Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Honors Thesis (Open Access)
Department
Colby College. History Dept.
Advisor(s)
Danae Jacobson
Second Advisor
Arnout van der Meer
Abstract
This thesis examines the malleability of memory through an analysis of both domestic and international memories of Abraham Lincoln. With a particular focus on the American Civil War Era in a North American continental context, key individuals are identified and their contributions are illuminated. While Abraham Lincoln is remembered for all that he accomplished during this time, others such as Matías Romero, Ulysses S. Grant, and Plácido Vega, also greatly contributed to the development of the relationship between the United States and Mexico.
Additionally, institutional and collective memories of Abraham Lincoln invoke present-day examples of intentional manipulation of these memories for social and political purposes. This work seeks to understand how and why Lincoln is memorialized in both the United States and Mexico, as opposed to any of the other key figures. This historical context and the memories of Abraham Lincoln complicates the notion of history as truth, and encourages closer examination of monuments and memorials.
Keywords
Abraham Lincoln, Mexico, Memory
Recommended Citation
Ginn, Emilie E., "Abraham Lincoln, the United States, and Mexico: The Implications of Memory in a Continental History" (2020). Honors Theses. Paper 1007.https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/1007