Primary Sources
The innovation of the internet has offered researchers from many disciplines an unparalleled access to sources that once were only available in libraries. Additionally, search capabilities have reduced the hours required to reading and mining information to fractions of seconds.
For the Lincoln student, many sites have offered unparalleled access to not only Lincoln’s words and actions, but to high resolution images of the material culture collected and long stored away in vaults and storage centers.
The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln
The ultimate contribution to the Lincoln community produced by the Abraham Lincoln Association, Lincoln’s words can now be accessed through Boolean searches. The site is hosted by the University of Michigan.
The Lincoln Log
The Lincoln Log: A Daily Chronology of the Life of Abraham Lincoln began as a published work compiled by the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission and the Abraham Lincoln Association. It has since been expanded and corrections made by the Papers of Abraham Lincoln project. Data can be browsed by year or searched by date, keyword, phrase, or place.
Secondary Sources
Like all secondary sources, sites on the internet must be looked at critically. Perhaps given the nature of anyone having access to the web, one must be even more diligent than using printed sources. That being said, there are a number of excellent site available, issued by both institutions and individuals, that provide and almost endless variety on information to the Lincoln students.
The Abraham Lincoln Research Site
It is remarkable how much information can come forth from individuals who might not be considered “professional historians,” but are born from someone who has a lifelong interest in the life of our sixteenth president. Such is Roger Norton’s effort, who created the Abraham Lincoln Research Site. While it may have started as a source for younger students seeking information when researching Lincoln, the site has grown to an extensive and often detailed examination of various aspects of the Life of Lincoln. Since having been created in 1996, Norton’s care and dedication to the topic have resulted in a website where one can get lost for hours on end.
Abraham Lincoln Online
Another long-time site that serves very much as a clearing house for all things Lincoln has been in operation since 1995. Created by Lincolnians Lowell and Rhoda Sneller, ALO, as it has come to be known, is a useful site known not only for its many links to Lincoln sites, book news, author updates, and countless other categories of information, their front page offers a quick look at the important Lincoln related news links to keep you informed of recent developments within the Lincoln community.
Material Culture
Coming soon.
Lincoln Groups and Organizations
Coming soon.