University News
WIU History Chair Writes and Directs Play on Abraham Lincoln
October 3, 2024
MACOMB, IL - - Abraham Lincoln's history in Macomb will be the focus of an original play directed by Western Illinois University History professor and department chair Tim Roberts.
The play, "When Macomb Hosted Lincoln: Devising The Freeport Question," centers around the time the 16th U.S. President visited Macomb from Aug. 25-26, 1858. It imagines how Lincoln and his team devised the "Freeport Question," which, when he asked the question of his rival Senator Stephen Douglas at Freeport, cost Lincoln the U.S. Senate but helped win him the White House in 1860.
"I wrote the play to dramatize Macomb's contribution to an important moment in Abraham Lincoln's political career," Roberts said. "Several Macomb historic figures are part of the play's cast of characters."
This is a part of Macomb's Unforgettable Lincoln Days and will begin at 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 5, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m at the Macomb Art Center.
To learn more about the WIU history department, visit wiu.edu/history.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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