As the nation gears up for the bicentennial celebration of Abraham Lincoln, people want to know more about our 16th President — details about his life, his family, his beliefs, etc.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of Lincoln history to explore, and museums and cultural centers across the country will be devoting exhibits, lectures and programs about one of history’s most fascinating and enigmatic figures.

Cincinnati is no exception.  For example, on October 17, the Freedom Center is opening a new exhibit, called Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War, which explores the political strategies Lincoln employed to abolish slavery, oversee Civil War military strategy and uphold the Constitution, sometimes at the expense of preserving civil liberties.  Supplementing the exhibit, the Freedom Center is hosting lecture by historian Eric Foner (on Oct. 16), and writers Lerone Bennett (Nov. 6) and Roger Billings (Nov. 7).

Next week, leading up to the opening of the Freedom Center’s Lincoln exhibit, the Cincinnati Museum Center is hosting a lecture by Lincoln scholar Gary Ecelbarger, whose just-published work, The Great Comeback: How Abraham Lincoln Beat The Odds to Win the 1860 Republican Nomination, asserts that a little-known speech Lincoln gave in Cincinnati on September 17. 1859 was a vital step in his pursuit of the 1860 Republican presidential nomination.

The lecture will be held on Tuesday, September 16, at 7 p.m. in the Reakirt Auditorium, Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal.  It is free and open to the public, and would be a great lead-in to our exhibit for Lincoln buffs, or anyone wanting to know more about the Great Emancipator.

For more information, view flyer click here.