Q & Abe: Recent Episodes
President Lincoln's Cottage
Come on down the rabbit hole with us as we answer real questions from visitors to President Lincoln’s Cottage that we wish we could spend a half hour answering. We always start with Lincoln and the Cottage, but we often end up in unexpected places…
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This bonus episode accompanies episode 6.3, "When was DC its unhealthiest?"
While we were talking to the inimitable Dr. Ayanna Bennett, she was very clear that the Covid experience was a moment where the interconnectedness of everyone’s health became clear. We asked her, how else did Covid affect way she and her team approach their work?
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For this episode, we're talking about a question we got after telling the story of Willie Lincoln's death from typhoid. Along the way we talk about the sanitary revolution - try washing your dishes!, equity in health resources across the city, and how to even measure what "healthy" means. Come along with us!
Guests:
Dr. Ashesh Patel
Dr. Jim Downs
Dr. Ayanna Bennett
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This bonus episode accompanies episode 6.2, "Did Lincoln ever go to church?"
John O'Brien shared more stories about the Lincoln family's life at New York Ave Presbyterian, and Dr. Corey Walker explained how Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth were grappling with how the god they believed in could let slavery happen.
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For this episode, we're talking about a question we often get from visitors with a strong faith practice. On the way we talk about Mrs. Lincoln's Sunday best, the intersection of religion and politics re: slavery, and definitions of Christian nationalism. Come along with us!
Guests:
Richard Carwardine
Holly Hollman
John O'Brien
Dr. Corey D.B. Walker
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This bonus episode accompanies episode 6.1, "Does anybody know what Lincoln's next big idea was?"
Kate Masur explained more about Lincoln's willingness to collaborate with Congress, and Shannon Janean Currie made an intriguing connection between his time and our own.
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For this episode, we're talking about a question we got from a supporter of the Cottage who was thinking about what Lincoln would have done with more time. On the way we talk about what political candidates need to do to connect with voters, how historians approach uncertainty, and how to know if your idea is a good one in the first place. Come along with us!
Guests:
Dan Barker
Shannon Janean Currie
Kate Masur
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This bonus episode accompanies episode 5.3, "Why would Maryland do that?"
Terry Alford told us more about Booth’s weapon, and Alex Wood encouraged us to think deeper about place(s) of memory.
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For this episode, we're talking about a question we got from a student trying to understand the reasons behind Lincoln’s assassination. Along the way we’ll encounter a troubling relationship to cats, one of history’s most dramatic moments, and resources to stop radicalization in the present. Come along with us!
Guests:
Terry Alford
Alex Wood
Brian Hughes
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https://www.lincolncottage.org/learn/podcast/
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This bonus episode accompanies episode 5.2, "How fast did emancipation happen?"
Greg Downs recounted other emancipation celebrations you may not have heard of, and General Blanchard ran us through how the National Guard's timeline for deployment works.
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For this episode, we're talking about a question we got from a British couple curious about the aftermath of the Emancipation Proclamation. Along the way we wander through several alternate timelines, the experience of Black soldiers, and the contemporary work of the National Guard. Come along with us!
Guests:
Holly Pinheiro Jr.
Gregory Downs
BG Leland Blanchard
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This bonus episode accompanies episode 5.1, "Was Lincoln gay?"
Hugh Ryan shared an additional story of queer life in the 19th century, and Callie had a scenario she wanted to run by him to help understand how people in Springfield may have seen Lincoln and Speed.
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For this episode, we're answering a question we've gotten from young people curious about Lincoln's relationships. Along the way we talk about gossipy Springfield, Illinois in the 1840s, Lincoln's close friend Joshua Speed, the invention of the term "straight," and how museums can tell queer stories. Come along with us!
Guests:
Charles Strozier
Margaret Middleton
Hugh Ryan
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This bonus episode accompanies episode 4.3, "Did Lincoln ever play basketball?"
Curtis Harris told us a little more about how the aftermath of the Civil War affected the ideologies behind the invention of basketball, and Len Elmore spoke to us about how he tries to share the long arc of history with his students.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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 the people being led?
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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
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 Bardo, on the Kojo Nnamdi show. The Kojo Show and American University were gracious enough to allow us to share with you some excerpts from the conversation.
You can hear the full show at: https://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2018-02-14/george-saunders-introduces-us-to-166-singular-ghosts-and-another-side-of-president-lincoln
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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
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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 might apply to a place like the Cottage.
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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
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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 don’t see color.” Karen Grigsby Bates and Nina Jablonski helped us gain insight into how to respond to that statement.
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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
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.
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 relationship is to the science of skin pigmentation. We wanted to share an excerpt with you, in the hopes that it’s helpful as you work to build your own understandings of how to think about race and racism.
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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 light on them using his expertise.
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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
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 fascinating exchange about constitutions on both sides of the Atlantic.
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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
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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 about their personal experiences encountering race and the other legacies of slavery. You'll hear from Robin and Terry from Fort Monroe, and Catherine and Andre from Point Made Learning.
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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 Brown
Curtis Harris
Catherine Wigginton-Greene
Andre Robert Lee
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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, and Sandy Goldberg gave us his recommendations for which novels and shows best explore the nature of trust.
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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
Join us for season 2, launching here in your feed on January 8!
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This bonus episode accompanies Episode 3: Why are there no pictures of Lincoln in his military uniform?
While we’re looking for answers to the questions in the show, we sometimes run across things that don’t fit within the main episode, but are too fascinating not to share. In our conversation with the residents of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, Retired Staff Sergeant Jim Diamond told us a couple of incredible stories about his experiences serving in the army, including while he was working as part of the detail serving Arlington Cemetery and how he came to join the infantry after enlisting as a truck driver.
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In this episode, we’ll be unpacking a question from a Belarusian visitor: “Why are there no pictures of Lincoln in his military uniform?” Come along with us as we talk to a Constitutional expert, a civil-military relations scholar, an artist’s family, and our very own neighbors at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in search of answers.
www.lincolncottage.org
This bonus episode accompanies Episode 2: Is it ok to call her Aunt Mary?
As we strive to answer the questions for the show, we’ve encountered a wide variety of stories, conversations, and discoveries, not all of which fit directly within the main episode. However, we don’t want to keep all these fascinating tidbits to ourselves. Adena Spingarn talks about why minstrelsy isn't part of the popular consciousness as much as one might expect, and Chandra Manning tells us about the ways that black women in contraband camps asserted their presence, and their right to be present, beyond what Union soldiers expected of them.
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In this episode, we'll dig into a question we received in several different forms -- "Is it ok to call her Aunt Mary?" which visitors have asked about Mary Williams, a black woman working at the Cottage as a cook. Come exploring with us as we talk with two historians of the African-American experience in DC during the Civil War, an art curator, a literature scholar, and the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience as we search for answers.
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This bonus episode accompanies our first episode, How could Lincoln sleep if slavery was happening?
Our journey answering these questions has led to conversations, discoveries, and stories of all kinds, not all of which fit directly within the question we’re answering. But they’re so interesting that we didn’t want to keep them to ourselves. During our interview with Jon White, he told us a fascinating story about a Civil War soldier’s dream that illustrates the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation on the subconscious of everyday people.
www.lincolncottage.org
In this episode, we'll explore a question asked by a second grader on a field trip to President Lincoln's Cottage -- "How could Lincoln sleep if slavery was happening?" Go down the rabbit hole with us as we speak to a Civil War historian, a sleep doctor, and a licensed professional counselor in search of answers.
www.lincolncottage.org