 The Forging of a Presidency: Lincoln Transfixes New York & New England
October 11–17
Historian Guide Harold Holzer
AAbraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, raised in Indiana, and came of age in Illinois – in sum, the quintessential westerner. Yet he owed much of his success to his tremendous impact on the East—specifically New York and New England.
Here he made a rousing debut with his February 1860 Cooper Union address—the speech that made him President. Here he won support from additional audiences in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire and reached the height of his climactic pre-inaugural journey to Washington. Here he marshaled support for the Civil War, battled against a strong opposition, struggled with a brutally critical press, raised money and regiments to fight the rebellion, and quashed the vicious 1863 Draft Riots. Here significant, seldom-seen shrines to his triumphs remain.
For the Lincoln Bicentennial of 2009, Harold Holzer, co-chairman of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and author of Lincoln at Cooper Union and Lincoln: President-Elect (due in fall 2008) leads a tour of the surviving, unforgettable east coast sites where Lincoln made his mark and transformed himself from a regional to a national leader. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to walk where he walked, see what he saw, and visit New York the way Lincoln did. You will then understand what monumentous effects this speaking circuit made on the history of the United States.
TOUR INCLUDES
7 DAYS / 6 NIGHTS
- Historian Guide: Harold Holzer
- Services of a professional tour director
- Deluxe motorcoach transportation
- All admissions to included features
- Six nights hotel accommodations
- Six breakfasts, three lunches, and four dinners
- Welcome briefing
- All taxes, baggage handling, & gratuities on included features
- Suggested reading list
COST:
Per person double occupancy - $3,345
Per person single occupancy - $3,995
Click to request a 2009 printed Travel Guide.
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ITINERARY
Sunday, October 11
Gathering day at the Skyline Hotel in New York City for a briefing and welcome dinner hosted by Harold Holzer and HistoryAmerica TOURS.
Monday, October 12
You begin the tour with a morning of special lectures. In the afternoon visit the New York Historical Society’s exhibition, “Lincoln and New York,” curated by Holzer. You will see a film, hear a speaker, and explore art, artifacts, and documents on Lincoln’s impact on New York and New York’s impact on him.
Tuesday, October 13
Today you visit Cooper Union, where through Holzer’s vivid imagery you will relive the drama of Lincoln’s great address. Then on to New York City Hall where you will stand on the spot where Lincoln’s body lay in state in 1865. In the afternoon visit Brooklyn Heights, which looks much today as it did when Lincoln landed there by ferry in 1860. Also visit, as Lincoln did, Henry Ward Beecher’s famous Plymouth Church and the historic Greenwood Cemetery.
Wednesday, October 14
Follow Lincoln to New England where he gave speeches in 11 cities in 12 days. Today to Providence, Rhode Island, where he delivered his first speech after Cooper Union. Here you visit the John Hay Library and meet the state’s Chief Justice and Lincoln scholar, Frank J. Williams, who will introduce you to the great Lincoln collection there. A curator will guide you through the archive started by Lincoln’s private secretary, John Milton Hay.
Thursday, October 15
Home to only Lincoln descendants until 1975, Hildene is Robert Lincoln’s beautiful family home in southern Vermont. You will spend today touring the home, seeing the restored interiors, the display of original Lincoln materials, and the grounds aglow in fall colors. The family that had its origin in a log cabin ended in this mansion—and you will understand, after your visit, why Robert seldom spoke with affection of his father’s humble beginnings. You spend the night in Manchester, Vermont.
Friday, October 16
Return to New York City through Bridgeport, Connecticut, where Lincoln delivered his final speech in New England. You will finish the tour rich in an understanding of Lincoln’s journey in the East that helped make him President. The Farewell dinner is this evening.
Saturday, October 17
Depart at your leisure following breakfast.
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