Cheers, tears part of naturalization ceremonies

For Nnenna Dettro of Chatham, whose husband, frequently travels abroad for his job, becoming a citizen means she won’t have to apply for a visa to travel with her husband.

And what about the ceremony itself — which featured Lincoln scholar and author Michael Burlingame as the guest speaker — will Nnenna remember?

“Everything about it was special,” she said.

Burlingame, Chancellor Naomi Lynn Distinguished Professor in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield and winner of the Lincoln prize for his book “Abraham Lincoln: A Life,” talked about Abraham Lincoln’s thoughts and writings about immigration and the U.S.

“His life story inspired me, and I hope it also inspires you,” Burlingame told the 60-plus new citizens, who represented 27 countries.

Burlingame was featured in a April 10, 2010, article in the State Journal-Register.

Download a PDF of the article:
20100410-SJR-Cheers-tears-part-of-nat.pdf

UIS Lincoln scholar Michael Burlingame to speak at ceremony

New citizens of the United States, including several from Central Illinois, will take the oath of allegiance during naturalization ceremonies at 2 p.m. April 9 at the Old State Capitol Historic Site.

Featured speaker will be Michael Burlingame, a history professor at University of Illinois, Springfield. U.S. District Judge Jeanne Scott will preside.

Burlingame's appearance was featured on April 6, 2010, in the Bloomington Pantagraph.

Download a PDF of the article:
20100406-Pantagraph-naturalization-oath.pdf

Scholar unearths new past about Abraham Lincoln

Michael Burlingame says President Abraham Lincoln’s famous “Letter to Mrs. Bixby” may not have been written by Lincoln after all. The Lincoln scholar spoke Thursday at Knox College about his most recent publication, a two-volume biography, “Abraham Lincoln: A Life.” The book was the 2010 winner of the Abraham Lincoln Book Prize.

In his talk titled “What New Can Be Said About Abraham Lincoln?” Burlingame focused on the difficulties in finding information on Lincoln that has not already been uncovered and published.

“It’s easy to find letters that Lincoln wrote or received,” said Burlingame. “What’s really valuable and hard to find are letters about him. You have to do a lot of sifting through gravel, but if you’re willing to do that, you find a lot of information.”

Burlingame is the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair of Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield. He was featured in a March 26, 2010, article in the Galesburg Register-Mail.

Download a PDF of the article:
20100326-GRM-Scholar-unearths-new-past.pdf

Illinois-Springfield professor will address changing view of Lincoln

What turned out to be a mistaken assumption by a college professor back in 1984 led to revealing new information about Abraham Lincoln.

"I assumed everything that was important that Lincoln ever said or was said about him or his administration had long since been discovered by an army of Lincoln scholars and I could do my research by just consulting these published sources," said Michael Burlingame, who holds the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Conclusions drawn from resources, particularly about former slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Lincoln, will be highlighted Monday in Pittsfield. Burlingame will be the featured speaker at a Lincoln symposium sponsored by the Abe Lincoln Project of Pike County and the Pittsfield Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

Burlingame's appearance was featured in a February 16, 2010, article in the Quincy Herald Whig.

Download a PDF of the article:
20100216-QHW-Lincoln-symposium.pdf

Burlingame picks Presidents Day reading list

Books about Abraham Lincoln by Knox College scholars occupy two of the top five spots in a “Presidents Day Reading List” in The Wall Street Journal.

The books were selected by historian and Lincoln biographer Michael Burlingame for a “Presidents Day Reading List — Best Five Books on Abraham Lincoln,” published Saturday in “The Wall Street Journal.” Lincoln’s birthday was Feb. 12, and Presidents Day was Monday.

Burlingame is professor of history at the University of Illinois-Springfield and author of a new biography, “Abraham Lincoln: A Life,” which recently won the 2010 Abraham Lincoln Prize. The prize, which includes the largest award in the field of history, is given annually for the best book on Lincoln and Lincoln’s era.

Burlingame's selections were featured in a February 16, 2010, article in the Galesburg Register-Mail.

Download a PDF of the article:
20100215-GRM-Knox-College-scholars.pdf

Dedication Day: 146th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address

On Thursday, the 146th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address will be honored with numerous events in Gettysburg.

Dr. Michael Burlingame will deliver the 48th Annual Fortenbaugh Memorial Lecture at 8 p.m. Burlingame is currently the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Burlingame's lecture was featured in an November 18, 2009 article in The Gettysburg, PA Times.

Download a PDF of the article:
20091118-Getty-Dedication-Day.pdf

Books of the Year: The Top Five

Dr. Michael Burlingame’s book “Abraham Lincoln: A Life” has been picked by The Atlantic Monthly magazine as one of the top five books of 2009. Burlingame is a professor of history at the University of Illinois Springfield and holds the Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies.

Read more online at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200912/books2009

Download a PDF of the article:
20091116-Atlantic-Monthly-Books-2009.pdf