Lincoln's Legacy in North Dakota

Painting, oil on canvas
artist unknown, ca. 1875
SHSND 6734

Within a generation of Lincoln’s death, images of the martyred president included patriotic symbols such as the American flag, the eagle, and log cabins in homage to Lincoln’s youth on the frontier. This canvas was owned by John L. Cass, who moved to Stanton from Lincoln County, Minnesota in the 1890s and served as the state’s attorney for Mercer County and was later the editor of the Mercer County Farmer.

Teacher Resources: 4th Grade Art Project

On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, was shot by John Wilkes Booth, while attending a play at a Washington D.C. theater. Lincoln died on the next morning, and his assassination shook the nation. Newton Edmunds, Governor of Dakota Territory, proclaimed Thursday, April 27, 1865 as a day of mourning.

Teacher Resources: 4th Grade Writing Project

Frontier Scout, June 15,
1865, page 1. The earliest
newspaper published in
northern Dakota Territory,
the Frontier Scout, printed
at Fort Rice, carried
sentiments regarding the
fallen president.

New York Herald, Saturday,
April 15, 1865
15.5" x 21.75"
SHSND 6400

Abraham Lincoln never visited what is now North Dakota but his presidency shaped the character of the future state. During the Lincoln presidency, the Dakota Territory was organized and Lincoln signed into law the Homestead Act, providing land for settlers; the Northern Pacific Railroad Act, providing land for a railroad; and the Morrill Act, providing land for agricultural colleges. The land we know as North Dakota would be forever changed by the policies carried out and laws enacted during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln.
Teacher Resources: 8th Grade Art Project

"Lincoln and his Family."
Artwork by Samuel B. Waugh
Engraving by William Sartain.
Printed by Irwin & Sartain
Philadelphia: Bradley & Co., 1866
SHSND 1973.1

• February 12,1809 - Abraham Lincoln was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks
• 1816 - Lincoln family moved to Gentryville, Indiana
• 1830 - Lincoln family moved to Illinois
• 1831 - Lincoln is on his own
• 1832 - Lincoln serves in Illinois militia during the Black Hawk War
• 1834 - Lincoln runs for Illinois legislature and wins
• 1836 - Abraham Lincoln is licensed to practice law
• 1837 - Lincoln moves to Springfield, Illinois

• November 4,1842 - Abraham Lincoln marries Mary Todd
• 1856 - Lincoln helps organize Republican party in Illinois
• November 6, 1860 - Abraham Lincoln elected President
• March 27, 1861 - Lincoln appoints officials of Dakota Territory
• April 12, 1861 - Civil War begins
• May 20, 1862 - Lincoln signs the Homestead Act
• July 2, 1862 - Lincoln signs the Morrill Act
• December 6, 1862 - Lincoln commutes the death sentence of 263 Dakota (Sioux), convicted for their part in th Minnesota Indian War of 1862
• July 2, 1864 - Lincoln signs the Northern Pacific Railroad charter
• April 9, 1865 - Civil War ends
• April 14, 1865 - Abraham Lincoln dies of gun-shot wound.

Query - Who Am I?
•Born in Kentucky
• Veteran of the Black Hawk Indian War of 1831
• Married
• Lost a son named William when he was 11 years old
• President

Possible Answers
a) Abraham Lincoln
b) Jefferson Davis
c) Both of the above
d) None of the above

Currency - Confederate States - $5.00, Series 1864, #15275 SHSND 2963
On the night he was shot, the only currency Abraham Lincoln carried was a
$5.00 Confederate bill, which he had acquired in Richmond, Virginia, earlier in
the month. This is the same type of bill, but with a different serial number.

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