Former President Abraham Lincoln’s involvement in the Black Hawk War will be showcased for history enthusiasts beginning tonight at 7 p.m. in the Visual Arts Building auditorium.

There will be the unveiling of a new documentary titled, “Lincoln and the Black Hawk War,” that will examine Lincoln’s participation in the War, and an enhanced Web site focusing on local history. The event is free and open to all.

The documentary, directed by professor of communication Jeffrey Chown, follows Lincoln’s participation in the militia during the war that led to the displacement of Native Americans. The documentary will debut at 8 p.m.

“This will help people see the context and the development of Lincoln,” Chown said. “There are many interesting facets to Lincoln.”

The film also examines how the concept of “Manifest Destiny” played out in the 19th century.

“Manifest Destiny doesn’t come without consequence,” Chown said. “I think the documentary empathizes with what happened to Native Americans.”

Chown worked alongside professor of communication Laura Vazquez and director of University Libraries’ Digitization Drew VandeCreek.

The project cost $20,000, which was funded by grants awarded by the Illinois Humanities Council.

VandeCreek and Phyllis Kelley, director of the Joiner History Room at the Sycamore Public Library, will also introduce “Taming of the Wild Prairie,” a Web site which focuses on DeKalb County history. The site can be found at http://dig.lib.niu.edu/dekalb/.

Chown has also directed the documentaries “DeKalb Stories” in 2001 and “Wade in the Water: The Underground Railroad and DeKalb County, Illinois” in 2002.