I have never been to a National
Constitution Center exhibit. While the bulk of these exhibits are housed at the
National Constitution Center Museum in Philadelphia, I stumbled upon the fact
that the museum hosts traveling exhibits that bring expositions on American
history and American historical figures to cities across the United States.
When I learned such an exhibit, Lincoln:
The Constitution and the Civil War, was being hosted at the nearby Verona
Public Library over this winter, I decided I would set aside some time to visit
the location and experience my first ever National Constitution Center
exposition as a part of my “I have never...” year. As a result, I pinpointed an
evening where a featured speaker would accompany the exposition and marked the
date on my calendar. I didn’t fully know what to expect from the experience,
but I knew I would likely walk away with plenty of newfound knowledge and a
bounty of perspective on the 16th president of the United States.
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| Verona Library |
Upon
arriving at the Verona Public Library, I was immediately taken by the
building’s beautiful, Frank Lloyd Wright inspired design. The angular vaults of
the building were adorned with walls of windows that made me the library feel
warm and welcoming. Once inside, the Lincoln exhibit was hard to ignore.
Stationed near the back of the library’s massive interior, colorful arched
walls displayed prominent photos of Lincoln and other Civil War era scenes.
With a massive copy of Lincoln’s portrait prominently displayed at the center
of the exhibit, I stopped briefly as the library doors closed behind me and
took in the sight of the exposition. The span of the displays made it clear
there was a bounty of information to take in, which caused me to drift toward
the exhibit in anticipation of another new experience.
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| Inside the library |
When I
approached the rear of the library, I took note of the surprising size of each
display in the Lincoln exhibit. Scrawled across colorful sheets of vinyl
canvas, photographs of important people, documents, and historic moments told
the story of turbulent times in the United States. With particular focus on
Lincoln’s intentions and decision making leading up to and through the civil
war era, each image contained detailed explanations of the meaning and impact
of the items on display. The photographs of handwritten letters between
political foes, of local news reports during the late 1800s, of period
political cartoons, and of historical artifacts provided context around the
Civil War unlike any I had encountered before.
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| The exhibit |
Universally,
each element of the display showed the broad impacts of simple words and
important decisions, in some cases revealing the follies that led to the
overwhelming bloodshed and loss of life during the Civil War. Although there
was plenty of information that spoke to Lincoln’s legacy and his moments of
great leadership, the displays of his revised inaugural addresses, his
documented moments of doubt, and personal accounts of the president made
Lincoln seem more human than anything I had learned about him before. From the
exhibit it became clear he was a man bound on preserving the fundamental
aspects of democracy by doing whatever necessary to maintain a Union in the
United States. In his eyes, the ability for a state to leave the Union because
they didn’t agree with the decisions made through majority rule was an affront
to the fabric of Democracy, and although he was a man that sought to avoid
conflict at all costs, his commitment to the American concept made him willing
to make unfathomable sacrifices.
That perspective
provided a real moment of insight that had a resonating impact. Throughout my
life everything I had learned about the Civil War and the decisions leading up
it was based on the occurrence of events, but for the first time I felt like I
was getting a glimpse those events in American history through the eyes of a
real person. It was strange, but enlightening, and I had yet to sit through the
evening’s presentation on Lincoln’s legacy. As a result, I took in the last
segments of the exhibit before finding my way to a nearby meeting room where a
talk on Lincoln presented by a local legal professional was slated to be held
tonight.
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| John Wilkes Booth was a creeper... |
I promptly
took a seat among the several other people in attendance when I arrived in the
meeting room. Shortly after I arrived, a woman from the library introduced the
presenter for the evening, who announced she would be reading an essay on
Lincoln written by the Honorable Russell E. Carparelli, a previous appellate
court judge in the United States. Without delay, the woman began from the start
of the essay, which was quick to draw attention to Lincoln as a person, rather
than as a president. As the presenter read, the essay moved between historical
fact, personal accounts of Lincoln, and passages quoted from Lincoln himself. The
man’s prominence and high regard was consistent throughout the comments on
Lincoln’s character, and each quotation from the president carried power and
permanence that resonated through the room. Despite his passing nearly 150
years ago, Lincoln’s I could feel Lincoln’s words as if they had been spoken
only days prior. That discovery was astounding to me, and it made all the
claims of Lincoln’s greatness seem much clearer in my mind.
When the
presentation drew to a close after a round of questions, I moved from my chair
and walked back through the library on my way toward the exit. As I adjusted my
coat and prepared to zip it closed, I stopped and turned toward the massive
portrait of Lincoln at the center of the exhibit. Thoughts of the impacts
Lincoln knew his decisions would make, the burden he carried at the outcomes of
those decisions, and the ultimate sacrifice he made for the sake of an idea
struck me in an unfamiliar way. The reality of it all made the current
political environment and political divisions in the United States seem so
petty and insignificant in the face of Lincoln’s leadership. I realized in that
moment I would find it nearly impossible to find the courage and strength
needed to leave such an impact. “You’re a better man than I,” I said quietly as
I looked into Lincoln’s face at the opposite side of the room. With that, I turned
to the door and forced my way into the cold.
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