The Life and Legacy of Abraham Lincoln

"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy." A. Lincoln

"I leave you, hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal." A. Lincoln

"The sooner the national authority can be restored, the nearer the Union will be 'the Union as it was.'" A. Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's words are as true today as they were during his era. Reflect on these words and think about what they mean for you and for America. Recently in a Newsweek article, Christopher Hitchens summed it up best: "No Lincoln, no nation."

As a young man, Abraham Lincoln “feared of achieving nothing that would make men remember him.” Today, the 16th President tops the list of most influential – and most revered – Americans.

Lincoln is commemorated in music, poetry, and sculpture. His words are quoted by poets and politicians. His face appears on stamps, coins, and currency. Mountains, cities, highways, and schools bearing his name dot the land.

He felt his most enduring achievement was the Emancipation Proclamation – “the one thing that would make people remember that he had lived.”

Indeed, Lincoln’s legacy is most alive in our continuous search for freedom, equality, and opportunity.

(Taken from The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) WebSite: http://www.lincolnbicentennial.gov/default.aspx)