Statement

Today, our Nation celebrates the 217th birthday of President Abraham Lincoln—one of the most legendary leaders in American history whose fearless leadership in the Civil War saved our Nation from collapse and reunited a shattered Union under one flag.

Born on February 12, 1809, in a humble one-room log cabin on the Kentucky frontier, Abraham Lincoln’s life represents the incredible potential that is uniquely fostered in America. Largely self-taught, he educated himself by reading borrowed books by candlelight after long days of labor on his family’s farm. From those unlikely beginnings emerged a mind of remarkable clarity and depth that would later define his leadership. Through midwestern grit and determination, Lincoln became an accomplished attorney, a State Representative, a Member of Congress, and a brilliant orator, writer, and debater. He was undoubtedly one of the most intelligent men of his age.

Yet with every public triumph came personal tragedy, and his life reflected the complex divisions plaguing the country in the early 19th century. His marriage to Mary Todd brought together a slave-owning family with the man who would eventually bring slavery to an end. While his marriage flourished, the loss of three of their four beloved children left Lincoln in a dark melancholy for the rest of his life. He and his wife bore on their face the scars of their own grief and, eventually, the grief of our entire embattled Nation.

As slavery continued to tear the Republic apart in the 1850s, Lincoln’s opposition to the expansion of slavery quickly spread across the land. He entered the race for the United States Senate, where his legendary debates against pro-slavery Democrat Stephen Douglas made him a nationally known figure. In 1860, the newly founded Republican Party chose him as its standard bearer, and the American people entrusted him with the presidency of the United States.

Shortly following Lincoln’s election as our 16th president, Southern States began to secede from the Union. During the course of four grueling years, President Lincoln led the country through its darkest days and fought tirelessly to preserve our Republic during great trial. He commanded vast armies against the forces of the Confederacy at great cost to human life, issued the Emancipation Proclamation that freed millions from the chains of bondage, and championed the Thirteenth Amendment to expel the scourge of slavery from American soil forever.