Takealookatthishat.Doyouknowwhomighthavewornit?ThiswasAbrahamLincoln'shat.Hewasthe16thpresidentoftheUnited States.
ManyoftheitemsthatLincolnownedorworehavebeen preserved.Historiansstudytheseitems.TheytellusabouthowLincolnlived.Forexample,Lincolnusedtokeepimportantpapersinhishat!Hedidthatsohewouldnotlose them.
Abraham Lincoln
Lincolnwaseasily recognized inhisblackwool overcoat. |
ADifficultTime
AbrahamLincolnwaspresidentduringadifficulttimeintheUnitedStates.Thecountrywasatwarwithitself.Lincolnwantedthecountrytostaytogether.HedidnotwantittobetornapartbytheCivil War.
Lincolnoftenworealong,blackovercoat.Thiscoatwasspecialtohim.Ithadbeengiventohimasagift.Ithadahiddenmessage.Insidethecoatwasaquiltedeagle.Itwassurroundedbyshields.Theeagleheldtwobanners.Theyread:“OneCountry,OneDestiny.” WearingthiscoatmadeLincolnfeelstronger.Itwaslikehisownshield.Heworkedhardtokeepthecountry together.
Lincoln’scoathadamessagesewnintoit:“OneCountry,One Destiny.”
TheThingsHe Carried
Attheendofthewar,Lincolnwasshotandkilledbyamanwhowasangry.HisnamewasJohnWilkesBooth.Boothdidnotwantthecountrytostaytogether.WhenLincolndied,hehadseveralitemsinhispockets.Theseartifactstellhistoriansalotabout him.
“A.Lincoln”wasembroideredonhis handkerchief.
HislooseshirtbuttonhadagoldLon it.
Lincolnwasapowerfulperson.Yet,theitemsinhispocketsweresimple.Forexample,hehadahandkerchief.Ithadhisnamesewnontoit.Hecarriedafob,orornament,tocarryapocketwatch.Yet,hehadnowatch.Hecarriedabutton.Ithadfallenoffhisshirtandneededtobesewnback on.
AbrahamLincolnworethiscoat,vest,andtrousersashisofficesuitwhilehewas president.
ThisimageshowsthethingsthatLincolncarriedthenighthewas shot.
MapofWashington,D. C.,1860s
TheWhite House
Peterson House
Ford's Theatre
UnitedStates
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Smithsonian Institute
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Monument
POTOMAC RIVER