A few posts back, I mentioned Presidential Libraries. What you may know is that the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, is the home of The Papers of Abraham Lincoln project. What you may not know is that the Hawaii State Archives possesses four Lincoln documents. One, the letter of condolences from Lincoln to Kamehameha V on the death of his brother Kamehameha IV is the most prized document, since it contains a personal message from an American President to the Monarch of Hawaii. The document that was considered the least significant was confirmed by Dr. Daniel W. Stowell, Director of The Papers of Abraham Lincoln project, as the authorization signed by Lincoln directing the Secretary of State to affix the Seal of the United States to his Proclamation. Although the document does not state which Proclamation, since it was dated "22nd September, 1862," researchers are confident it refers to the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation of 1862. Interestingly, Hawaii was an independent kingdom in the 1860s, and it's 1852 constitution had prohibited slavery in the islands. No one knows how the document came into the possession of the Hawaii State Archives, but those at the Hawaii State Archives are very pleased it did. Read more about the Hawaii State Archives and the Lincoln Documents in their possession. Read more about The Papers of Abraham Lincoln project. How does this relate to Web 2.0? We'll it has me wondering exactly what documents our current President will leave behind for archivists of the 22nd Century and in what format.
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