“Network of the Lincoln Bicentennial”

You’ve got to love C-SPAN. Commercial television networks spend billions purchasing rights to be the sole broadcaster of sporting events, the Superbowl, the World Series, the NBA championships, the NCAA basketball championships, the Olympics.

What’s a money poor, creativity- and content-rich public affairs cable channel to do? Well, gee, there’s the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth coming up in February 2009 . . .:

Meet C-SPAN, “the network of the Lincoln Bicentennial.”

Note the site, set your video recorders (digital or not — just capture the stuff). C-SPAN plans monthly broadcasts on Lincoln and the times, plus special broadcasts on certain events — November 19, the 145th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, for example.

Of particular value to students and teachers, C-SPAN offers a long menu of links to sites about Lincoln, and to original speeches and documents (DBQ material anyone?).

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Clik here to view. War with Mexico

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Clik here to view. House Divided

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Clik here to view. Lincoln-Douglas Debates
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·1st Debate: Transcript | Video
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·2nd Debate: Transcript | Video
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·3rd Debate: Transcript | Video
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·4th Debate: Transcript | Video
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·5th Debate: Transcript | Video
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·6th Debate: Transcript | Video
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·7th Debate: Transcript | Video

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Clik here to view. Cooper Union Speech

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Clik here to view. Farewell Address

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Clik here to view. First Inaugural

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Clik here to view. Second Inaugural

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Clik here to view. Gettysburg Address

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Clik here to view. Last Address

Good on ‘em. C-SPAN leads the way again.

Teachers, bookmark that site. Are you out for the summer? U.S. history teachers have a couple of months to mine those resources, watch the broadcasts, and watch and capture the archived videos, to prepare for bell-ringers, warm-ups, and lesson plans.

What will your classes do for the Lincoln Bicentennial? Will that collide with your plans for the Darwin bicentennial?

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