All lectures include a Q&A session and have a companion PowerPoint presentation.
All lectures can be presented remotely via zoom or another virtual platform.
Here I have Lived: A virtual Tour thorough Lincoln’s life & the places he lived.
PowerPoint presentation about Lincoln’s life, focusing on where he lived and the people he met. It can be broken into shorter segments about the Kentucky & Indiana years, Illinois, or War years. Locations are shown as they were and as they are now in drawings and photographs.
She Could Make a Bishop Forget His Prayers: The Life of Mary Lincoln
Mary Lincoln is America’s most controversial First Lady, and there are many half-truths and outright lies about her life. This lecture will set the record straight and give you a better understanding of the complex woman who was Abraham Lincoln’s wife. Her childhood, married life, time as First Lady, and widowhood will be discussed, along with her enduring legacy.
The Lincoln Family after 1865
What happened to Mary Lincoln and her sons after Abraham’s murder? This question and many others are answered in this presentation. Mary’s travels and insanity trial are discussed, including Robert’s law career and family life in Chicago.
Losing the Light: The night Mary Lost Abraham
PowerPoint presentation covering the events of the night of April 14-15, 1865. How did Mary, Robert & Tad react to Abraham’s murder? Who was with them? What did they and others later write about it? All this and more will be covered.
Who were the Lincoln Children?
A PowerPoint focusing on the lives of the 4 Lincoln boys. Their early lives, schooling (or lack thereof), relationship with their parents, and more are discussed.
Abraham and Mary Lincoln in Popular Media
How have the Lincolns been portrayed in feature films and on television? This lecture explores the movies and TV shows that have presented the Lincolns, from “Birth of a Nation” to Spielberg’s “Lincoln” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter .”How accurate are they, and how do they reflect the times they were made?
“To Think that My Son Could do this to Me!” Was Mary Lincoln Insane?
This is the audience’s question any time Valerie performs or speaks about Mrs. Lincoln. In this lecture and PowerPoint, Valerie explains what has become known as the “insanity episode .”Who decided that Mary should be declared insane? What did her family think? Was she insane, or was she a misdiagnosed and overmedicated victim? Hear the case facts and make your own decisions about this much-maligned first lady.
Divided: Mary Lincoln and Her Rebel Half-Sister Emilie Todd Helm
Many families were divided during the Civil War, and the Lincoln Family was no exception. This lecture will talk about Mary’s relationship with her family and where their loyalties lay. How did the war affect the family dynamics, and what happened after the war.
Historically Speaking 