisdale Michael Atwood Mason www.lincolncottage.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

This bonus episode accompanies episode 4.1, "Was Lincoln a racist?" Richard Blackett told us about one of the obstacles folks promoting emancipation in the US faced before the Civil War, and Seth Levi told us about a project he's working on to help support voting rights in communities descended from the formerly enslaved, among others. www.lincolncottage.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

In this episode, we're talking through a question we've gotten from older visitors, documentarians, and teen students alike. Along the way we pass through the Lincoln-Douglas debates, monumental controversies, the power of anger, and lost historical perspectives. Come along with us! Guests: Richard Blackett Brian Dirck Gwen Westerman Seth Levi www.lincolncottage.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

Join us for Season 4 of Q&Abe, appearing here in your feed February 10! For more information about President Lincoln's Cottage and our programming, visit us at www.lincolncottage.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This bonus episode accompanies episode 3.4, "Did Lincoln ever worry he was unqualified to be president?" Normally, for a bonus episode, we share with you portions of our initial conversation with our guests, but today's episode is a little different. We checked back in for a new conversation with Jared Peatman and Nancy Belmont just yesterday,  after  the election. What is the responsibility of th...

In this episode, we're exploring a question from a friend of the Cottage about Lincoln's self doubt and what it means to be qualified for the presidency. Encounters along the way include rowdy 1860s politics, imposter syndrome, the Constitution, and a formula for courage. Come along with us! Guests: Michael Green Jared Peatman Nancy Belmont www.lincolncottage.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

This bonus episode accompanies episode 3.3, "Willie was his favorite, right?" As we work on answering the questions for the show, we sometimes have fascinating encounters that are outside the main episode, but we still want to get them in your hands. About two and a half years ago, our Executive Director Erin Carlson Mast was in conversation with George Saunders, the author of  Lincoln in the Bard...

In this episode, we're investigating a visitor question about Lincoln's relationship with his four sons, including Willie. While we're looking around, we run into mischief in the telegraph office, our innate need to be loved, and a new reflection on Lincoln's oldest son, Robert. Come along with us! Guests: Alan Manning Michael Mintz www.lincolncottage.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

This bonus episode accompanies episode 3.2, "Wasn't she crazy?" As we talk to our experts looking for answers to the questions for the show, we run into fascinating things sometimes that don't quite fit within the main episode - but we still want to share them with you all. We asked Anjan Chatterjee an existential question, and also to explain a little more about his field of neuroaesthetics as it...

In this episode, we're digging into a question we often get from visitors about Mary Lincoln and her mental health. Along the way we stop off at the orbitofrontal cortex, what it's like to lose an election, the physiology of grief, and the connection between spiritualism and the telegraph. Come along with us! Guests: Catherine Clinton Anjan Chatterjee Joanne Cacciatore Emily Cain www.lincolncottag...

This bonus episode accompanies episode 3.1, "Wait, she's black?" As we talk to our experts looking for answers to the questions for the show, we sometimes have conversations that might not quite fit within the main episode - but we don't think that should keep you all from hearing them. One of the things we've been hearing a lot, in all the conversations about race this summer, is an idea that "I...

In this episode, we're digging into a question a fifth grade student asked about Elizabeth Keckly, a formerly enslaved woman who became a renowned dressmaker to Mrs. Lincoln. Encounters along the way include colorism, the term "mulatto," racial passing, and Carolus Linnaeus. Come along with us! Guests: A.B. Wilkinson Jennifer Fleischner Karen Grigsby Bates Nina Jablonski www.lincolncottage.org Hos...

Join us for Season 3 of Q&Abe, appearing here in your feed September 17! For more information about President Lincoln's Cottage and our programming, visit us at www.lincolncottage.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're currently conducting interviews to prepare for season 3. The other day, we spoke with Dr. Nina Jablonski, an anthropologist who studies the evolution and social positioning of human skin color. As you might imagine, the conversation was inflected by current events. Dr. Jablonski explained where our present-day ideas about "race" originated, how they took hold so firmly, and what their relati...

This bonus episode accompanies episode 2.4, "What's the Cottage worth?" While we're digging around researching the questions in the show, we sometimes run across things that don't fit within the main episode, but are too intriguing not to share. Having rediscovered the full specifications for building the Cottage, we asked our Senior Preservationist Jeff Larry to read them for us, and to shed some...

In this episode, we're investigating a question we often get from visitors: "What's the Cottage worth?" Come investigate with us as we pore through old banking records and talk to an insurance adjuster, an antiquities appraiser, and an architect who studies sacred spaces. Guests: Kevin Sullivan Allan Stypeck Julio Bermudez www.lincolncottage.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

This bonus episode accompanies episode 2.3, What's the difference between freedom and liberty? Our journey working to answer the questions for the show sometimes leads to dialogue, conversations, and side pockets that don't fit directly within the main episode, but are too fascinating not to share. Partway through our conversation with Didier Saillard, he had a question that resulted in a fascinat...

For this episode, we're investigating the question: "What's the difference between liberty and freedom?" Dig in with us as we talk to a historian of the English language, a native French speaker, and a legal expert in the anti-trafficking field. Guests: Michael Adams Didier Saillard Louis cdeBaca www.lincolncottage.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This bonus episode accompanies episode 2.2, If people saw that slavery was getting started, why didn't they stop it? In our conversations surrounding the questions in the show, we sometimes encounter stories that don't fit within the main episode, but are compelling enough that we don't want to keep them to ourselves. In talking through this question, several of our guests shared with us stories a...

In this episode, we'll be digging into a question asked by a third grade student at the Cottage - "If people saw that slavery was getting started, why didn't they stop it?" Come down the rabbit hole with us as we talk to a historian of colonial Virginia, staff at the historic site of the 1619 landing, a former colleague, and two anti-racist facilitators. Guests: Kathleen Brown Robin Reed Terry Bro...

This bonus episode accompanies episode 2.1, Who did Lincoln trust the most? As we work on answering the questions for the show, we run into all kinds of things that might not quite fit within the main episode, but we didn't think that should keep you all from hearing them. Sidney Blumenthal shared with us a gem of a story about Lincoln's first encounter with what would become the Republican Party,...

In this episode, we'll be working through a visitor question: "Who did Lincoln trust the most?" Come along with us as we talk to a renowned Lincoln scholar, an expert on Lincoln's political life, and a philosopher of trust. Guests: Harold Holzer Sidney Blumenthal Sanford Goldberg www.lincolncottage.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us for season 2, launching here in your feed on January 8! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.