In this episode, we're exploring a question from a friend of the Cottage about Lincoln's self doubt and what it means to be qualified for the presidency. Encounters along the way include rowdy 1860s politics, imposter syndrome, the Constitution, and a formula for courage. Come along with us!

Guests:

Michael Green

Jared Peatman

Nancy Belmont

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This bonus episode accompanies episode 3.3, "Willie was his favorite, right?"

As we work on answering the questions for the show, we sometimes have fascinating encounters that are outside the main episode, but we still want to get them in your hands. About two and a half years ago, our Executive Director Erin Carlson Mast was in conversation with George Saunders, the author of Lincoln in the Bardo, on the Kojo Nnamdi show. The Kojo Show and American University were gracious enough to allow us to share with you some excerpts from the conversation.

You can hear the full show at: https://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2018-02-14/george-saunders-introduces-us-to-166-singular-ghosts-and-another-side-of-president-lincoln

www.lincolncottage.org

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In this episode, we're investigating a visitor question about Lincoln's relationship with his four sons, including Willie. While we're looking around, we run into mischief in the telegraph office, our innate need to be loved, and a new reflection on Lincoln's oldest son, Robert. Come along with us!

Guests:

Alan Manning

Michael Mintz

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This bonus episode accompanies episode 3.2, "Wasn't she crazy?"

As we talk to our experts looking for answers to the questions for the show, we run into fascinating things sometimes that don't quite fit within the main episode - but we still want to share them with you all. We asked Anjan Chatterjee an existential question, and also to explain a little more about his field of neuroaesthetics as it might apply to a place like the Cottage.

www.lincolncottage.org

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In this episode, we're digging into a question we often get from visitors about Mary Lincoln and her mental health. Along the way we stop off at the orbitofrontal cortex, what it's like to lose an election, the physiology of grief, and the connection between spiritualism and the telegraph. Come along with us!

Guests:

Catherine Clinton

Anjan Chatterjee

Joanne Cacciatore

Emily Cain

www.lincolncottage.org

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This bonus episode accompanies episode 3.1, "Wait, she's black?"

As we talk to our experts looking for answers to the questions for the show, we sometimes have conversations that might not quite fit within the main episode - but we don't think that should keep you all from hearing them. One of the things we've been hearing a lot, in all the conversations about race this summer, is an idea that "I don't see color." Karen Grigsby Bates and Nina Jablonski helped us gain insight into how to respond to that statement.

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In this episode, we're digging into a question a fifth grade student asked about Elizabeth Keckly, a formerly enslaved woman who became a renowned dressmaker to Mrs. Lincoln. Encounters along the way include colorism, the term "mulatto," racial passing, and Carolus Linnaeus. Come along with us!

Guests:

A.B. Wilkinson

Jennifer Fleischner

Karen Grigsby Bates

Nina Jablonski

www.lincolncottage.org

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Join us for Season 3 of Q&Abe, appearing here in your feed September 17!

For more information about President Lincoln's Cottage and our programming, visit us at www.lincolncottage.org.

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We're currently conducting interviews to prepare for season 3. The other day, we spoke with Dr. Nina Jablonski, an anthropologist who studies the evolution and social positioning of human skin color. As you might imagine, the conversation was inflected by current events.

Dr. Jablonski explained where our present-day ideas about "race" originated, how they took hold so firmly, and what their relationship is to the science of skin pigmentation. We wanted to share an excerpt with you, in the hopes that it's helpful as you work to build your own understandings of how to think about race and racism.

www.lincolncottage.org

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This bonus episode accompanies episode 2.4, "What's the Cottage worth?"

While we're digging around researching the questions in the show, we sometimes run across things that don't fit within the main episode, but are too intriguing not to share. Having rediscovered the full specifications for building the Cottage, we asked our Senior Preservationist Jeff Larry to read them for us, and to shed some light on them using his expertise.

www.lincolncottage.org

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