Extra Credit Questions

[davg2000]

I think that an understanding and appreciation of Lincoln can be achieved only with the perspective of maturity. Neither of those two goals of education can exist for a person who lacks the ability to view Lincoln first as a person of his times, and then, of our times. For some of us he “lives” because we can place him in the context of our lives. (We can wonder “what would Lincoln do in this situation?” and imagine a plausible answer.) If many teenagers have an incomplete knowledge of history it is because they can’t see its relevance to them and because they’ve suffered through poor teaching. Our schools do bear some responsibility for this. But mere knowledge isn’t understanding or appreciation—those come only with time. I think the luckier ones of us grow into Lincoln.