Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

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ABRAHAM LINCOLN

BICENTENNIAL 

COMMISSION

www.abrahamlincoln200.org

April 2010

Final Report to Congress

and the American People
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

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Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

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A view of the large seated statue by Daniel Chester French inside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

www.abrahamlincoln200.org

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

BICENTENNIAL

COMMISSION

April 2010

Final Report to Congress

and the American People

Photo by Henry F. Ballone
Table of Contents

Introduction and Overview 4

Abraham Lincoln 5

Message From the Co-Chairmen! ! ! ! ! ! 7

About the Commission! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 9

Message From the Executive Director! ! ! ! ! ! 13

Executive Summary! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 15

ALBC Advisory Committee!! ! ! ! ! ! ! 19

ALBC Governorsʼ Council! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 29

ALBC Bicentennial Cabinet! ! ! ! ! ! ! 31

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation! ! ! 32

ALBC Commission Committees! ! ! ! ! ! ! 34

ALBC Staff! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 35

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Accomplishments!! ! ! ! ! ! ! 

1. Mandated Activities 

a. New Lincoln Silver Dollar 

b. Four New One-Cent Coins

c. Four New Stamp Designs

d. Abraham Lincolnʼs 200th Birthday

i. Wreath Laying Ceremony at Lincoln Memorial

ii. Birthday Breakfast Outside Lincoln Memorial

iii. Bicameral Session of Congress at U.S. Capitol

e. Marian Anderson Tribute Concert

f. Lincoln Memorial Rededication Ceremony

2. Education

a. Committee Origin and Overview

b. The Strategic Plan

c. K-12 Activities

d. National Teach-In

e. Lincoln Bicentennial Posters

f. Partnership With National History Day

g. Newspapers in Education Supplement

h. Partnership With Organization of American Historians

i. Lincoln Legacy Schools Certificate Program

j. Conferences

i. Howard University

ii. University of Oxford

iii. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3. Public Programs

a. Kentucky Signature Events

b. Indiana Signature Event

c. Illinois Signature Event

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d. ALBC Town Halls

i. Gettysburg 

ii. USS Abraham Lincoln 

iii. Washington, D.C.

iv. Detroit

v. Chicago

vi. Cincinnati

vii. Boston

viii. Miami

ix. Newark

x. Atlanta

xi. Los Angeles

e. “Lincoln Seen and Heard”

f. “The Lincoln Family Album”

g. Chicago History Museum Roundtable

h. Conversation with John Hope Franklin

i. Lincoln and the Jews

j. New Thinking on Lincolnʼs Legacy: Hispanic Perspectives

k. An Evening of Poetry Honoring Lincolnʼs Legacy

l. National Cathedral Event

m. Abraham Lincoln and New Americans

n. Abraham Lincoln and the American Dream

o. Lincoln and Juarez: In Myth and Memory

p. Museum Exhibitions

2. Endorsements

a. Origin and Overview

b. Featured Endorsements

3. Communications

a. C-SPAN: Network of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial

b. Commemorative Book: “A New Birth of Freedom”

c. Speakers Pool

d. ALBC Web Site (www.abrahamlincoln200.org)

Supporters

a. Acknowledgments

b. Institute of Museums and Library Services Funding

c. ALBC Appropriated Funds

d. Gift Funds

e. Donors

Appendix

a. Legislation Creating the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

b. ALBC Endorsements (Categorical Listings)

c. Listings of State Bicentennial Commissions

d. Lincoln Legacy Schools (State by State Distribution)

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Introduction

and Overview

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The traditional Lincoln log cabin where Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Kentucky.
Abraham Lincoln by James M. McPherson

Scorned and ridiculed by many critics during his presidency, Lincoln became a martyr 

and almost a saint after his death. His words and deeds lived after him, and will be 

revered as long as there is a United States.

Indeed, it seems quite likely that without his determined leadership the United States 

would have ceased to be. Union victories in the Civil War resolved two fundamental, 

festering problems that had been left unresolved by the Revolution of 1776 and the 

Constitution of 1787. The first problem was the survival of the republic as one nation, 

indivisible. The republic established by the Founders was a fragile experiment in a world 

bestrode by kings, queens, emperors, czars, dictators, and theories of aristocracy.

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Photo courtesy of Dan Weinberg, Abraham Lincoln Book Shop
Americans were painfully aware that most republics through history had eventually 

collapsed, degenerated into tyranny, or were overthrown. Some Americans alive in 1861 

had seen two French republics rise and fall, several European nationalist republics 

spring up in 1848 and succumb to counterrevolutions, and republics in Latin America 

come and go with bewildering rapidity.

In this context of reaction and counterrevolution, Lincoln said in 1862 that the United 

States represented the “last best, hope” for the survival of republican liberty. The 

cleavage of the nation in two by the success of the Confederacy would destroy that 

hope. It would set a fatal precedent by which the minority might secede from the Union 

whenever it did not like what the majority stood for, until the United States fragmented 

into a multitude of petty squabbling autocracies. “This issue embraces more than the 

fate of these United States,” Lincoln had said in 1861. “It presents to the whole family of 

man, the question, whether a constitutional republic, or a democracy – a government of 

the people, by the same people – can, or cannot, maintain its territorial integrity.” Union 

victory in the Civil War resolved that question. The republic not only survived; in 

subsequent decades it also grew and prospered and emerged in the 20th century as the 

worldʼs arsenal of democracy. Had it not been for Lincoln, this might never have 

happened. The second problem left unresolved by the events of 1776 and 1787 was the 

issue of slavery. By the second quarter of the 19th century, a nation founded on a 

charter that declared all people deserving of the inalienable right of liberty had become 

the largest slaveholding nation in the world. This was a “monstrous injustice” that made 

the United States a monument of hypocrisy in the eyes of the world, as Lincoln had 

expressed it in 1854. With the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln started the United 

States on the road to living up to its professed belief that all men are truly created equal.

More than 20 years earlier, a depressed Lincoln had told Joshua Speed that he would 

be “more than willing to die” except “that he had done nothing to make any human being 

remember that he had lived.” On New Yearʼs Day in 1863, the Lincolns held a traditional 

reception in the White House where the president stood for three hours shaking hands 

with hundreds of people. Exhausted, he retired to his office with a few colleagues to 

sign the engrossed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. His hand was so sore from 

its three hours of social duty that he could scarcely hold the pen. Lincoln did not want to 

sign while his hand was still trembling, because “all who examine the document 

hereafter will say ʻHe hesitated.ʼ” That would not do, for “I never in my life felt more 

certain that I was doing right than I do in signing this paper. ... If my name goes into 

history it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.” Lincoln then picked up the pen 

and signed his name without a tremor. “That will do,” he said.

More than any other American, Lincolnʼs name has gone into history. He gave all 

Americans, indeed all people everywhere, reason to remember that he had lived.

Reprinted from “Abraham Lincoln” by James M. McPherson

© 2009 by Oxford University Press, Inc.

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Message From the Co-Chairmen

It has been a singular honor to serve during the first decade of the 21st century as cochairmen of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, whose goal has been to 

commemorate the most important American of the 19th century.

From the outset, we 

have been supported by 

a generous Congress; 

by American presidents 

who, regardless of 

political party, feel deep 

kinship to and 

inspiration from their 

great Civil War-era 

predecessor, and by a 

tireless and devoted 

roster of commissioners 

from many regions, 

many backgrounds 

and many fields of 

expertise – all of 

whom have worked 

together with great 

creativity to forge a 

memorable 

commemoration for the 

American people.

Determined to generate 

private support to 

finance programming 

nationwide, the ALBC 

has enjoyed further, 

crucial support from its 

state liaisons, a 

generous Lincoln 

Cabinet, and the 

Abraham Lincoln 

Bicentennial 

Commission 

Foundation. The 

Commission has also 

benefitted from an 

advisory board 

composed of leading 

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Photo by Henry F. Ballone

Secretary Ray LaHood

Photo by Henry F. Ballone

Senator Richard Durbin
historians, filmmakers and heads of Lincoln organizations from across the country. To all 

of these individuals, and to the groups, foundations, and corporations who have 

supported the Commissionʼs activities, we, and the American people, owe a huge debt 

of gratitude.

Lincoln, of course, lived 

in an era when news 

traveled slowly and 

when most citizens lived 

in rural isolation. 

Recognizing that a truly 

useful, engaging and 

long-lasting 

commemoration must 

illuminate the past by 

fully utilizing present 

innovative technologies, 

the ALBC focused on 

education, broadcast 

communication, the 

Internet, and wideranging public events to 

reach diverse 

populations and age 

groups. By employing all 

these platforms to invite Americans – indeed, the world – to re-examine and reappreciate Lincolnʼs life and accomplishments, the Commission has launched a 

dialogue we believe can continue to inform us all for generations to come.

Early on, the ALBC adopted as its motto “unfinished work,” the memorable phase from 

Lincolnʼs sublime Gettysburg Address. We believe those simple but evocative words, 

electric in their own time, still serve to remind all Americans that the fulfillment of 

Lincolnʼs profound legacy remains a challenge if we are to sustain and improve the 

democracy for which he gave his energetic leadership and, ultimately, his life.

We hope this vital discussion continues. Through programs captured for its Web site, 

www.abrahamlincoln200.org, the ALBC and its thousands of supporters will continue 

this dialogue for many years to come. Thus, Lincoln, his message and his unique ability 

to inspire the best in all of us will endure as he himself put it, into “a vast future also.”

Sincerely,

Richard Durbin, U.S. Senator, from Illinois

Ray LaHood, former U.S. Representative, now U.S. Transportation Secretary, of Illinois

Harold Holzer, noted Lincoln scholar and author, of New York

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Harold Holzer
About the Commission

ALBC COMMISSIONERS

The members of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission were appointed by the 

President, the Senate and the House of Representatives following passage of the 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Act in 2000.

Under the legislation, the President appointed five members, including two at large and 

one each on the recommendation of the governors of Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois (the 

states where Lincoln lived). The Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader 

each named three members and the Minority Leaders of the House and Senate each 

appointed two members.

The Commissioners were chosen based on their knowledge, study, and appreciation of 

Abraham Lincoln and their proven dedication to educating others about the nationʼs 

16th president and the Lincoln era of American history. This diverse and accomplished 

group focused on informing the public about Abraham Lincolnʼs contributions to the 

preservation of our nation, the destruction of slavery, the creation of some of the most 

enduring words in the nationʼs literature – and finding the best possible ways to honor 

his accomplishments and explore and extend his legacy.

MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION

Co-Chairmen

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U.S. Senator Richard Durbin serves as Assistant Senate Majority 

Leader in the 111th Congress, the second-highest leadership 

position in the chamber. He is the 47th U.S. senator from Illinois 

and the first Illinois senator to serve on the U.S. Senate 

Appropriations Committee in more than a quarter of a century. He 

is the stateʼs senior senator, convener of the bipartisan Illinois 

delegation and co-author of the legislation creating the ALBC. 

Appointed by the Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.

Harold Holzer is one of the countryʼs leading authorities on the 

political culture of the Civil War era. Among his 35 books, he is 

best known for Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech that Made 

Abraham Lincoln President, and his frequent appearances on the 

lecture circuit and television. President George W. Bush awarded 

him the National Humanities Medal in 2008. Holzer is senior vice 

president for external affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 

New York. Appointed by President William J. Clinton.
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U.S. Senator Jim Bunning is serving his second term from 

Kentucky. In the 111th Congress, Bunning serves on the Senate 

Committees on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Budget; 

Energy and Natural Resources; and Finance. A legendary major 

league pitcher who hurled no-hitters in both leagues (including a 

perfect game in 1964), he was elected to the Baseball Hall of 

Fame in 1996. Appointed by Senate Majority Leader Lott.

Gabor S. Boritt is author of the acclaimed book, “The Gettysburg 

Gospel: The Lincoln Speech That Nobody Knows,” which brings to 

life one of the most famous speeches in the English language. He 

is a leading authority on Abraham Lincoln and the Battle of 

Gettysburg, and is Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies emeritus 

at Gettysburg College and founding director of the Civil War 

Institute. Appointed by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott.

Secretary Ray LaHood served as co-chairman until President 

Barack Obama appointed him as Secretary of Transportation in 

2009. From 1995 to 2009, Mr. LaHood represented the 18th 

Congressional District of Illinois, which is largely the same district 

Abraham Lincoln represented during his lone term in the House of 

Representatives. He co-authored the legislation to create the 

ALBC. Appointed by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.

Jean T.D. Bandler is the daughter of the late U.S. Sen. Paul H. 

Douglas of Illinois, who was a member of the Abraham Lincoln 

Sesquicentennial Commission. She was born in Illinois and has a 

lifetime interest in Abraham Lincoln. A social worker, Bandler has 

worked in family agencies, conducted research on childrenʼs 

services, taught social welfare and social policy and directed the 

undergraduate social work program at New York University. 

Appointed by the Senate Minority Leader Daschle.

Darrel E. Bigham is the director of Historic Southern Indiana and 

professor emeritus of history at the University of Southern Indiana. 

He is the author of several books on urbanization and race in the 

Midwest and upper South. His most recent book, “On Jordanʼs 

Banks: Emancipation and its Aftermath in the Ohio River Valley,” 

was published in 2005. Appointed by President Clinton, on the 

recommendation of Indiana Governor Frank OʼBannon.

Commissioners
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Julie Cellini is chairwoman of the Illinois Historic Preservation 

Agency trustee board and Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library 

Foundation board secretary. She served as co-chairwoman of the 

Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, chairwoman of 

the Illinois State Historical Library, and helped lead development of 

the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in 

Springfield, Illinois. Appointed by President George W. Bush in 

2004 on the recommendation of Illinois Governor George Ryan.

Joan Flinspach is ABLC secretary and a noted Lincoln museum 

executive and producer of public programs. She oversaw the 

construction of the multi-million-dollar Lincoln Museum in Fort 

Wayne, Indiana, and served as the museumʼs president and chief 

executive officer for 15 years. She is chief executive officer of 

Presenting the Past, a firm based in Huntington, Indiana, that 

provides historical resources to individuals, organizations and 

institutions. Appointed by Speaker of the House Hastert.

James Oliver Horton is the Benjamin Banneker Professor of 

American Studies and History at George Washington University 

and director of the Afro-American Communities Project of the 

National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian 

Institution. He has published many articles and books, including 

“Slavery and Public History: The Tough Stuff of American Memory,” 

co-edited with Lois E. Horton. Appointed by President Clinton.

U.S. Representative Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., a co-author of the 

legislation creating the ALBC, represents the 2nd Congressional 

District of Illinois. First elected in 1995, Representative Jackson 

serves on the House Appropriations Committee and is the author 

of “A More Perfect Union: Advancing New American Rights,” an 

analysis of race, civil rights and economics. Appointed to the ALBC 

by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in 2003.

David D. Phelps served two terms in the U.S. House of 

Representatives, from 1999 to 2003, representing the 19th 

Congressional District of Illinois, after having served 14 years in 

the Illinois General Assembly. Appointed by House Minority Leader 

Pelosi. He resigned from the Commission when he left Congress in 

2003 and is serving as assistant secretary of the Illinois 

Department of Transportation.
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Lura Lynn Ryan is a former First Lady of Illinois and a past 

president of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum 

Foundation, where she was instrumental in the planning of the 

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois. She 

has received numerous awards for her advocacy work in support of 

alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse prevention programs. 

Appointed by Speaker of the House Hastert.

Louise Taper is a major collector of manuscripts, art, artifacts 

relating to Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, their ancestors and 

descendants, and of John Wilkes Booth, Lincolnʼs assassin. Taper 

serves on the boards of the Abraham Lincoln Association, the 

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Foundation, the 

Lincoln Forum, the Lincoln Legal Papers and, until recently, the 

Lincoln Prize at Gettysburg College. She is also a trustee of 

Lincoln College. Appointed by House Minority Leader Pelosi.

James R. Thompson was the 37th and longest-serving governor 

of Illinois, having held the seat from 1977 to 1991. Since 1993, he 

has served as chairman and CEO of Winston & Strawn LLP, a 

large Chicago law firm. In 2002, he was appointed to serve on the 

federal 9/11 Commission. Appointed to the ALBC by President 

Clinton on the recommendation of Illinois Governor George Ryan. 

Governor Thompson resigned from the Commission in 2004.

Tommy Turner is the elected judge-executive for LaRue County, 

Kentucky, birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, and co-chairman of the 

Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. As county 

judge, he has been involved in a wide variety of civic, community 

and statewide activities. Turner has a keen interest in history, 

particularly in that of his community and involving LaRue Countyʼs 

greatest native son, Abraham Lincoln. Appointed by President 

Clinton on the recommendation of Kentucky Governor Paul Patton.

Frank J. Williams served as chief justice of the Rhode Island 

Supreme Court from 2001 to 2008. He has been a leader in the 

Lincoln community for 30 years, first as president of both the 

Lincoln Group of Boston and the Abraham Lincoln Association, and 

since 1996 as founding chairman of the Lincoln Forum. He is a 

major collector of Lincolniana who lectures before Lincoln and Civil 

War groups, and a scholar and author whose books include 

“Judging Lincoln.” Appointed by Senate Majority Leader Lott.
Message From the Executive Director

When I arrived as executive director October 2006, I met an enthusiastic staff eager to 

translate the Commissionʼs strategic plan into a workable action plan. Congress had 

appropriated funds for office expenses and staff salaries, but the ALBC was to raise 

funds for programs and materials. Before implementing a fundraising campaign, though, 

we first had to build momentum about President Lincolnʼs bicentennial and to spark 

Americansʼ enthusiasm for the greatest presidentʼs history. Our commissioners had as 

their highest goal a bicentennial in which all Americans helped plan and participated. 

The ALBC was already working with government agencies toward new Lincoln stamps 

and pennies and a commemorative coin. Its early work had generated magazine covers 

and polls about the most revered president and publishing houses churned out troves of 

best-selling books about his life and presidency. Together, Commissioners and staff 

continued to sketch plans for programs aimed at both the public and potential donors.

The intersection of the ALBCʼs focus on Lincolnʼs “unfinished work,” his birthday and 

Black History Month gave it the chance to explore his legacy on race. A panel 

discussion in Chicago in early 2007 with civic leaders, mostly African American, 

challenged accepted views of Lincoln. These discussions and others moved the ALBC 

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A modern-day Lincoln looks on as ALBC Executive Director Eileen R. Mackevich speaks during a news conference, 

held on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Plaza in Washington, for the unveiling of the four new one-cent designs.

Photo by Venkitaraman Suresh
to press forward with an early idea for a series of town hall meetings centered in major 

cities and Lincoln sites under the umbrella theme of “Lincolnʼs Legacy: Race, Freedom, 

and Equality of Opportunity.” Each host city viewed its unfinished work differently. City 

leaders and historians alike saw opportunities for continued dialogue and shared 

learning through the Internet and social media. Perhaps with support from foundations 

such as the initiativeʼs lead sponsor, the Fetzer Institute, these town halls will continue 

to build upon Lincolnʼs legacy of democracy and equal opportunity.

Our bicentennial experience strongly refutes the theory that youth take no interest in 

history. At public gatherings nationwide, students recited the Gettysburg Address. 

Students queried historyʼs best storytellers on Lincolnʼs bicentennial at the National 

Archives, and a half million others watched via the Web across the nation and around 

the world. Thousands of students in Miami and other cities in the South – where 50 

years earlier curriculums excluded the subjects of slavery and Lincolnʼs commitment to 

preserve the Union – participated in essay and art contests.

Our Commissioners wanted the ALBCʼs Web site to be a major bicentennial legacy. 

Today, that is indeed the case. Students and historians alike use our Web site. It is an 

important source for all things Lincoln, with links to all major Lincoln institutions and 

content such as speeches, reviews, virtual tours of Lincoln sites and exhibits, lesson 

plans, and education resources. Students see real value as they seek out 

commonalities and differences with todayʼs sometimes chaotic times. We trust the 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation will keep the Web site relevant 

after the ALBC sunsets. 

The ALBC has unquestionably met Congressʼ charge to develop a public celebration of 

Lincolnʼs 200th birthday. The ALBC welcomed the expansion of scholarly inquiry and 

othersʼ novel interpretations; promoted a wider discussion of race, freedom, and 

equality and an understanding of Lincolnʼs rhetoric and his greatest speeches; and 

pursued new means of communication to better link his birthday with educational 

opportunity.

I especially want to thank the dedicated staff that served with me these past four years: 

Jennifer Rosenfeld, deputy executive director; David Early, communications director; 

Theresa Caldwell, town hall director; Sharon Cunningham, budget and finance officer; 

Courtney Barefoot, program associate; Bryan Jack, communications associate; Hasan 

Aloul, program associate/Webmaster; and Venkitaraman Suresh, executive manager.

Certainly, the ALBC has helped build a greater understanding of our greatest president.

Sincerely,

Eileen R. Mackevich

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Executive Summary

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) is a federally appointed 15-

member commission focused on leading the commemoration of the 200th birthday of 

Americaʼs 16th president. Lincoln was born in 1809. His 200th birthday anniversary took 

place on February 12, 2009.

Federal commissions led the nationʼs remembrance of Lincolnʼs centennial in 1909 and 

sesquicentennial in 1959. However, those commissions functioned in vastly different 

times in America, with the United States either attuned to healing divisions remaining 

from the Civil War, or extending its moral authority in the Cold War era. They reflected 

Jim Crow segregation in the early 1900s and ongoing racial discrimination in the early 

years of the Civil Rights Movement.

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The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission commemorates the 

200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, emphasizing the contribution of his 

thoughts, ideals to America and the world, and serving as a catalyst for 

strengthening freedom, democracy and equal opportunity for all.

– Mission Statement of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

President George W. Bush welcomed Commissioners and staff of the ALBC to the White House for a reception 

on September 23, 2002. Pictured left to right: Lura Lynn Ryan, Darrel Bigham, Joan Flinspach, Michael Bishop, 

Louise Taper, Gabor S. Boritt, James Thompson, President Bush, Frank J. Williams, Senator Richard Durbin, 

Harold Holzer, James Oliver Horton, Jackie Williams, Tommy Turner, and Jean T.D. Bandler.
Early on, the ALBC committed to helping the nation to complete Lincolnʼs “unfinished 

work.” Its goals included highlighting his role in ending slavery and encouraging a 

profound and substantive discussion of his legacy to a country still troubled by matters 

of race. The ALBC created an environment in which every American – indeed, everyone 

in the world – would be reacquainted with Lincoln, his times, and his relevance.

The Commission also successfully pursued several congressional mandates. They 

included encouraging and advising on the minting and issuing of four new Lincoln 

bicentennial one-cent coins and four new postage stamps, convening a congressional 

joint meeting in Lincolnʼs honor, and rededicating the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.

A Bipartisan Bicentennial Commemoration

Among the most important of the ALBCʼs contributions: Its leadership in the 

commemoration activities on February 12, 2009. The day began with a wreath-laying 

ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial. The Commission then invited its supporters to a 

heated tent adjacent to the Memorial for a breakfast benefitting the ongoing work of the 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation, which it created to carry on its 

work after it sunsets in 2010. Then, President Barack Obama – less than a month after 

his inauguration and following a dramatic increase in interest in the bicentennial 

because of his affinity for Lincoln – and the bipartisan leadership of both chambers of 

Congress joined the ALBC in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for a bicameral celebration.

Later that day, 500,000 students worldwide watched a live webcast of the Lincoln 

Bicentennial National Teach-in, a 45-minute educational program broadcast from the 

National Archives and co-sponsored by the ALBC and The History Channel. Meanwhile, 

the Commissionʼs Web site (www.abrahamlincoln200.org) became a major online 

destination as media outlets – including CNNʼs nearly all-day bicentennial coverage – 

focused on the dayʼs events. C-SPAN, in partnership with the ALBC, aired more than 

350 hours of bicentennial programming in 2008 and 2009.

The ALBC returned to the Lincoln Memorial twice more for significant bicentennial 

festivities. On April 12, 2009, it co-sponsored a tribute there to Marian Anderson – 70 

years after the singer stirred a racially integrated audience of 75,000 in a historic 

performance – by offering a concert featuring renowned mezzo-soprano Denyce 

Graves. Colin Powell, the former U.S. Secretary of State and retired general, delivered 

remarks and helped congratulate the nearly 200 people who became naturalized 

citizens during the event. Then, on May 30, 2009, the ALBC co-sponsored a 

rededication ceremony of the Lincoln Memorial 87 years after it was first dedicated and 

presented to the American people. Several guest speakers delivered remarks about 

how Lincoln and the Memorial remained entwined as beacons of freedom.

The ALBC also supported or co-supported many other notable Lincoln-related activities. 

They ranged from signature events in the places where he lived – Kentucky, Indiana, 

Illinois, and Washington, D.C. – to a series of town hall meetings nationwide that 

focused on Lincolnʼs views on race, freedom, and equal opportunity, to many programs 

that promoted historical literacy about Lincoln among children and young people.

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The Commission recognized that it neither could not nor should not be solely 

responsible for managing the bicentennial commemoration alone. So it developed a 

massive endorsement process that recognized more than 200 participating local and 

grassroots organizations. 

Through its own actions or those which it endorsed, the ALBC encouraged public 

participation and attendance at bicentennial activities and institutions. Several ALBC 

members, for instance, helped to create a Lincoln States Bicentennial Task Force in 

2003. The collaboration produced not only unprecedented regional cooperation in 

marketing and tourism as well as museums and historic sites, but also led to the 

formation of state commissions in those states, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky.

The ALBC also promoted research, scholarship and increased understanding of Lincoln. 

It enabled diverse perspectives in relevant conversations. It created a lasting legacy of 

Lincoln themes and contributions that will endure beyond 2009.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Act

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Act (Public Law No: 106-173) 

established the ALBC. Representatives Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., and Ray LaHood of 

Illinois introduced the creating legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives; Senator 

Richard Durbin of Illinois introduced it in the U.S. Senate. President William J. Clinton 

signed the measure into law on February 25, 2000.

Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush and leaders of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House 

of Representatives appointed the Commissioners – a diverse group of political leaders, 

jurists, scholars, and collectors chosen for their knowledge of Lincoln and experience 

educating the public on his life, times, and historical impact. The Commissioners elected 

Senator Durbin, Representative LaHood, and Harold Holzer, a noted Civil War scholar 

and author, as co-chairmen. Mr. LaHood resigned in 2009 after President Barack 

Obama named him Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Over the decade, the Commissioners met a number of times in Washington, D.C.; at 

Lincoln sites in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky; and at other places across the nation that 

have significance in the Lincoln story.

The ALBC operated out of offices in the Adams Building of the Library of Congress in 

Washington, D.C. A full-time staff of dedicated individuals carried out the Commissionʼs 

aims and activities. Eileen R. Mackevich, co-founder and former president of the 

Chicago Humanities Festival, became executive director in 2006.

The Commission collaborated with numerous scholars and public figures as well as 

governmental, cultural and educational institutions, and organizations to help educate 

the public and engage it in the bicentennial celebration. The ALBC Advisory Committee 

included more than 150 influential scholars and Lincoln enthusiasts. Among them were 

Michael Beschloss, David Blight, Ken Burns, Richard Carwardine, David Herbert 

Donald, John Hope Franklin, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Allen C. Guelzo, James M. 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

17
McPherson, Edna Greene Medford, Douglas Wilson, Mario M. Cuomo, Sam Waterston, 

and Roger Wilkins. 

The Commission also benefitted from support and collaboration from the ALBC 

Governors Council, which was comprised of governor-appointed liaisons from each 

state and led by its chairman, David H. Leroy of Idaho. The liaisons served as contact 

points between the ALBC and their respective states, all of which coordinated their own 

bicentennial programs and events.

The ALBC created the Lincoln Bicentennial Cabinet to help with its fundraising efforts 

and to otherwise support the celebration. The Cabinet is led by William H. Gray III, the 

former congressman from Philadelphia who, after becoming the first African American to 

serve as chairman of the House Budget Committee and as House Majority Whip, went 

on to become president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College Fund. 

Jack Kemp, the former congressman and Secretary of the U.S. Housing and Urban 

Development, served as co-chairman of the Cabinet until his death in May 2009.

Acknowledging the Commissionʼs Supporters 

The ALBC wishes to express its sincerest gratitude to all of the many institutions, 

organizations and groups, and all of the distinguished Americans and ordinary citizens, 

who have all generously donated their time, money and spirit toward ensuring a 

successful Lincoln bicentennial.

The Commission depended on many partnerships, large and small, but especially those 

entities with which it had partnership agreements: C-SPAN, the Fetzer Institute, The 

History Channel, the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Arts, the 

National Endowment for the Humanities, the Organization of American Historians, the 

U.S. Mint, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Institute for Computing in Humanities, Arts 

and Social Science (I-CHASS) at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

The ALBC also acknowledges the many people who went beyond their normal call of 

duty to help develop and produce its numerous events. Of course, the Commission is 

most indebted to the U.S. Congress, which appropriated a large of sum of taxpayer 

funds to make possible a bicentennial commemoration worthy of Abraham Lincoln.

It is now up to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation to keep 

Lincolnʼs memory and ideas fresh in minds and hearts of every American. Its goals 

include expanding the ALBC Web site to provide greater access to Lincoln documents 

and resources. It also seeks to enable schools to share lesson plans and interact with 

each other at Lincoln sites, and to extend the series of town hall events to more cities.

This final report contains details of the ALBCʼs efforts and accomplishments. 

Commissioner and staff recommendations for advancing the Lincoln legacy and aiding 

the work of future federal commissions are at www.abrahamlincoln200.org.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

18
ALBC ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Kenneth E. Apschnikat

Former Lincoln birthplace superintendent, National Park Service

Jean Baker

History professor, Goucher College, and author

William Bartelt

High school teacher, trustee of Indiana Historical Society

Kim Bauer

Director of Lincoln Heritage for City of Decatur, IL

Rick Beard

Former director of Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Paul Beaver

Professor Emeritus, Lincoln College

Ira Berlin

History professor, University of Maryland 

Michael Beschloss

Presidential historian 

Richard Blackett

Andrew Jackson Professor of History, Vanderbilt University

Kenneth G. Blandford

Mayor, City of Jonesboro, Illinois, Lincoln-Douglas Debate Site

David Blight

Director, Center for the Study of Slavery Resistance and Abolition, Yale University

Alan Brinkley

Provost and 20th Century American history professor, Columbia University

Larry Burgess

Director, A.K. Smiley Library and Museum and the Lincoln Memorial Shrine

Ken Burns

Filmmaker and author

Steven Lee Carson*

Lecturer and editor

Richard J. Carwardine

Rhodes Professor of American History, University of Oxford

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

19
Joan Chaconas

Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia; Lincoln Forum Advisory Board member

Catherine Clinton

History professor, Queens College, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Sheldon Cohen

Board member, Ulysses S. Grant Association 

Maynard A. Crossland

Formerly with the Illinois Preservation Society

Mario Cuomo

Former Governor of New York and author 

Richard Nelson Current

Dean of Lincoln scholars and author

Jon Dalager

Politics Department chairman, Georgetown College

Brooks Davis

Founder and past president, Civil War Round Table

Cullom Davis

Retired history and Lincoln studies professor, University of Illinois;

Terry Davis

President and chief executive officer, American Association for State and Local History

William C. Davis

History professor, Virginia Tech University and author

Jeff Dennis

Assistant history professor, Kennesaw State University

John Patrick Diggins

Professor, City University of New York

John A. DiNome

Partner, Reed Smith LLP

David Herbert Donald*

Highly regarded Lincoln biographer and student of the Civil War and Reconstruction

Jim Edgar

Former Governor of Illinois; lecturer, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

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Robert M. Eschbach

Mayor, City of Ottawa, Illinois, Lincoln-Douglas Debate Site

Damon Eubank

Professor, Campbellsville University

Clark Evans

Senior reference specialist, Library of Congress

Stuart I. Fagan

Former president of Governors State University

Drew Gilpin Faust

President of Harvard University and author

Laura Feller

Former acting chief historian, National Park Service

Charles Fenwick

Acting superintendent, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site

Paul Findley

Former U.S. Representative, 20th District of Illinois 

Paul Finkelman

McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy, Albany Law School

John B. Fisher

Executive committee member of the Abraham Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission

Jennifer Fleischner

English Department chairwoman, Adelphi University, and author 

Eric Foner

History professor, Columbia University, expert on Reconstruction

Guy C. Fraker

Attorney with an interest in Lincolnʼs Eighth Judicial Circuit

John Hope Franklin*

Professor of History Emeritus, Duke University; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient

Joseph E. Garrera

President of the Lincoln Group of New York

George W. Gaulrapp

Mayor, City of Freeport, Illinois, Lincoln-Douglas Debate Site

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

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William E. Gienapp*

History professor, Harvard University, and author

Paul Gleason

Historian and Assistant Director at the Lincoln College Museum in Illinois

Thavolia Glymph

African-American history professor, Duke University, and author

Doris Kearns Goodwin

Pulitzer Prize- and Lincoln Prize-winning author

John Griswold

Principal, Griswold Conservation Associates, LLP

James Grossman

Vice President for Research and Education, The Newberry Library

David Grubin

Filmmaker and director

Allen C. Guelzo

History professor, Gettysburg College, and Lincoln Prize winner

Gordon A. Haaland

Former president, Gettysburg College

Lowell Harrison

History professor emeritus, Western Kentucky University

Mark O. Hatfield

Former U.S. Senator from Oregon, lecturer and scholar of Lincoln and his era

Earl W. Henderson, Jr.

Lincoln Home National Historic Site and the Springfield Capital Complex Development

Rev. Theodore Hesburgh

President emeritus, University of Notre Dame

George Hicks

Former chief executive officer, National Civil War Museum

Baron Hill

U.S. Representative, Indianaʼs Ninth Congressional District

Norman Hill

Former president, A. Phillip Randolph Institute

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

22
Darlene Clark Hine

Professor of history and African American studies, Northwestern University

Bradley R. Hoch

Physician, lecturer, and author 

Carl Howell, Jr.

President, Preservation of Lincolnʼs Kentucky Heritage

Charles M. Hubbard

Lincoln Historian, Lincoln Memorial University

Tera Hunter

History and African-American studies professor, Princeton University

Daniel Hynes

Illinois State Comptroller; chairman, Illinois Lincoln Bicentennial Task Force

John Inyart

Mayor, City of Charleston, Illinois, Lincoln-Douglas Debate Site

Andy Jacobs

Former U.S. Representative, Indianaʼs 10th and 11th Congressional Districts

Harry V. Jaffa

Government professor emeritus, Claremont McKenna College, and author 

Ed Jennings, Jr.

Political Science Department chairman, University of Kentucky

Leah Jewett

Exhibitions Coordinator and Civil War Manuscripts Archivist, Louisiana State University

Ron J. Keller

Associate professor, Lincoln College; director/curator, Lincoln College Museum

Peter Kovler

Chairman, Franklin D. Roosevelt National Centennial Committee

Iris LaRue

Lincoln Museum director

Lewis Lehrman

Co-founder, Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History, author and Lincoln collector

Mark Levin

Retired president, Kansas City Southern Railroad

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

23
Bruce Levine

J.G. Randall Professor of History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

David E. Long

History professor at East Carolina University

Michael Ludvigsen

Board member, Abraham Lincoln Council, Boy Scouts of America

Thomas C. Mackey

History Department chairman, University of Louisville

David Madden 

Creator and founding director, U.S. Civil War Center, Louisiana State University

James H. Madison

Chairman, Governorʼs Civil War Memorial Committee, and author

Michael R. Maione*

Historian, Ford Theatre National Historic Site

Jonathan Mann

Publisher, The Rail Splitter, a quarterly journal for Lincoln collectors

John Marszalek

Executive director, Ulysses S. Grant Association, and author

Martin Marty

Distinguished professor, Divinity School of the University of Chicago, and author

James M. McPherson

Pulitzer Prize- and Lincoln Prize-winning historian

Edna Greene Medford

Associate professor of history, Howard University, and author

Dianne L. Meeks

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC) Foundation Board of Directors

Bob Michel

Former U.S. Representative, Illinois 18th Congressional District/House Minority Leader

William Lee Miller

Scholar in Ethics and Institutions, Miller Center, University of Virginia, and author 

Richard Moe

President, National Trust for Historic Preservation

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

24
Wilma Moore

African American history archivist, Indiana Historical Society; screenwriter

Lucas Morel

Assistant politics professor, Washington and Lee University, and author 

Robert Newtson

Executive director, Friends of Saguaro National Park, Tucson, AZ

Louie B. Nunn*

Former governor of Kentucky and active supporter of Lincolniana

Jack D. Nutt*

President, Lincoln College

Phillip Shaw Paludan*

Writer of a number of major studies of the Civil War era

William Pederson

Director, International Lincoln Center, Louisiana State University, and author

James Percoco

High school history teacher; adjunct faculty member, American University

Geoffrey Perret

Author 

Matthew Pinsker

History professor, Dickinson College, and author 

Dwight T. Pitcaithley

Retired chief historian, National Park Service

Charles D. Platt*

Lincoln Forum co-founder

John Power

Publisher emeritus, Jacksonville Courier

Gerald Prokopowicz

History professor, East Carolina University

Keith Pruitt

Superintendent, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site

Ronald D. Rietveld

Speaker and author on Lincoln with expertise in the Civil War and Reconstruction

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

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James I. Robertson, Jr.

Alumni Distinguished Professor, Virginia Tech University, and author

Donald E. Sandidge

Mayor, Alton City, Illinois, Lincoln-Douglas Debate Site

Charles Scholz

Former mayor of Quincy, Illinois, Lincoln-Douglas Debate Site

Barry Schwartz

Sociology professor, University of Georgia, and author 

Thomas F. Schwartz

Illinois state historian

John Sellers

Specialist on the American Civil War and Lincoln Curator, Library of Congress

Jeff Shaara

Author 

Joshua Wolf Shenk

Director, O'Neill Literary House, Washington College, and author

Nina Silber

History professor, Boston University, and author

John Y. Simon*

Historian, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale; editor, Papers of Ulysses S. Grant

Paul Simon*

U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1985-1997, and author

Louise Slaughter

U. S. Representative, New York 28th Congressional District

Richard Slotkin

English professor emeritus; former director of American Studies at Wesleyan University

Gary C. Smith

Mayor, City of Galesburg, Illinois, Lincoln-Douglas Debate Site

Jack Smith

Lincoln collector 

Richard Norton Smith

Former director, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, and author

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

26
Jean Soman

Author 

Mark Souder

U.S. Representative, Indiana 3rd Congressional District

John A. Spring

Mayor, City of Quincy, Illinois, Lincoln-Douglas Debate Site

Edward Steers, Jr.

Internet editor, Lincoln Herald; associate editor, North and South magazine; and author

Axel D. Steuer

President, Illinois College

Phillip Stone

President, Bridgewater College

Daniel W. Stowell

Director and editor, the Papers of Abraham Lincoln

James Swanson

Senior Fellow, Heritage Foundation, and author 

Craig L. Symonds

Lincoln Prize-winning author and professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval Academy

Lawrence P. Taylor

Former U.S. Ambassador to Estonia

Wayne C. Temple

Historian, author, and former editor of the Lincoln Herald

Carolyn Texley

Former curator at the Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, IN

Tim Townsend

Historian, Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Roger Truitt

Former mayor of Hodgenville, site of Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site

Laurie Verge

Former president, The Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia

Michael Vorenberg

History professor, Brown University, and author

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

27
Geoffrey C. Ward

Historian, screenwriter, editor, and author

Margaret Washington

African American Studies professor, Cornell University

Sam Waterston

Actor

Jennifer L. Weber

Assistant history professor, University of Kansas, and author

Budge Weidman

Research specialist, National Archives and Records Administration

Daniel R. Weinberg

Abraham Lincoln Book Shop, Lincoln manuscript/artifact expert, and author

Randy Wester

Retired superintendent, Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

Ronald C. White, Jr.

Professor of American Religious History Emeritus, San Francisco Theological Seminary

Robert Wilburn

President, Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation 

Roger Wilkins

History and American culture professor, George Mason University; Pulitzer Prize winner 

Katherine Haley Will

President, Gettysburg College

Ann Claire Williams

Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

Douglas Wilson

Co-director, Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College, and author 

Jay Winik

Author

Kenneth Winkle

History department chairman, University of Nebraska, and author 

Gary P. Zola

Executive director, The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives

Michael Zurcher

Lincoln collector

* Denotes deceased advisory committee member

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

28
ALBC GOVERNORSʼ COUNCIL

The Commission invited governors from each of the 50 states to appoint a state liaison 

to the ALBC Governorsʼ Council. David H. Leroy of Idaho, Sue Stenhouse of Rhode 

Island, and Mark Junge of Wyoming served as chairman, vice chairwoman and 

secretary of council, respectively. The liaisons helped to publicize national bicentennial 

programs and events in their states, served as contact points between the ALBC and 

their states, and coordinated their statesʼ bicentennial programs and events.

Alabama

Sandra Schimmelpfennig

Alaska

Ken Koelsch*

James Muller

Arizona

Karen Churchard

Arkansas

Steven Clark

California

Carl Bendix

Colorado

Barb McTurk*

Wendell L. Pryor

Connecticut

Michael Burlingame

Howard Wright

Delaware

Harriet Smith Windsor

Russ McCabe

Florida

Brian Yablonski*

James A. McKee

Georgia

Jamil Zainaldin

Hawaii

Robert G. Buss

Idaho

Dirk Kempthorne*

David H. Leroy

Illinois

Kay Smith

Indiana

Connie Nass

Iowa

Walter Reed, Jr.*

Cyndi Pederson

Kansas

Herschel Stroud

Kentucky

Dan Kelly

Louisiana

Mary Perrault Williams*

David Madden

Maine

Steve Bromage

Maryland

James Getty*

Massachusetts

Elizabeth F. Hoermann*

Robert J. Wolfgang

Michigan

William M. Anderson

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

29
Minnesota

David E. Sturrock*

Dean Urdahl

Mississippi

Reeves Barbour

Missouri

Gary Kremer

Montana

Harry W. Fritz

Nebraska 

Edward Zimmer

Nevada

Robert A. Nylen

New Hampshire

Bob Odell

New Jersey

Michael P. Riccards

New Mexico

Estevan Rael-Gálvez

New York

William Howard*

North Carolina

Jeffrey J. Crow

North Dakota

Richard (Rick) E. Collin

Ohio

Caroline Van Deusen

Oklahoma

Richard L. Sias

Oregon

Michael L. Burton 

Pennsylvania

Barbara Franco

Tina Grim

Rhode Island

Sue Stenhouse

South Carolina

Robert Rosen

South Dakota

Kerri Frei*

Natasha Bothun

Tennessee

Jerry L. Maynard II

Texas

H.W. Brands

Utah

Gregory Hopkins*

Michael W. Homer

Vermont

John M. McCardell

Virginia

John McGlennon*

Theodore Delaney

Washington

David Nicandri

West Virginia

Jim R. Rubin

Wisconsin

John S. Skilton

Wyoming

Mark Junge

‣ Asterisk denotes the liaison resigned 

before the ALBCʼs sunset.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

30
ALBC BICENTENNIAL CABINET

Congress established the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) to function 

as a public-private partnership and appropriated funds to support the Commissionʼs 

administration. The Commission raised private funding to help produce the many 

programs, events and materials planned by the Commission.

To establish and recognize a core group of supporters, the ALBC organized the Lincoln 

Bicentennial Cabinet.

Members of the Lincoln Cabinet have worked with the Commissioners and staff to 

create civic and cultural partnerships that promote understanding of the Lincoln legacy. 

Lincoln Cabinet members were recruited to raise funds and build a circle of individual 

and corporate donors to support the ALBCʼs events, programs and publications.

The Lincoln Bicentennial Cabinetʼs primary responsibilities included:

‣ Collaborating with ALBC Commissioners, staff, state liaisons, advisers and cultural 

and civic partners to plan a Lincoln Bicentennial reflective of the 16th presidentʼs 

highest achievements.

‣ Identifying and recruit additional Lincoln Bicentennial Cabinet members.

‣ Making a personal gift to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation.

‣ Hosting donor special events.

‣ Communicating the Lincoln story and the Bicentennial Commissionʼs congressional 

mandate to corporate leaders.

Lincoln Bicentennial Cabinet Leadership

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

31

William H. Gray III, chairman, represented Philadelphia, 

Pennsylvania, in the U.S. House of Representatives for 13 years, 

becoming the first African American to serve as chairman of the 

powerful House Budget Committee and as House Majority Whip, 

the chamberʼs third highest-ranking position. In 1991, he became 

president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College 

Fund. He is chairman of the Amani Group, a business and 

education advisory group.

Jack Kemp represented Western New York in the U.S. House of 

Representatives for 18 years before becoming U.S. Secretary of 

Housing and Urban Development under President George H.W. 

Bush. He was the Republican Partyʼs nominee for vice president in 

1996 after previously contending for its presidential nomination in 

1988. Secretary Kemp was a heralded quarterback at Occidental 

College and a legendary professional quarterback for 13 years in 

the American Football League (AFL). He died in 2009.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION FOUNDATION

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission sunsets in April 2010.

The bicentennial observances helped bring Lincoln to the forefront of the nationʼs 

mind. The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation (ALBCF) will build on 

that legacy. The Commission created the Foundation to further understanding and 

appreciation of Lincoln when educational facilities are facing difficult times and the study 

of humanities and history is becoming even more constrained.

As National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman James Leach stated in an ALBCsponsored address at the University of Illinois: “Citizens, after all, need to apply 

perspective and judgment to the issues they face in their families and communities and 

we as a country confront in the world. Without reference to the guideposts of the 

humanities, society loses its soul. It risks becoming rudderless in a sea of historical 

change. Lincoln understood this. So must we.”

The Foundation will expand its commitment to provide exciting and educational 

experiences for those seeking to learn more about Abraham Lincoln and, in turn, will 

work to connect civic engagement with exploration of Lincolnʼs life and legacy.

Lincoln was largely self-taught and education was always important to him. He was also 

committed to preserving the Union and bettering America. Lincoln believed that the 

world is composed of people capable of exceptional feats, who together form an 

exceptional nation.

   

The Foundationʼs goals include:

‣ Continuing support for expanding the ALBC Web site. The Web site helps people 

learn about Lincoln and will be advised by Lincoln scholars and technicians. The 

ALBCF will provide links between cultural and educational institutions and individual 

collectors so there is greater ease in reviewing Lincoln documents and resources.

‣ Developing educational materials focused on exploring Lincoln in the digital age. As 

the United States becomes even more of a multicultural nation, the ALBCF pledges 

to promote genuine scholarship while developing new materials that will have wide 

appeal to all youth and adult learners, all to make Lincoln broader.

‣ Providing opportunities for teachers and administrators to share and interact with 

each other in preparation of lesson plans and visits to Lincoln sites.

‣ Continuing the Lincoln Town Hall series so new cities can enter the dialogue and 

past participants can interact with each other and fully share experiences.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

32
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

33

Jean Powers Soman (acting president), an author, transcribed the 

Civil War letters and researched the life of her great-great 

grandfather, Colonel Marcus M. Spiegel. Based on these, she coedited the book, “A Jewish Colonel in the Civil War.” She has also 

written numerous historical articles for magazines and 

newspapers. As a child, in 1958, Ms. Soman moved to Florida from 

New York. At present, she is researching the life of her great 

grandfather, Samuel G. Alschuler, Lincolnʼs Jewish photographer.

Orville Vernon Burton founded of the Institute for Computing in 

Humanities, Arts and Social Science (I-CHASS) at the University of 

Illinois, where he recently retired as professor of history and 

sociology. He is a senior research scientist and associate director 

for humanities and social sciences at the National Center for 

Supercomputing Applications. He is the author of more than 100 

articles and 14 books, including “The Age of Lincoln,” which won 

the 2007 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for nonfiction.

Charles Scholz served as mayor of Quincy, Illinois, for 12 years 

after his election in 1993. The chairman of the Quincy Lincoln 

Bicentennial Commission, Mayor Scholz is a partner and attorney 

at Scholz & Scholz, a law firm in Quincy. He served as assistant 

Illinois attorney general, directing the Western Illinois Regional 

Office and as the downstate political director for the late U.S. 

Senator Paul Simon. 

David Lawrence, Jr. is president of The Early Childhood Initiative 

Foundation and a retired publisher of The Miami Herald. A former 

president of both the American Society of Newspaper Editors 

(ASNE) and the Inter-American Press Association, Mr. Lawrence 

has received many awards and national honors including the Ida B. 

Wells Award for exemplary leadership in providing minorities 

employment opportunities and an National Association of Minority 

Media Executives award for “lifetime achievement in diversity.” 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation Board of Directors

Thomas Campbell is senior counsel and a partner in the Chicago 

office of Baker and McKenzie, where he focuses on the trial of 

antitrust actions and business disputes. He led the planning 

committee for the Seventh Circuit Bar Associationʼs Lincoln 

bicentennial program, a one-day symposium presented on 

February 6, 2009. He is also author of Fighting Slavery in Chicago, 

a book about the abolitionists in that city who helped carry 

Abraham Lincoln to victory in the 1860 Republican convention.
ALBC COMMISSION COMMITTEES

Members of the Education Committee

Darrel E. Bigham (Chairman) 

Jean T. D. Baker

Jean Bandler 

William Bartelt 

Erin I. Bishop

Richard Blackett 

Gabor S. Boritt 

Steven Carson 

Nancy N. Conner 

Brooks Davis

Jeff Dennis

Stuart Fagan

Joan Flinspach 

Lee W. Formwalt 

Joe Garrera

Paul E. Gleason

Cathy Gorn

Betty Hill

Harold Holzer 

James Oliver Horton 

Thomas C. Mackey 

James H. Madison 

Matthew McMichael 

Edna Greene Medford 

Lucas Morel 

James Percoco

Elaine Reed 

Ronald D. Rietveld

Lura Lynn Ryan 

Craig Symonds 

Timothy P. Townsend 

Danice Rolleri Toyias

Members of the Communications Committee

Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. (Co-Chairman)

Harold Holzer (Co-Chairman)

Senator Jim Bunning

Julie Cellini

Senator Richard Durbin

Paul Finkelman

Wally Henderson

James Oliver Horton

Daniel R. Weinberg

Members of the Public Programs Committee

Julie Cellini (Co-Chairwoman)

Joan Flinspach (Co-Chairwoman)

Jean T.D. Bandler

Gabor S. Boritt

Terry Davis

John DiNome

John Griswold

Harold Holzer

Charles Hubbard

Louise Taper

Tommy Turner

Daniel R. Weinberg

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

34
ALBC STAFF

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

35

Communications Associate – Bryan Jack

Assisted communications director with development and distribution of 

promotional materials, and provided logistics and other support for town 

hall director.

Executive Manager – Venkitaraman Suresh

Provided executive support, office administration and record keeping, 

logistical support, and donor management. 

Budget and Finance Officer – Sharon Cunningham

Provided budget and financial management for appropriated and gift funds.

Deputy Executive Director – Jennifer Rosenfeld

Developed and managed education and public programs; assisted with fund 

raising; served as liaison with partner organizations; developed and oversaw 

endorsement process; and supervised program interns, volunteers, and staff.

Communications Director – David Early

Directed strategic communications, including media relations, Web site 

development, publications and event marketing.

Program Associate/Webmaster – Hasan Aloul

Assisted with outreach, mass media and Web communications, including 

management of the ALBC Web site, Web 2.0 strategies, and bicentennial 

program support.

Program Associate – Courtney Barefoot

Assisted with event planning and other programming, including the 

endorsement program and Lincoln Legacy School Recognition Program.

Town Hall Director – Theresa Caldwell

Managed all aspects of town hall program, including identification of coconveners and speakers, content development, logistics, and budgeting.

Executive Director – Eileen R. Mackevich

Worked with the ALBCʼs Commissioners and other stakeholders to develop 

programs and achieve the organizationʼs objectives; provided fundraising 

leadership; and supervised the national office staff.
PAST ALBC STAFF

Michael F. Bishop! ! ! ! ! Jackie Williams

Executive director ! ! ! ! ! Interim executive director

! ! ! ! ! ! ! and development director

Diane Liesman! ! ! ! !

Acting executive director! ! ! ! Alan Kirschner!! !

! ! ! ! ! ! ! Development director

David Morgan! ! ! ! !

Kentucky inaugural coordinator! ! ! Ryan Cole

!!!!!!! Genevieve Courbois

Roberta Schutz! ! ! ! ! Program assistants

Office manager

ALBC Interns

Hasan Aloul

Sam Dickhut

Chris Elizondo

Lauren Esker

Andrew Ferguson

Laura Graham

Bryan Jack

Meghan Klahfehn

Lauren Maxwell

Kelly Meade

Leigh Parker

Meghan Rafferty

Christopher Salzwedel

Zach Siegel

Katherine Sigmond

Andrea Taylor

Liz Tooze 

Walter Trosin

Charles Yarborough

ALBC Volunteers

Vienna Baches, David Barefoot, Susie Barefoot, Jiiko Caldwell, Caroline Courbois, Jay 

Davenport, Mary Festa, Luvenia George, Brenda Gilchrist, Wilson Golden, Amanda 

Johnson, Tim Johnson, Tony Kanellis, Jennie Leitch, Manuel Melendez, Judy Mize, 

Tameika Mollison, Jonathan Moore, Poul Pedersen, Dorothy Philips, Matt Rhodes, Ken 

Rosenfeld, Christian Stauffer, Barry Tindall, and Bernice Yalley

Students from James Percocoʼs applied history class at West Springfield High School, 

Springfield, Virginia, and from his student-teaching class at American University.

Parent volunteers from Chicago Childrenʼs Choir: Brad Bakall, Sophie Bakall, Ellyn 

Daniels, Jean Daube, Steve Daube, Gary DeCock, Dale Klebers, Margie Klebers, 

Queen Marsh, Barry Pollard, Jenny Schroeder, Natalia Tamarin, and Tanya Woods.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

36
Accomplishments

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

37

The scene outside the Lincoln Memorial before a Rededication Ceremony led by the ALBC on May 30, 2009.

Photo by Henry F. Ballone
1. Mandated Activities

The federal legislation creating the ALBC called for several mandated activities.

They included pursuing the minting of an Abraham Lincoln bicentennial penny, the 

issuance of an Lincoln bicentennial postage stamp; convening of a joint meeting or joint 

session of Congress for ceremonies and activities relating to Lincoln, a rededication of 

the Lincoln Memorial or other activity with respect to the Memorial, and the acquisition 

and preservation of artifacts associated with Lincoln.

The legislation also called on the ALBC to recommend to Congress the activities that it 

considered most fitting and proper to honor Lincoln, and the federal entities it 

considered most appropriate to carry out such activities.

In June 2004, the Commission released an interim report that outlined a series of plans 

it had developed for meeting the mandates. Financial and security concerns prevented 

the ALBC from significantly meeting the goal of acquiring and preserving Lincoln 

artifacts.

However, the Commission, while partnering with many federal agencies and other 

organizations, more than ably – and in some cases even exceeded – all of the other 

mandates. An accounting of those accomplishments follows on the succeeding pages.

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Retired Gen. Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, read from Abraham Lincolnʼs Second Inaugural Address 

during the Marian Anderson Tribute Concert held on April 12, 2009, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Photo by Venkitaraman Suresh
NEW LINCOLN SILVER DOLLAR

Commemorative coin programs are created through enabling legislation enacted by 

Congress to honor a person, place or event.

On the 140th anniversary of President Lincolnʼs death – April 15, 2005 – ALBC CoChairman Richard Durbin introduced the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commemorative 

Coin Act in the U.S. Senate. Several weeks later, on June 8, 2005, ALBC Co-Chairman 

Ray LaHood introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

The legislation directed the U.S. Mint to collect a $10 surcharge on the sale of each coin 

and to distribute the proceeds to the ALBC to further the work of the Commission.

Each year, Congress authorizes the minting of two commemorative coins. Its rules 

require that for a commemorative coin bill to be brought to floor for debate and vote it 

must first garner co-sponsorship by two-thirds of the membership of each chamber – 

290 co-sponsors in the House and 67 co-sponsors in the Senate.

For some years, legislation for more than two commemorative coins is introduced, 

resulting in a race of sorts to win the necessary co-sponsorship first. Such was the case 

for coins to be issued in 2009.

A commemorative coin bill to honor the bicentennial of the birth of Louis Braille in 2009 

was enacted quickly, locking up one of the two coveted slots.

For months after Senator Durbin and Congressman LaHood introduced their bills for the 

Lincoln Bicentennial Commemorative, co-sponsorship languished in each chamber. 

With 500,000 coins authorized, the legislation held the potential of raising as much as 

$5 million for the ALBC in surcharge revenue. In the meantime, several other competing 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

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commemorative coin bills threatened to secure the needed co-sponsorship, thereby 

locking up the second slot. 

The ALBCʼs state liaisons were urged to ask their governors to send letters to their 

congressional delegations. The advisory committee members were asked to contact 

their congressional representatives. Commissioners sent letters to their respective 

statesʼ delegations asking that they support the Durbin/LaHood legislation. 

With the end of the 109th Congress looming, the ALBCʼs congressional members – 

Senators Durbin and Bunning and Congressmen LaHood and Jackson – worked to 

secure the necessary co-sponsors. On September 6, 2006, the House passed the bill 

401-0; two days later, the Senate passed it by unanimous consent. President George 

W. Bush signed the measure on September 27, 2006.

As with the re-designs of the penny, the ALBC played a major consultative role in the 

design of the coin, which was unveiled for the public at Dedication Day ceremonies in 

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19, 2008.

The ceremony took place at Gettysburg National Cemetery and was part of the annual 

activities centered on the anniversary of the cemeteryʼs dedication as the Soldiersʼ

National Cemetery. That original dedication in 1863 has entered history most notably as 

the occasion for Lincolnʼs Gettysburg Address – and so it was particularly fitting that the 

commemorative silver coin be presented to the public for the first time there.

The obverse, or “heads” side, of the coin features an image of the bearded president – 

inspired by the large seated statue by Daniel Chester French in the Lincoln Memorial – 

with the inscriptions “Liberty,” “In God We Trust,” and “2009.” The reverse, or “tails” side, 

carries the words “United States of America,” and a banner on which are inscribed the 

words “One Dollar” and “E Pluribus Unum,” and the signature “A. Lincoln.” 

Those words surround a laurel wreath encircling the final words of the Gettysburg 

Address: “We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain –  that this 

nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the 

people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.”

Mr. LaHood said: “Of all the great Lincoln quotes, none quite has the resonance, 

especially to the citizens of the United States, as his closing line from the Gettysburg 

Address. There is no greater definition of the American Democracy than Lincolnʼs 

straightforward yet elegant prose. ʻOf the people, by the people, for the peopleʼ is at the 

heart of how Americans view their government, and I am pleased to see these historic 

words commemorated through this beautiful coin.”

The coin, with a silver content of 90 percent, was offered in uncirculated and proof 

versions beginning on February 12, 2009. The coin sold out within five weeks.

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FOUR NEW ONE-CENT COINS

The “Lincoln cent” first appeared during the centennial observation of Lincolnʼs birth in 

1909 and represented a major departure from previous American coinage. For the first 

time, a U.S. coin depicted a real historical figure rather than allegorical “Liberty” figures 

or the generic “Indian head” that preceded Lincoln on the penny.

In 1999, Congress directed the Commission to study and recommend activities to honor 

Lincoln on the bicentennial of his birth, among them the minting of a new penny. The 

legislation creating the ALBC directed that the new design be “an image emblematic of 

President Lincolnʼs preservation of the United States of America as a single and united 

country.”

After exploratory meetings with the U.S. Mint, the ALBCʼs Mandate Committee – 

composed of Commissioners Jean Bandler (chairwoman), Joan Flinspach, and Tommy 

Turner – recommended and the Commission agreed to propose not just one but four 

new one-cent coins, with designs representing the four places where Lincoln had lived: 

Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Washington, D.C.

In 2005, the two ALBC congressional co-chairmen, Senator Richard Durbin and 

Representative Ray LaHood, introduced the legislation that authorized the Mint to 

create the new coins.

The ALBC submitted concepts to guide the Mintʼs artists, who created multiple images 

for each coin. From in some cases 20 or more designs, the ALBC recommended a 

single final design for each coin. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizens 

Coinage Advisory Committee also offered recommendations. U.S. Treasury Secretary 

Henry Paulson made the final selections in summer 2008.

Initially, the selected Illinois design showed Lincoln in a generic setting that did not 

convey the distinct idea of Lincoln in Illinois. The ALBC strongly recommended the 

design depicting the Old State Capitol in Springfield, where Lincoln argued legal cases, 

served as a legislator and gave his famous “House Divided” speech. Significantly, the 

U.S. Commission of Fine Arts also had recommended the Old State Capitol design.

On June 26, 2008, Secretary Paulson informed Senator Durbin that he had reversed his 

earlier decision and accepted the ALBCʼs recommendation. On September 22, 2008, 

ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer and Executive Director Eileen R. Mackevich joined 

U.S. Mint Director Edmund Moy at a news conference on the Lincoln Memorial 

Reflecting Pool Plaza to unveil the designs.

A fifth one-cent coin was introduced at a ceremony in Springfield, Illinois, on February 9, 

2010. While the Lincoln Memorial had adorned the coinʼs reverse side since 1959, the 

new version featured a Union shield on the reverse side. Sculptor Victor David 

Brennerʼs profile of Lincoln, which has appeared continuously on the pennyʼs obverse – 

or “head” side – since its introduction in 1909, will remain for the foreseeable future.

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Birth and early childhood in Kentucky (1809-1816) – 

The U.S. Mint struck 624.4 million of the Kentucky 

penny, which features a log cabin created by Mint 

Master Designer Richard Masters and Mint SculptorEngraver Jim Licaretz. The Kentucky design was 

formally released into circulation during a ceremony at 

the Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in 

Hodgenville, Kentucky, on February 12, 2009. Kentucky 

Gov. Steve Beshear, Mint Deputy Director Andy 

Brunhart and an estimated audience of 2,000 

participated in the ceremony. 

Formative years in Indiana (1816-1830) – depicts a 

young Lincoln reading during a break from rail splitting. 

The Mint produced 707 million of this penny created by 

Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles Vickers. ALBC 

Commissioners Joan Flinspach and Darrel Bigham 

joined Mint Director Moy for the circulation ceremony on 

May 14, 2009, at Lincoln State Park, across from the 

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Spencer County, 

Indiana. A crowd of 1,000, including many students from 

area elementary schools, attended. About 2,000 waited 

outside to buy sets of the new penny.

Professional life in Illinois (1830-1861) – depicts 

Lincoln as a young professional standing in front of the 

Old State Capitol building in Springfield. Mint Master 

Designer Joel Iskowitz created it and U.S. Mint SculptorEngraver Don Everhart sculpted it. The Mint produced 

620.2 million copies of this penny. Oppressive heat and 

humidity could not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd 

of 2,000 that gathered at the Old State Capitol on 

August 13, 2009, for the pennyʼs release. Senator 

Richard Durbin, Springfield Mayor Tim Davlin and Mint 

Director Moy attended the circulation ceremony.

Presidency in Washington, D.C. (1861-1865) – 

features a half-finished U.S. Capitol dome, symbolizing 

a nation torn apart by civil war and Lincolnʼs resolve in 

guiding the country through the crisis. Mint AIP Master 

Designer Susan Gamble and Sculptor-Engraver Joseph 

Menna created it. Mintage numbered 295 million. 

Inclement weather on November 12, 2009, limited the 

audience as Director Moy, ALBC Executive Director 

Eileen R. Mackevich and U.S. Capitol Historical Society 

historian Don Kennon launched the penny at the Grant 

Memorial Reflecting Pool at the foot of Capitol Hill.
FOUR NEW STAMP DESIGNS

Abraham Lincoln has appeared on more than 50 U.S. postage stamps – more than any 

other person. His 200th birthday celebration added four more to the tally in 2009. On 

February 9, 2009, ALBC officials joined the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in the 16th

presidentʼs adopted hometown, Springfield, Illinois, for first-day-of-issue ceremonies of 

four commemorative stamps honoring his bicentennial. The stamp designs had been 

unveiled in the same location a little more than three months earlier.

Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, an ALBC Co-Chairman, hailed Lincolnʼs “everyman” 

appeal and said the new stamps would allow people everywhere to take home a small 

part of the bicentennial. “From modest Midwestern roots, Abraham Lincoln rose to the 

presidency through his intelligence, integrity and commitment to the nation that he 

loved,” Senator Durbin said. “He is a true American hero whose enormous courage and 

strength of character during some of our nationʼs most tumultuous times have been 

sources of inspiration for generations of Americans. As we approach the bicentennial of 

Lincolnʼs birth, these commemorative stamps will play an important role in this year-long 

tribute to his life and legacy.”

The legislation creating the Commission notes that the issuance of stamps was an 

appropriate activity for celebrating the bicentennial. Stamps and coins were the initial 

purview of the Mandates Committee before folding into the Communications Committee. 

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Rail Splitter: The stamp features the earliest-known photograph of Lincoln, taken in 1846 by N. 

H. Shepherd, and depicts him as a youth splitting a log for a rail fence on the American frontier. 

When he was a candidate for president in 1860, the Republican Party used the image of Lincoln 

as a “rail splitter” to enhance his appeal to the workingman.
The ALBC worked with the USPS Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, which 

recommends topics for each yearʼs stamp series, to ensure Lincoln stamps in the 

bicentennial year. In September 2003, two of ALBCʼs Co-Chairmen, U.S. 

Representative Ray LaHood of Illinois and Harold Holzer, wrote to USPS urging the 

agency to consider Lincoln stamps in 2009. A follow-up letter in 2006 suggested two 

design concepts for the stamps. In addition, the ALBC and USPS officials met several 

times to discuss the stampsʼ progress.

The stamp art was created by Mark Summers, who is noted for his scratchboard 

technique, a style distinguished by a dense network of lines etched with precision. His 

drawings are regularly featured in the New York Times Book Review and other 

publications as well as in commercial work.

USPS printed 50 million Lincoln stamps in 2009, and by yearʼs end had sold about 35 

million. Sales were brisk before postage rates increased in May 2009, then tapered off. 

The stamps remained on sale at yearʼs end.

Dozens of communities across the nation held their own “first day of sale” ceremonies 

to mark the Bicentennial, and even created special pictorial postmarks. For example, in 

Lincoln, Nebraska, Governor Dave Heineman participated in a “first day of sale” 

ceremony in the stateʼs capitol rotunda. 

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Lawyer: This stamp focuses on Lincoln as a lawyer and includes a photograph of him taken on 

May 7, 1858, by Abraham Byers, and shows the future president in a courtroom in Illinois, where 

he practiced law for nearly 25 years while riding a circuit of courthouses across Central Illinois.
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Politician: This stamp features Lincoln as a politician and includes a photograph of him – dated 

February 27, 1860, by Mathew Brady – and another image that depicts Lincoln debating Stephen 

A. Douglas during their 1858 campaign for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois.

President: This stamp focuses on Lincoln as President and includes a photograph of Lincoln, 

dated November 8, 1863, by Alexander Gardner, and depicts the commander-in-chief conferring 

with Generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman toward the end of the Civil War. The 

depiction is based on George P. A. Healyʼs painting, “The Peacemakers” (1868).
ABRAHAM LINCOLNʼS 200TH BIRTHDAY

Wreath Laying Ceremony • Lincoln Memorial • February 12, 2009

The dayʼs official commemoration of the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincolnʼs 

birthday began with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.

After an invocation by the Rev. Daniel P. Coughlin, chaplain of the U.S. House of 

Representatives, Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, an ALBC Co-Chairman, gave an 

address and ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar 

offered welcoming remarks. ALBC Commissioner Frank J. Williams read the Gettysburg 

Address along with pupils from Strong John Thomson Elementary School of 

Washington. Other speakers included U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, 

Gordon R. Bury, and Karl Schaeffer, 54th and 57th commanders-in-chief of the Military 

Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), respectively.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces Judge Scott Stucky served as master of 

ceremonies. Michael Feinstein, accompanied by the U.S. Marine Band, sang the “Star 

Spangled Banner” and a premiere performance of “We Dreamed These Days.” 

Acclaimed poet and author Nikki Giovanni recited, “At this Moment,” which she wrote 

especially for the bicentennial of Lincolnʼs birth. A presidential wreath was presented on 

behalf of the people of the United States. The diplomatic corps and various Civil War 

hereditary organizations also presented wreaths.

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ALBC Commissioner Frank J. Williams read the Gettysburg Address along with pupils from Strong John Thomson 

Elementary School in Washington, D.C., during the bicentennial wreath-laying ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial.

Photo by Henry F. Ballone
Birthday Breakfast • Outside Lincoln Memorial • February 12, 2009

Following the wreath-laying ceremony, the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission 

invited participants and guests to a heated tent adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial for a 

breakfast benefitting the ongoing work of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission 

Foundation.

The eventʼs co-chairwomen, ALBC Commissioners Jean T.D. Bandler and Joan 

Flinspach, welcomed supporters to the breakfast and the dayʼs other festivities.

Entertainer Michael Feinstein, who had performed at the wreath-laying ceremony, 

treated the breakfast attendees to a series of songs from the Great American 

Songbook. 

The breakfast featured hot and hearty foods common to a 19th-century table as well as 

16 exquisitely designed log cabin-themed cakes. The simple pastries aimed to reflect 

the nationʼs 16th presidentʼs humble beginnings and served as the centerpiece of each 

breakfast table.

The Commission, in partnership with the Log Homes Council, acknowledges the many 

bakeries from Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia that generously donated the 

pastries.

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ALBC Commissioner Jean T.D. Bandler welcomed attendees to breakfast fundraiser on Lincolnʼs bicentennial birthday.

Photo by Venkitaraman Suresh
Bicameral Session of Congress • U.S. Capitol • February 12, 2009

President Barack Obama and the bipartisan leadership of both houses of Congress 

joined members of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission on the 200th birthday 

of Abraham Lincoln to commemorate the former legislator from Illinois who went on to 

become the nationʼs greatest chief executive.

President Obama joined House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, Senate Majority 

Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, Senate 

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, other members of Congress, historians, 

and many others for the congressional tribute in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

“It is a great honor to be here – a place where Lincoln served, was inaugurated and 

where the nation he saved bid him a last farewell,” President Obama told an audience 

of hundreds. “As we mark the bicentennial of our 16th presidentʼs birth, I cannot claim to 

know as much about his life and works as many who are also speaking today. But I can 

say that I feel a special gratitude to this singular figure who in so many ways made my 

own story possible – and in so many ways made Americaʼs story possible.”

The Office of the Speaker played a major role in organizing the bicameral tribute. 

In her remarks, she recalled that in 1861, months after winning his first presidential 

election, Lincoln traveled from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington by train, stopping 

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President Barack Obama delivers keynote address to a bicameral session of Congress under the dome of the U.S. 

Capitol – which was completed during the Lincoln administration – on the 200th anniversary of Lincolnʼs birthday.

Photo by Venkitaraman Suresh
along the way in Philadelphia, the birthplace of the U.S. Constitution. While visiting 

Independence Hall on Washingtonʼs birthday, he was asked to speak – and his remarks 

that day can provide inspiration and guidance to Congress today, Speaker Pelosi said.

“Abraham Lincoln knew that the preservation of the Union was a fight for the ideas of 

the Declaration of Independence,” she said. “At stake was not just the future of our 

nation, but the future of free people throughout the world. ... Colleagues and friends, as 

we honor the bicentennial of the birth of the great Abraham Lincoln, let us proceed in 

the great task which events have devolved upon us.”

Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, an ALBC Co-Chairman, said Lincoln had achieved 

not only goodness, but greatness. “Over his unequaled lifetime, he used his hand and 

pen to produce some of the most beautiful and haunting words in the English language 

– words that re-defined for all time the meaning and promise of America,” the senator 

said. “In our darkest hour, he preserved the Union. And he made this nation keep the 

promise in our Declaration of Independence: That all men are created equal.”

Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky, an ALBC Commissioner; Senators Reid and 

McConnell; and Representative Boehner, also spoke during the program. 

Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr., another ALBC Commissioner, and Representative 

Donald Manzullo, both of Illinois, together recited Lincolnʼs Gettysburg Address.

Speaking on behalf of all the ALBC Commissioners, Co-Chairman Harold Holzer called 

it “my honor to stand on this sacred spot on Abraham Lincolnʼs 200th birthday.” Holzer 

added: “The overwhelming significance of place cannot be overlooked today. Lincoln 

not only served his one congressional term in this building, strolled through this Rotunda 

for both inaugurals, and ultimately lay in state here, the final victim of the war to save 

the Union and eradicate slavery. We gather, too, beneath a tangible symbol of his 

confidence in our endurance: the magnificent dome whose construction Lincoln himself 

directed go on, war and deprivation notwithstanding, as a signal that the nation would 

go on. He swore his first oath while it was shrouded in scaffolding – as if the American 

experiment had yet to be fully validated. He took it a second time below the gleaming 

dome we know today – that unfinished work completed – the nation bloodied but not 

bowed and purified of slavery, the hypocrisy that contradicted its founding document.”

Two ALBC Advisory Committee members, author and presidential historian Doris 

Kearns Goodwin and Richard Norton Smith, former executive director of the Abraham 

Lincoln Presidential Library, spoke intimately about Lincolnʼs leadership.

“Two centuries on, he personifies the essential promise of America: that in this 

gloriously unfinished land, neither cabin nor Congress define a manʼs character or limit 

his possibilities,” Smith said. “Long before he was the President against whom all others 

are measured, Abraham Lincoln was the American we might all aspire to be.”

C-SPAN provided full coverage of the bicameral tribute live and on its Web site.

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Bicameral Session of Congress • U.S. Capitol Rotunda

Photos courtesy of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate 
Bicameral Session of Congress | U.S. Capitol Rotund

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This page: (above) President Barack Obama delivers keynote address in front of Lincoln statue in the U.S. Capitol 

Rotunda. (bottom left) ALBC Co-Chairman and U.S. Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois remarks on Lincoln. (bottom 

right) ALBC Commissioner and U.S. Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky also addresses the audience.

Opposite page: (top, left to right) ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer; Rep. Donald Manzullo and ALBC Commissioner 

and Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., both of Illinois; Rep. John Boehner of Ohio; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California; 

President Obama; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada; Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky; Senators 

Durbin and Bunning; and ALBC Advisory Committee Members Doris Kearns Goodwin and Richard Norton Smith, all 

cover their hearts as a military color guard enters the Rotunda. (middle) U.S. Senators Robert P. Casey, Jr., of 

Pennsylvania, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Richard G. 

Lugar of Indiana and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, observe the ceremony. (bottom left) Senators Reid and McConnell look 

toward the audience. (bottom right) Speaker Pelosi and Rep. Boehner enjoy stirring words from the President.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial • February 12, 2009
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Photos courtesy of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate 
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

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This page: (above) A capacity audience heard House Speaker Pelosi say that Lincolnʼs eloquence continues to inspire 

and guide Congress today. (bottom left) Richard Norton Smith, former director, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library 

and Museum, told the assembly that “Lincoln was the America we might all aspire to be” while recalling the future 

presidentʼs early years as a state legislator and member of Congress. (bottom right) Doris Kearns Goodwin, noted 

author and historian, greeted Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, after the program.

Opposite page: (top, left to right) ALBC Commissioner and Representative Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., and Representative 

Donald Manzullo together read passages from Lincolnʼs Gettysburg Address during the program.

(middle) The United States Army Chorus, a standard feature at official ceremonies and special events at the Capitol, 

delivers a stirring rendition of one of President Lincolnʼs favorite songs, “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

(bottom right) U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood – formerly ALBC Co-Chairman and a Congressman from 

Illinois – listens from his seat in the audience as ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer (bottom left) offered remarks.
MARIAN ANDERSON TRIBUTE CONCERT • Lincoln Memorial • April 12, 2009

When acclaimed singer Marian Anderson stirred a racially integrated crowd of 75,000 at 

the Lincoln Memorial – as millions more listened on radio – with her rendition of “My 

Country, ʻTis of Thee” on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, she helped advance the modern 

civil rights era. The event also cemented forever in peopleʼs minds the idea of the 

Lincoln Memorial as a shrine 

not only to the former president 

but also to the principles of 

freedom and equal opportunity.

Seventy years later, the 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial 

Commission paid tribute to 

Anderson there with an Easter 

Sunday concert featuring worldrenowned mezzo-soprano 

Denyce Graves, along with the 

internationally known a cappella 

ensemble Sweet Honey in the 

Rock, the Chicago Childrenʼs 

Choir and the U.S. Marine 

Band. 

At least 7,500 people attended 

the program, including about 40 

members of Andersonʼs family.

Nearly 200 men and women 

pledged allegiance to the U.S. 

flag for the first time as 

American citizens during a 

naturalization ceremony as part 

of the program.

ALBC Commissioner Jean T.D. 

Bandler welcomed the audience on 

behalf of the Commission and set the context for the festivities, as well as the 

naturalization ceremony for immigrants, and offering thoughts on what Lincoln may 

have thought of the daysʼ celebration and their new citizenship. Retired General Colin 

Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, twice took the stage to offer remarks and he also 

read from Lincolnʼs second inaugural address – the text of which is inscribed on the 

interior walls of the temple.

Graves sang “My Country ʻTis of Thee” and two other songs that Anderson performed 

70 years earlier in her Lincoln Memorial concert. Graves also sang the national anthem 

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Marian Anderson (1939)
with the U.S. Marine Band and “This Little Light of Mine” with Sweet Honey in the Rock 

and the Chicago Childrenʼs Choir. The choir also sang three other songs.

ALBC Commissioner Joan Flinspach and Hilary O. Shelton, vice president for advocacy 

and director of the NAACPʼs Washington bureau, also participated in the program. 

Deputy Secretary Jane Holl 

Lute and Michael Aytes, acting 

deputy director, and Sarah 

Taylor, Washington Office 

district director, both of the U.S. 

Citizenship and Immigration 

Services, all represented the 

U.S. Department of Homeland 

Security.

Other special guests included 

NAACP Board Chairman Julian 

Bond; Harold M. Ickes, former 

White House deputy chief of 

staff and son of the late Harold 

L. Ickes, who as U.S. Secretary 

of the Interior was instrumental 

in enabling the Anderson 

concert; Josephine Black 

Pesaresi, granddaughter of the 

late Supreme Court Justice 

Hugo Black; and Raymond 

Arsenault, author of The Sound 

of Freedom: Marian Anderson, 

the Lincoln Memorial, and the 

Concert That Awakened 

America.

After the program, the 

Daughters of the American 

Revolution (DAR) – the organization 

that had originally barred Anderson 

from performing at Constitution Hall in Washington –hosted a reception for the 

performers, new citizens and invited guests at its headquarters. The organization 

reached out to the ALBC after learning about the rededication ceremony and concert 

and asked if it could participate. Andersonʼs family endorsed the organizationʼs 

participation and attended the reception.

A grant from The McCormick Foundation helped make the tribute concert possible. 

Other major funders include Canadian National, Prudential and the Marjorie Kovler 

Fund.

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Denyce Graves (2009)

Photo by Venkitaraman Suresh
LINCOLN MEMORIAL REDEDICATION CEREMONY • May 30, 2009

On May 30, 1922, President Warren G. Harding, Vice President Calvin Coolidge, Chief 

Justice William Howard Taft, and Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Lincoln joined 50,000 others to 

dedicate the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington.

Eighty-seven years later, the ALBC, the National Park Service, the Military District of 

Washington, and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States held a 

rededication ceremony. Several guest speakers delivered remarks that recalled how 

Abraham Lincoln and the Lincoln Memorial remained entwined as beacons of freedom.

ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer noted how the 1922 ceremony focused on efforts for 

“sectional, not racial reconciliation,” then spoke of later historic moments at the 

Memorial, most notably Marian Andersonʼs concert in 1939 and the March on 

Washington in 1963. He also recited some of the words Tuskegee Institute President 

Robert Russa Moton wrote for the 1922 dedication, but which the Harding White House 

censored. The rededicationʼs keynoter, Tuskegee University President Benjamin 

Franklin Payton, called Lincoln a “worthy servant of the people and the Lord.”

The program also featured remarks from U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and 

William Farley, winner of the 2009 Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, who 

read “The People, Yes,” by poet and Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg.

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A large audience witnessed the ALBCʼs official rededication ceremony of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Photo by Henry F. Ballone
2. Education

COMMITTEE ORIGIN AND OVERVIEW

In 2002, the ALBC formed an Education Committee comprised of Commissioners Darrel 

Bigham (chairman), Jean Bandler, Gabor Boritt, Joan Flinspach, Harold Holzer, James 

Horton, and Lura Lynn Ryan. Chairman Bigham also invited advisory committee 

members to serve. Members committed from the outset to supporting educational 

activities at the grassroots level, as that made not only good fiscal sense but also 

ensured that the process of observing Lincolnʼs bicentennial would reflect the ALBCʼs 

interests in democracy, freedom and equality of opportunity. In 2003 and 2005, 

Chairman Bigham extended invitations to select educators, advisory committee 

members and leaders of historical and educational organizations to join the committee.

To develop priorities, the Committee reviewed the educational activities of previous 

federal Commissions organized to commemorate historical events. The committee 

solicited comments and suggestions from the Advisory Committee in 2003 and reviewed 

additional public suggestions submitted via the ALBC Web site. During this stage, the 

Committee pursued partnerships with federal and non-governmental organizations. The 

committee created lesson plans funded by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

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Historian Matthew Pinsker, The History Channelʼs Libby OʼConnell, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, and ALBC CoChairman Harold Holzer join students after the National Teach-In event at the National Archives on February 12, 2009.

Photo courtesy of The History Channel
History and plans to use the Web site to disseminate information about resources for 

teachers and scholars.

In the 2004 ALBC Interim Report, the Education Committee outlined its priorities for 

K-12 Schools projects as well as colleges and universities. For K-12 education, priorities 

included developing a classroom teachersʼ guide, developing an education resource 

section of the ALBC Web site, creating a series of books for young people about 

Lincoln, developing a summit for youth leaders, and developing partnerships with the 

Gilder Lehrman Institute, National History Day, the National Park Service and Hasbro 

(the maker of Lincoln Logs). For colleges and universities, the committeeʼs priorities 

included encouraging publications on Lincoln scholarship, hosting conferences and 

symposia, developing a speakerʼs pool, and approaching television producers to hold 

roundtables and produce documentaries on Lincoln and his times. 

THE STRATEGIC PLAN

In May 2005, the ALBC adopted a strategic plan that embraced many of the Education 

Committeeʼs priorities. The education projects were divided into K-12 and higher 

education/scholarship programs. K-12 initiatives included developing curriculum, 

teacher workshops, youth leadership conferences, a biography for children and 

partnerships with National History Day, the National Park Service and the American 

Library Association. Higher-education initiatives included the development of a Lincoln 

speakersʼ pool; advocacy for Lincoln scholarship; an international conference on war, 

race and reconciliation; an international conference on slavery, and a partnership with 

the Organization of American Historians. With the adoption of the strategic plan, some 

of the Education Committeeʼs previous ideas, such as documentaries, moved to the 

purview of the Public Participation (later Public Programs) Committeeʼs purview.

In the fall of 2005, the Education Committee adopted the following goals, which 

remained in effect through the duration of the committeeʼs activities:

‣ To ensure that the education activities celebrating Abraham Lincolnʼs 200th birthday 

are useful to students and faculty, supportive of scholarly research, and help shed 

new light and interest on Lincoln and his world. 

‣ To provide oversight to the ALBC staff so that committee projects are implemented.

At the ALBC Advisory Committee meeting in February 2006, the Education Committee 

asked for additional input and volunteers. Several Advisory Committee members joined.

Before hiring of a new executive director in fall 2006, the ALBC revised and streamlined 

the strategic plan, focusing on fundable projects and partnerships. Education projects 

were subsequently reviewed in light of budget realities and the interest of prospective 

funders in civic engagement, technology and education for new Americans. Many 

education programs were scaled back or refocused due to limited funding and staff.

Continued emphasis was placed on building partnerships and encouraging 

endorsements at the grassroots level. (A list of endorsed projects is appended.)

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

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K-12 ACTIVITIES

Students in grades K-12 became and remained a key bicentennial constituency. Early in 

the development of bicentennial plans, the Education Committee felt strongly that the 

ALBC should develop an online resource center so educators would have a “one-stop 

shop” for Lincoln materials. That led to developing a “Learning About Lincoln” section on 

the ALBC Web site, in which teachers could find lesson plans, reading lists, interactive 

games, timelines as well as workshop and professional development opportunities. 

Lesson Plans

Working with the Gilder Lehrman Institute, in 2005 the ALBC contracted with awardwinning educator James Percoco to develop a series of 10 lesson plans for use in high 

school classrooms. The resulting lessons used Lincoln-related primary sources and 

were designed to meet national standards for social studies education. 

The “Learning About Lincoln” section of the Web site also provided an up-to-date 

catalogue of other lesson plans and teaching materials available at both the elementary 

and secondary levels. These lessons came from many of the ALBCʼs partners, such as 

the Organization of American Historians, the National Park Service and various state or 

local Departments of Education. 

The ALBC partnered with Teaching with Primary Sources Programs at Barat Education 

Foundation, Eastern Illinois University and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, to 

provide links to “Teaching with Lincoln,” a repository of Lincoln-related resources for 

teachers, especially highlighting those which incorporate the digitized primary sources 

of the Library of Congress. Special thanks to Cindy Rich, director of teaching with 

Primary Sources at Eastern Illinois University, for making this partnership possible.

Reading Lists

Partnering with the American Library Association, the ALBC provided on its Web site an 

annotated list of books and audio/visual materials for children and their families to enjoy 

during Lincoln bicentennial celebrations in 2009. The Association for Library Service to 

Children, a division of the American Library Association, provided a list for young 

readers broken down into K-grade 2 and grades 3-5. The Young Adult Library Services 

Associationʼs 2006 Booklist Task Force provided a list for grades 7-12. Selected works 

focused on Lincolnʼs life and legacy, with special emphasis on materials that deal with 

the bicentennial themes of freedom, democracy and equal opportunity. The list featured 

biographies, works of historical fiction and books that place Lincoln in a larger historical 

context. Multiculturalism was also encouraged with works relating to African Americans.

Teacher Workshops/Professional Development Opportunities

While the ALBC did not produce its own series of teacher workshops, it did endorse a 

number of teacher workshops and provided a listing of professional development 

opportunities from partner organizations such as the National Council of History 

Education, the National Park Service, Historic Southern Indiana and Teaching with 

Primary Resources.

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NATIONAL TEACH-IN • National Archives • February 12, 2009

Students and teachers across the globe participated in the Lincoln Bicentennial National 

Teach-In live webcast, sponsored by the ALBC and The History Channel. The 45-

minute-long program broadcast live from the National Archives.

As Lincoln was known as a consummate storyteller, it was only fitting that the teach-in 

feature three Lincoln storytellers: ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer, Pulitzer Prizewinning author Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Dickinson College professor Matthew 

Pinsker. The three scholars answered questions from students on videoconference from 

across the country and in a live studio audience. Libby OʼConnell, The History 

Channelʼs chief historian and senior vice president of corporate outreach, moderated. 

In the months prior to the program, educators invited students to submit questions for 

consideration. Selected questions guided the program content and related to the 

bicentennial themes of freedom, democracy and equality of opportunity.

Thanks to its partnerships with local cable affiliates, The History Channel arranged for 

students from three schools to pre-tape their questions: Roosevelt High School, Los 

Angeles, California; Eleanor McMain Secondary School, New Orleans, Louisiana and 

Bethune Middle Academy, Shreveport, Louisiana. Additional questions came from 

Lanphier High School, Springfield, Illinois; Gilder Lehrman High School of American 

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Right to left: ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer, ALBC Advisory Committee Members Doris Kearns Goodwin and 

Matthew Pinsker, and The History Channelʼs Libby OʼConnell take a studentʼs question during the National Teach-In.

Photo courtesy of The History Channel
Studies, Bronx, New York, and Chief Jimmy Bruneau School, Northwest Territories, 

Canada, via email. The live studio audience included students from Shaw Middle 

School in the District of Columbia, and students from Oakton High School, Vienna, 

Virginia, and West Springfield High School, Springfield, Virginia.

Since all student questions could not be answered on the webcast, the ALBC and The 

History Channel invited students to submit questions via e-mail afterward. The ALBC 

arranged for historians from its Education Committee and Advisory Committee to 

respond to student questions. The questions and answers were then made available on 

the ALBC Web site. 

The History Channelʼs “Give a Lincoln for Lincoln” campaign, of which the ALBC 

National Lincoln Teach-In webcast and the Lincoln Legacy Schools certificate program 

were a part, received a Beacon Award in the education category from the Association of 

Cable Communicators. This national honor is the cable industry's highest award for 

communications excellence.

The webcast is archived on The History Channel Web site and the ALBCʼs Web site. It 

can be viewed at any time, making it a useful educational legacy of the bicentennial for 

teachers, students and the general public to use in the years to come.

Statistical Review

The Lincoln Bicentennial National Teach-In webcast reached, conservatively, half a 

million students. With the rebroadcast of the program on The History Channel 

Classroom network, about 750,000 students ultimately viewed the program. This figure 

represents the most watched Teach-In on The History Channel to date.

Students viewed the webcast in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the 

Northern Mariana Islands and Armed Forces schools overseas. Students in Argentina, 

the Bahamas, England, Finland, France, Ghana, Holland and Nigeria also viewed it. 

The top eight registering states were Florida (433), Illinois (399), California (377), Texas 

(328), New York (271), Pennsylvania (235), Georgia (216) and Virginia (208). 

The program targeted eighth-graders but was suitable for grades 6-12. Registrations, 

however, indicated that students in all grade levels sought to participate, as well as adult 

learners (colleges, law schools, senior centers, public libraries, museums, and GED 

programs). In addition, 11 registrations were for ESL (English as a Second Language) 

classes, both for K-12 and adult learners. ESL registrations came from Arizona, 

California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Texas.

Due to nonconformity in how schools listed their grade levels when registering, it is 

difficult to accurately gauge grade-level distribution. However, it appears that more 

schools identified themselves as “K-5” (1,767 registrants) than any other category, 

followed by “Middle School” (1,247). This is a surprising finding, considering the 

webcast was geared for grade 8. Perhaps future webcasts should offer two levels: 

Grade 4, to tap into elementary markets, and Grade 8, to target advanced learners.

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LINCOLN BICENTENNIAL POSTERS

To promote the bicentennial in educational settings, the ALBC developed a poster 

featuring artwork by acclaimed Lincoln portrait artist Wendy Allen. The front of the 

poster was suitable for classroom display; its reverse side featured information about 

the bicentennial geared to teachers, including a listing of activities such as the National 

Teach-In, the Lincoln Legacy Schools program and the “Learning About Lincoln” section 

on the ALBCʼs Web site. 

The ALBC distributed more than 

260,000 posters to K-12 public, 

private and home schools in all 50 

states, all Department of Defense 

schools overseas, and to Canada, 

Guam, India, Pakistan, Puerto 

Rico, Ukraine, the United 

Kingdom and the U.S. Virgin 

Islands. Thanks to a partnership 

with the U.S. Postal Service, 

200,000 of the posters were 

distributed free to teachers in late 

January/early February, as part of 

the USPS educational mailing 

related to Black History Month. 

Free and viral e-blasts through 

educational organizations became 

the most effective way to promote 

the poster. The Department of 

Education shared an e-blast with 

state education departments and 

local school districts. C-SPAN 

also did one to nearly 20,000 

subscribers of their teacher 

newsletter, as did The History Channel, the ALBCʼs partner in the Teach-In webcast.

Postings for the poster could be found on Web sites ranging from “Free Stuff for 

Teachers” to those for various state education departments. The ALBC also successfully 

distributed posters through state Councils for the Social Studies who held annual state 

meetings in the fall. The ALBCʼs state liaisons were also effective in publicizing and 

distributing the posters. In total, more than 70 different educational and cultural 

organizations assisted with publicizing or distributing the poster.

Demand for the poster exceeded the number printed and the supply was extinguished 

well in advance of the birthday, which speaks to its popularity and usefulness within the 

education community. Special thanks to the artist, Wendy Allen, who donated her 

artwork and design services for the poster.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

62

Wendy Allen
PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL HISTORY DAY

One of the first educational groups the ALBC contacted was National History Day, a 

major annual event dedicated to history education. The possibilities for partnership were 

rich, including opportunities for teacher workshops, a Web site, curriculum materials and 

prizes for Lincoln-related History Day projects.

The ALBC and The History Channel elected to concentrate on a sourcebook of Lincolnrelated teaching materials suitable for grades 6-12. Thanks to generous support from 

the network, 40,000 copies of the Lincoln Legacy Teacher Sourcebook were published.

The publication included a forward by James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil 

War historian, and essays by ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer; James Landman, 

associate director of the American Bar Association, Division for Public Education; 

Steven Danver, senior editor of ABC-CLIO; John Riley, White House Historical 

Association; Sarah Jenck, Fordʼs Theatre, and Kimberly Gilmore, The History Channel. 

Ann Claunch of National History Day provided a review of teacher resources.

During the 2008-2009 school year, National History Day distributed the publication to all 

participating teachers. The ALBC also distributed the publication to educational groups 

participating in its town hall programs. The publicationʼs availability was also posted on 

the ALBC Web site and shared with the network of the Commissionʼs state liaisons.

NEWSPAPERS IN EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

The Washington Times, in partnership with the non-profit Newspapers in Education 

(NIE) Institute, developed a 16-page Lincoln bicentennial supplement for use in 

classrooms in grades four and up. As part of its “Give a Lincoln for Lincoln” campaign, 

The History Channel sponsored the supplementʼs printing in The Times (120,000 

copies, reaching 250,000 readers) with distribution of the curriculum supplement to 

more than 250 partner schools reaching 1,300 teachers and 50,000 students. Through 

the NIE Institute, the supplement was also made available to more than 300 

newspapers nationwide. More than a dozen newspapers picked up the supplement and 

it is estimated at least half a million students used it in their classrooms.

Written and edited by Doug Alexander of The Washington Times, the supplement drew 

the majority of its text and images from the public domain resources of the Library of 

Congress, the National Park Service, the National Archives and other government and 

non-profit organizations. The supplement featured a biography of Lincolnʼs life, sidebars 

on his legal cases, his thoughts on slavery and succession, contemporary newspaper 

opinions, the suspension of writ of habeas corpus, the Emancipation Proclamation. It 

also included some of his best-known speeches. 

A section titled “Newspaper Activities” encouraged students to apply their own research 

and writing skills. For example, students were asked to research events leading up to 

Lincolnʼs delivery of the Gettysburg Address and then write a news article about the 

dedication of the Soldiersʼ Cemetery on November 19, 1863.

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PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN HISTORIANS (OAH)

Recognizing its role as the primary membership organization for reaching the higher 

education/scholarly community, the ALBC developed a partnership with Organization of 

American Historians (OAH). The partnership resulted in the following efforts:

OAH Magazine of History

Beginning in 2007, the OAH devoted one issue annually of its OAH Magazine of History

to the subject of Lincoln. This quarterly publication focuses on a theme or topic of recent 

scholarship in American history and provides readers with informative articles, lesson 

plans, and current historiography. The Lincoln issues included:

‣ February 2007: Lincoln and the Constitution, guest edited by Frank Williams 

‣ February 2008: Lincoln, Race and Slavery, guest edited by Darrel Bigham

‣ February 2009: The Lincoln Legacy, guest edited by Harold Holzer

In addition to the usual number of issues printed – 3,000 – special funding permitted the 

OAH to publish an additional 1,000 copies of the second and third issues, which were 

distributed free to teachers who requested them from the ALBC.

Abraham Lincoln at 200: History and Hagiography

A special issue of the Journal of American History (JAH) published in September 2009 

explored the legacy and the future of Lincoln studies. It featured articles selected from 

an open call for papers, a round table centered on the “State of Lincoln Studies at the 

Bicentennial” and an “Interchange Discussion on the Global Lincoln.” This special issue 

was also available online. The digital version featured a “Digital Lincoln” component 

which explores how historians and other scholars have been using Web-based tools to 

further understanding of Lincoln. The online version also featured a podcast of a 

conversation between Matthew Pinsker and JAH editor Edward Linenthal and a 

bibliography of the articles, essays and reviews that appeared in the JAH and The

Mississippi Valley Historical Review from June 1914 through September 2009.

Annual Meetings

Beginning with a booth at the 2006 OAH Annual Meeting in San Francisco, the OAH 

and the ALBC worked to build awareness about the bicentennial within the historical 

profession. In 2007, in Minneapolis, the Commission organized a session, “Teaching 

American Values, Teaching Abraham Lincoln,” which focused on educational 

partnerships the ALBC was developing for K-12 students. ALBC Commissioner Darrel 

Bigham chaired this session with James Percoco of West Springfield High School, Tim 

Townsend of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site and Steven Schwartz and Michael 

Serber of the Gilder Lehrman Institute. In 2008 in New York, the ALBC presented an offsite session, “Lincoln at Cooper Union,” with ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer and 

Peter Buckley of Cooper Union; and a bicentennial discussion with Holzer, Bigham and 

ALBC Commissioner Frank J. Williams. In 2009 in Seattle, the Commission presented a 

discussion panel, “Lincolnʼs Legacy: Bicentennial Reflections,” which included ALBC 

Executive Director Eileen R. Mackevich, ALBC Commissioner James Oliver Horton, 

Senate Historian Don Ritchie and Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission 

Foundation Board Member Oliver Vernon Burton.

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2009 OAH/ALBC Higher Education Award

To recognize and promote significant research and scholarship on Abraham Lincoln and 

his era in U.S. history, the ALBC and the OAH created an award for a graduate student 

studying Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America (1854-1865). Thomas Mackey of the 

University of Louisville chaired the selection committee and was joined by ALBC 

Commissioner Bigham; ALBCF Board Member Orville Vernon Burton, Coastal Carolina 

University, and Heather Cox Richardson, University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The 

OAH/ALBC Doctoral Fellowship Award was presented to Jared Peatman of Texas A&M 

University, for his dissertation, “The Gettysburg Address: 1863-1965.”

The ALBC acknowledges Thomas Mackey for overseeing this bicentennial legacy idea.

LINCOLN LEGACY SCHOOLS CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

The Lincoln Legacy Schools Certificate Program rewarded schools, students and 

teachers that participated in the Abraham Lincoln bicentennial with national recognition. 

Each school that submitted its plans for the bicentennial received a certificate signed by 

the Commissionʼs Co-Chairmen.

The full-color certificate included the Commissionʼs logo and an individualized 

acknowledgement of the schoolʼs participation in the bicentennial. Schools that also 

participated in the National Teach-In also received recognition as a Lincoln Legacy 

School. The Lincoln Legacy Schools program also allowed a means to catalogue the 

exciting ways schools planned to explore the 200th anniversary of Lincolnʼs birth. 

By the end of the 2008-2009 school year, 5,024 schools had received Lincoln Legacy 

Schools certificates. The listing represents all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Northern 

Mariana Islands and U.S. Department of Defense Schools overseas.

The top five participating states (in order) were Illinois, Florida, California, Texas, and 

New York. International representation included schools from Argentina, Australia, the 

Bahamas, England, Finland, France, Ghana, Holland, India, and Nigeria.

(A complete breakdown of the Lincoln Legacy Schools certificate distribution can viewed 

in the appendix at the end of this final report.)

The ALBC acknowledges James Percoco and William Bartelt of the ALBC Education 

Committee for inspiring this idea as well as The History Channel for its sponsorship.

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CONFERENCES

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission supported or significantly contributed 

during the bicentennial celebration to Lincoln-focused and academic conferences held 

on university campuses. 

Race and Emancipation in the Age of Lincoln

Howard University, Washington, D.C. • April 16-18, 2009

Together with the local community and the 

District of Columbia government, the ALBC and 

Howard University hosted a three-day 

conference focused on Lincoln, race and 

emancipation on the universityʼs campus in the 

nationʼs capital.

Most previous commemorations of Lincolnʼs 

birthday failed to address the issue of slavery 

and the role of slaves or free people of color in 

the events leading to the Civil War, or the role 

Lincoln played in ending slavery. Modern 

historians like Edna Greene Medford of Howard 

have noted, however, that “one would not think of 

commemorating the life of Lincoln without 

referencing his role in emancipation nor the role 

of the slaves in the emancipation process.” 

The program featured more than 30 Lincoln 

scholars, including ALBC Commissioners Darrel 

Bigham, Harold Holzer, and Frank J. Williams. 

Addressing the traditional image of Lincoln as 

emancipator, the program examined his path to 

emancipation, his vision for the nation in the 

post-slavery era and his legacy for the 21st 

century.

Just as important, participants explored the 

contributions of the countless African Americans 

whose actions undermined slavery and 

challenged Lincoln and the nation to fulfill the 

promises articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. 

More than 300 people registered for the conference. Howard Universityʼs television 

station and C-SPAN broadcast many sessions. Howard prepared the conference 

proceedings for submission to various publishers. 

The ALBC acknowledges Medford and Howardʼs Associate Provost Joseph Reidy for 

spearheading this conference.

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The Global Lincoln: Examining Global Legacy of Abraham Lincoln

University of Oxford, Oxford, England • July 3-5, 2009

At an ALBC Advisory Committee meeting in 2006, Lincoln scholar Richard Carwardine 

of the University of Oxford proposed a conference focused on Lincolnʼs international 

legacy. Three years later, “The Global Lincoln: A Conference Examining the Global 

Legacy of Abraham Lincoln,” drew 130 attendees to St. Catherineʼs College in Oxford.

The conveners – Carwardine, a Lincoln Prize-winning authority on the history of the 

United States in the era of the early republic and Civil War, and Jay Sexton, an Oxford 

colleague whose research focuses on U.S. foreign relations and global economics in 

the 19th century – organized a program through the Rothermere American Institute. 

They designed a program with more than 30 international scholars drawn from the 

United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, and Japan.

The Oxford conference focused on the predominant images of Lincoln: the emancipator 

and liberator, the nationalist unifier and modernizer, and the progressive and democrat. 

There were also case studies that examined his legacy in the British Isles, Africa, India, 

East Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

ALBC Executive Director Eileen R. Mackevich opened the conference by introducing a 

video commentary on Lincoln by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and offered 

commentary on the conferenceʼs pioneering efforts.

Roger Wilkins, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and another ALBC Advisory 

Committee member, offered the keynote in conversation with Gavin Esler, an awardwinning television and radio broadcaster, journalist and author. 

ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer, ALBC Commissioner Frank Williams, and ALBC 

Advisory Committee members Richard Blackett, David Blight, Catherine Clinton, Frank 

Milligan, Thomas Schwartz, and Doug Wilson all delivered talks during the conference.

Thanks to partnerships leveraged by the Commission, the conference was cosponsored by the Commission and its Foundation, the University of Oxford, the 

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, the Chicago History Museum and the 

Majorie Kovler Fund. The Fetzer Institute provided travel grants and the Gilder Lehrman 

Institute of American History enabled 30 teachers from 21 U.S. high schools and nine 

state-supported U.K. secondary schools to attend.

Oxford University Press in New York plans to publish the conference proceedings in 

2010. The Gilder Lehrman Institute is preparing video content for use as podcasts, with 

copyright to be jointly held by it and the university.

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Morrill Act Conference

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • October 23-24, 2009

Amid the Civil War, the Lincoln administration demonstrated significant vision by also 

focusing on public higher education with the Morrill Act. Named for its author, U.S. 

Senator Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont, the Act created the nationʼs first land-grant 

colleges. To commemorate that contribution, the ALBC, the University of Illinois, and the 

Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) co-sponsored a conference, 

“Lincolnʼs Unfinished Work: The Morrill Act and the Future of Higher Education.” The 

two-day event began with a reception featuring a keynote by U.S. Senator Richard 

Durbin of Illinois, an ALBC Co-Chairman, followed by a panel discussion on the Morrill 

Actʼs history and moderated by ALBC Executive Director Eileen R. Mackevich.

Saturdayʼs program featured keynotes from Jim Leach, chairman of the National 

Endowment for the Humanities, and Sam Pitroda, chairman of Indiaʼs Knowledge 

Commission and an advisor to the Indian prime minister. Other sessions examined 

“What Has Expanded Access Achieved?” “Challenges to Expanded Access,” “A 

Framework for Revitalizing the Land Grant Mission: An Illinois Perspective,” “Expanded 

Access to Public Higher Education: Challenges for the 21st Century” and “Public 

Education for Societal Purposes: Responding to the Challenges for the 21st Century.”

The conference drew more than 160 people from institutions from across the country.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

68

ALBC Executive Director Eileen R. Mackevich moderates a panel discussion during the Morrill Act Conference.
3. Public Programs

The ALBC also fulfilled its mission by hosting a significant number of public programs 

across the nation that helped to focus attention on the bicentennial of Abraham Lincolnʼs 

birthday. The Commissionʼs Public Programs Committee, led initially by Commissioner 

Joan Flinspach, and later by Flinspach and Commissioner Julie Cellini, worked with the 

ALBC staff to ensure major programming.

At its Philadelphia meeting in June 2005, the Commission adopted a concept of holding 

signature events – an idea borrowed from the Lewis and Clark bicentennial 

commemoration – at special places associated with Lincolnʼs life in Illinois, Indiana, 

Kentucky, and Washington, D.C. The ALBC launched the bicentennial observances with 

a signature event in Kentucky, where Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809.

The Commission also hosted 11 town hall meetings that focused on race, freedom, and 

equality of opportunity. In addition to programs that explored his views and leadership 

on the critical matters of his day, the ALBC also sponsored or co-sponsored several 

other events that focused on Lincoln and his perspectives and influence on immigration 

and foreign policy. Other ALBC programs promoted or reflected on the late presidentʼs 

love of poetry, his greatest speeches, and his time with his family. A review follows on 

succeeding pages.

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69

The ALBC and the Lincoln Bicentennial received excellent publicity for the inaugural programming in Kentucky in 2008.

Photo by Venkitaraman Suresh
KENTUCKY SIGNATURE EVENTS • Louisville and Hodgenville • February 11-12, 2008

The ALBC launched its bicentennial activities with a signature event in Kentucky, where 

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. The celebration began one year prior to the 

actual bicentennial to raise awareness for the upcoming commemoration.

ALBC Commissioner Tommy Turner of Kentucky served as chairman for his stateʼs 

inaugural events. Linda and Jerry Bruckheimer served as honorary co-chairmen of the 

concert gala and national opening ceremonies. Mrs. Bruckheimer is a novelist and a 

Kentucky native with a keen interest in historic preservation; Mr. Bruckheimer is a 

celebrated American film and television producer. 

The first dayʼs events featured the “Lincoln on Leadership Symposium,” in partnership 

with the McConnell Center, in the Beaux Arts Ballroom of The Henry Clay in Louisville. 

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin discussed Lincolnʼs leadership in a 

keynote that preceded a panel discussion that included Goodwin; her husband, Richard 

Goodwin, presidential advisor and writer; Gerald Smith, director of African American 

Studies, and history professor Thomas Mackey, both of the University of Louisville. 

ALBC Commissioner Frank J. Williams served as the eventʼs master of ceremonies.

That evening, the ALBC also hosted “A Kentucky Salute to Abraham Lincoln” in Whitney 

Hall of the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville. ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer 

and actor Sam Waterston performed and illustrated their acclaimed production, “Lincoln 

Seen and Heard,” a narrated, dramatic presentation of Lincolnʼs life and words. An arts 

program followed with soprano Angela Brown performing selections from the opera 

“Margaret Garner” and the Louisville Orchestraʼs premiere of a new Lincoln work, 

“Lincoln at Ease,” narrated by Bob Edwards and composed by Peter Schickele. Bob 

Edwards, a noted National Public Radio broadcaster and Louisville native, served as 

master of ceremonies for the eveningʼs activities. 

ALBC Commissioners Jean T.D. Bandler, Darrel Bigham, Gabor S. Boritt, Julie Cellini, 

Joan Flinspach, and Lura Lynn Ryan were also present for the weekendʼs activities.

The Commission sold 400 premier packages that guaranteed those ticket holders seats 

at the afternoon symposium, the concert program and “The Official National Opening 

Ceremony” of the Lincoln bicentennial that had been planned for the next morning at the 

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in nearby Hodgenville. About 1,400 

additional tickets were sold for an evening program at the Kentucky Center.

An overnight ice storm forced cancellation of the opening ceremony. Several notable 

activities, including an event featuring Commissioner Turner as master of ceremonies in 

Hodgenville, occurred that day despite the weather.

The Commission acknowledges the National Park Service, the Kentucky Abraham 

Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, the Lincoln Bicentennial Inaugural Committee, and 

the Louisville Orchestra, among others, for their assistance in making the 

commonwealthʼs signature events a success. 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

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INDIANA SIGNATURE EVENT • Lincoln State Park • May 11, 2008

Indianaʼs celebration of the Lincoln bicentennial, the second ALBC signature event, 

occurred on Motherʼs Day 2008. While originally scheduled as an outdoor ceremony at 

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, inclement weather forced it inside the enclosed 

Lincoln Amphitheatre in nearby Lincoln State Park. Approximately 600 people attended.

The observance focused on the roles that influential women played in Lincolnʼs life. 

Mothers attending received tulip trees compliments of the State Park.

In her keynote address, ALBC Commissioner Joan Flinspach of Indiana described the 

daily life of pioneer women – the work, isolation, hardships and courage – and how 

through their example, Lincoln developed many of the characteristics for which he is 

admired and emulated. “All I am, or can be, I owe to my angel mother,” he once said.

The National Park Service and the Indiana ALBC organized the program. Other 

speakers included Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels; U.S. Representative Baron Hill; 

ALBC Commissioner Darrel Bigham of Indiana; Park Superintendent Randy Wester; 

Indiana ALBC Chairwoman Connie Nass; and Patricia Koch. 

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial preserves the site of the farm where the future 

president and his family lived from ages 7 to 21. His mother is buried in a pioneer 

cemetery on the property. His sister is buried at nearby Lincoln State Park.

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ALBC Commissioners helped kick off the bicentennial in Indiana at the Lincoln Amphitheatre in Lincoln State Park.
ILLINOIS SIGNATURE EVENT • Springfield • February 12, 2009

President Barack Obama returned to the Land of Lincoln to celebrate his predecessor 

as the honored speaker at the Abraham Lincoln Associationʼs Annual Banquet, on the 

evening of Lincolnʼs 200th birthday.

“It was here, nearly 150 years ago, that the man whose life we are celebrating today bid 

farewell to this city he had come to call his own,” President Obama said. “On a platform 

at a train station not far from where we’re gathered, Lincoln turned to the crowd that had 

come to see him off, and said, ‘To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe 

everything.’ Being here tonight, surrounded by all of you, I share his sentiments.”

The Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission partnered with the association to 

commemorate the 200th birthday and co-hosted President Obama at the birthday party 

banquet. U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, an ALBC Co-Chairman, spoke to the banquet 

audience from the nationʼs capital. Special guests included ALBC Commissioners Julie 

Cellini, Lura Lynn Ryan, and Louise Taper; Ray LaHood, who served as a co-chairman 

of the ALBC until President Obama appointed him Secretary of the U.S. Department of 

Transportation; Illinois Governor Pat Quinn; former Illinois Governors James Edgar and 

James Thompson; and Senator Durbinʼs wife, Loretta Durbin.

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Fanciful lithograph of the period shows Abraham Lincoln returning to his Springfield home after his campaign for 

president – though, in reality, he never left home to campaign in the first place (nor did he yet wear a beard).

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
ALBC TOWN HALLS: “LINCOLNʼS LEGACY: RACE, FREEDOM, AND EQUALITY 

OF OPPORTUNITY” • November 2008 to January 2010

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission viewed the 200th anniversary of 

Lincolnʼs birth as a call to action. With its series of 11 town hall meetings on race, 

freedom and equal opportunity across the nation, the Commission challenged America 

to take up the “unfinished work” Lincoln courageously confronted in his lifetime.

Race is often a hidden issue in history conferences and remains all too rarely discussed 

in public and community meetings. The ALBC town hallsʼ foremost goal was 

constructive dialogue. Although Commissioners expressed concern that the bicentennial 

not invite a degradation of Lincoln, they supported the open dialogue. Lincoln 

recognized that issues of race would plague America for decades and would be the 

central issue for America to resolve long after the Civil War ended. By fostering honest, 

good faith discussion in selected communities, by encouraging public engagement and 

exploration of critical, contemporary issues, the ALBC has created an important legacy.

The ALBCʼs town halls also built on major previous national efforts concerning the key 

topics, including the Kerner Commission and President Clintonʼs Initiative on Race. 

They also provided greater historical knowledge and mutual understanding about 

Americansʼ differing attitudes and perspectives on race and ethnicity. 

William H. Gray III, former House Majority Whip and past president of the United Negro 

College Fund, and the late Jack Kemp, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of 

Housing and Urban Development and former congressman from New York, embraced 

the town hallʼs concept and lent their considerable prestige to ensuring its success.

A July 2008 meeting in Washington advanced planning for the town halls. Secretary 

Kemp served as a co-convener of the town hall initiative (until his death in May 2009) 

with ALBC Commissioner and U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. Charles 

Branham, Indiana University emeritus professor of history, and Adam Green, University 

of Chicago professor of history, served as historical consultants. 

Planners in each city determined the theme for the town halls and the format varied 

among the 11 cities. Each town hall had local conveners who greatly assisted the ALBC 

in the planning; the number of conveners totals more than 200 and are too many to list 

in this space.

Those participating in the town hall programs included locally or nationally prominent 

historians, elected officials, civil rights leaders, journalists and intellectuals. At each 

event, the audience – often numbering in the hundreds – participated, often vigorously, 

in the dialogue and posed thought-provoking questions for the panelists.

The town hall initiative was funded in part by the Fetzer Institute of Kalamazoo, 

Michigan. Each meeting was videotaped and is available on the ALBC Web site.

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GETTYSBURG TOWN HALL • November 20, 2008

Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania – longtime professional home of Professor Gabor 

S. Boritt, an ALBC Commissioner – was the site of a lively discussion as the 

Commission began its national town hall series in the College Union Ballroom.

Inspired by Lincolnʼs effort to build a multi-racial, equal opportunity society, a panel of 

prominent civic leaders and historians engaged with a culturally diverse audience to talk 

about racial divisions, past and present, impediments to economic opportunity, and how 

Lincolnʼs legacy has shed light on the ongoing effort to unify the nation.

Panelists included U.S. Representative Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., an ALBC commissioner 

and chairman of the town hall initiative; Jack Kemp, former secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Housing and Urban Development; Susan Eisenhower, distinguished 

fellow at the Eisenhower Institute; Allen Guelzo, director of Civil War Era Studies at 

Gettysburg College; and Norman Bristol Colón, executive director of the Governorʼs 

Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs. Charles R. Branham, senior historian at the 

DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago and professor of history at the 

University of Chicago Lab School, moderated the discussion.

C-SPANʼs coverage of the town hall at Gettysburg College is available on its Web site.

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Moderator Charles Branham leads panelists (from right) Jack Kemp, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Susan Eisenhower, Allen 

Guelzo, and Norman Bristol Colon, in the first of the ALBCʼs national town hall series, at Gettysburg College in 2008.

Photo by Bill Dowling
USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN TOWN HALL • February 27-28, 2009

The Commissionʼs second town hall meeting, “Lincoln, Leadership, and the Military,”

was on board the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, at its home 

port in Everett, Washington.

The first significant Lincoln event after his 200th birthday, it occurred soon after the ship 

and its crew had returned from a seven-month deployment in the Persian Gulf.

University of Chicago history professor Adam Green moderated a panel discussion, 

which included Matthew Pinsker, history professor at Dickinson College and author of 

Lincolnʼs Sanctuary: Abraham Lincoln and the Soldiersʼ Home; Robin Read, president of 

the National Foundation for Women Legislators; Joseph P. Reidy, Howard University 

provost renowned for his scholarly work on black sailors in the Civil War Navy; and 

Donald Scott, retired U.S. Army general and an expert on military leadership.

The program also included remarks by U.S. Representatives Rick Larsen and Norm 

Dicks of the State of Washington, and the premiere of “Letters to Lincoln,” an original 

song commissioned by the Commission and composed by University of California-San 

Diego music professor Anthony Davis.

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Professor Adam Green of the University of Chicago moderates a panel discussion aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln 

that featured Matthew Pinsker, a history professor at Dickinson College and an ALBC Advisory Committee member.
WASHINGTON, D.C., TOWN HALL • March 19, 2009

The ALBC held its third national town hall, “Race, Freedom & Equality of Opportunity: 

The Right to Vote,” at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. A distinguished panel 

explored the history of voting in the U.S., the struggle for voting rights waged by various 

groups of Americans, the cultural importance of voting as civic participation and 

empowerment, and how the Districtʼs voting limbo is considered part of that history.

The panel included Wade Henderson, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human 

Rights; Donita Judge, attorney, Advancement Project; Alexander Keyssar, social policy 

professor, Harvard, and author, The Right to Vote; Jonathan Turley, renowned 

constitutional law scholar, George Washington University Law School; Kenneth 

Thomas, legislative attorney, Congressional Research Service; Armstrong Williams, 

syndicated radio host and columnist; and Ronald W. Walters, leadership and politics 

expert, University of Maryland-College Park, and author of Freedom Is Not Enough. 

Askia Mohammad, news director of WPFW-FM and a syndicated columnist with the 

National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA), moderated the discussion.

The town hall also featured two other presenters: U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson, 

Jr., of Illinois, an ALBC commissioner and its town hall series co-convener; and ALBC 

Advisory Committee Member Edna Greene Medford, associate professor of history, 

Howard University, and co-author of Lincolnʼs Emancipation Proclamation.

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Sandy Bellamy, executive director of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., welcomes attendees and 

participants to the Commissionʼs town hall meeting as panelists Wade Henderson and Donita Judge wait to speak.

Photo by Venkitaraman Suresh
DETROIT TOWN HALL • April 20, 2009

The Commission held its fourth national town hall, “Lincolnʼs Legacy: Race, Freedom 

and Equality of Opportunity,” at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. 

The event drew about 160 people and featured a panel moderated by Adam Green of 

the University of Chicago, whose work has focused on African American and U.S. 

history and comparative racial politics. The panelists were Douglas Brinkley, author and 

distinguished professor of history, Rice University; Darlene Clark Hine, professor of 

African American Studies and history, Northwestern University; John Stauffer, professor 

of English and African American Studies, Harvard University; and Andrew Young, former 

mayor of Atlanta and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Through collaborations with additional institutions, the Commission, the Henry Ford and 

several other co-conveners extended the reach of the town hall. For example, similar 

forums were held a couple of days later at satellite sites and WTVS, a local cable outlet, 

taped them all and produced a special program that aired eight days later. 

In addition, the conveners worked closely with the Charles Wright Museum in Detroit, 

the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, and the Plymouth Historical Museum 

in Plymouth, which hosted town halls specifically for their regular patrons to view the 

main panel discussion held at the Henry Ford.

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An attentive audience enjoys the Commissionʼs town hall program at the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.

Photo by Theresa Caldwell
CHICAGO TOWN HALL • June 29, 2009

The ALBC held its fifth national town hall, “Our Histories, Our Stories: Henry Louis 

Gates in Conversation with Rick Kogan,” at the Harold Washington Library Center in 

Chicago, Illinois. More than 700 people attended with overflow spaces filled to capacity.

The format differed from most of the town halls, with Kogan, the Chicago Tribune 

columnist/author/WGN-AM radio host, interviewing the featured guest, the Alphonse 

Fletcher university professor and the director of the W. E. B. DuBois Institute for African 

and African American Research at Harvard University. Gates is the author of several 

books, most recently, Lincoln on Race and Slavery. He has produced and narrated 

several PBS films, including the bicentennial year mini-series “Looking for Lincoln.”

The “expanding conversation” with the audience began with what the conveners called 

“The Peanut Gallery.” Seated in the front row, this group was comprised of former 

Walter Payton High School teacher Kyle Westbrook and his former students, Stephanie 

Jemilo and Madeline Schwartz (all of whom appeared in “Looking for Lincoln”); Jim 

Grossman, vice president for research and education, The Newberry Library; and 

Charles Branham, senior historian, DuSable Museum.

The event was broadcast by C-SPAN as well as Chicago Public Radio and local access 

television. It is available on C-SPANʼs and Chicago Public Radioʼs Web sites.

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S.M. Fassettʼs April 1865 photograph shows women dressed in white, and men clad in black, accompanying 

President Abraham Lincolnʼs hearse as it passes beneath an ornamental arch for his funeral in Chicago.

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
CINCINNATI TOWN HALL • September 9, 2009

The ALBC held its sixth national town hall, “After Obama: Race & Politics in Cincinnati,”

a one-hour event taped for television at CET Studios (PBS affiliate) in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

A live-studio audience of 150 looked on. This was a multi-platform event, with people 

participating online via www.cetconnect.org and planned watch parties.

Nick Clooney – local journalist, host of Turner Classic Movies and the father of actor 

George Clooney – served as the host. Andrew Young, former mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, 

and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, appeared as a special guest. Other 

“responders” included Nathaniel Jones, former judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for 

the Sixth Circuit; the Rev. Michael Graham, president of Xavier University (Cincinnati), 

and entrepreneur Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, owner of the Cincinnati Herald and wife 

of Ohio State Senator Eric Kearney.

The broadcast began with a taped piece that included an interview with John Pepper, 

co-chairman of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, board chairman of 

The Walt Disney Company and former chief executive officer and board chairman of 

Proctor & Gamble, who has played a major role in seeking to improve race relations in 

Cincinnati. The program was posted the next day on CET Connect so it could be 

watched in classrooms and schools could respond via Twitter and Facebook.

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Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young (far left) appeared as a special guest panelist during the Commissionʼs national 

town hall program, held before a live studio audience at the local PBS affiliateʼs station, in Cincinnati.

Photo by Anna Stockton
BOSTON TOWN HALL • October 3, 2009

The ALBC held its seventh town hall, “Lincoln, Douglass, and the Transformative Power 

of Words,” at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Peniel Joseph, 

Brandeis University African and Afro-American Studies Professor, moderated a panel 

that included actor/author Hill Harper, film writer/director Gary Ross, and Harvard 

professor/author John Stauffer.

The first hour of the town hall was devoted to youth and young adult presentations and 

performances inspired by the works of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. 

Participants got involved as they entered the ballroom, when they were asked for words 

that Lincoln or his legacy bring to mind. The more each word was said, the bigger it 

appeared in a graphic poll developed by special software.

Conveners also developed an educational program for local youth that yielded 

participants for the pre-show as well as generated potential audience interest, and ways 

to incorporate Lincoln-themed presentations into convenersʼ and other organizationsʼ

existing programs. They focused on the power and importance of education when it 

comes to the life-long learning that is the hallmark of self-made men like Lincoln and 

Douglass. They also underscored the difference between the way men of Lincoln and 

Douglassʼ time saw self-making (making a difference in the world) versus what it has 

come to mean today (making lots of money).

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A panelist answer a question from from a young audience member at the ALBC town hall at Northeastern University.

Photo by Theresa Caldwell
MIAMI TOWN HALL • November 1, 2009

The ALBC held its eighth town hall, “Lincoln, Miami, and the American Dream,” at Knight 

Concert Hall-Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in Miami, Florida. More than 1,400 

people attended the program, which involved a Socratic dialogue – from a “case study” 

about the lessons of Lincolnʼs life and words for Greater Miami.

An interlocutor, WFOR-TV anchor Antonio Mora, led a distinguished panel through an 

hourlong discussion that included 15 minutes for audience questions. The panelists 

were Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez; Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho; 

Professor Marvin Dunn; Alberto Ibarguen, president and chief executive officer of the 

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Cheryl Little of the Florida Immigrant and 

Advocacy Center; Gepsie Metellus of the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center; Ruth 

Shack, recently retired head of the Dade Community Foundation; and two professors of 

19th-century American history, Darden Pyron of the Florida International University, and 

Donald Spivey of the University of Miami. 

The program also included an excerpt from Aaron Coplandʼs “Lincoln Portrait,” with 

former NBA All-Star Alonzo Mourning as narrator. Lincoln-era memorabilia and 

ephemera from the collection of Miami philanthropist Norman Braman was exhibited in 

the Knight Concert Hall foyer. Andrew Coldren, curator of the Civil War Museum in 

Philadelphia, created the exhibit.

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A distinguished nine-member panel and organizers prepared for an hour-long discussion and Socratic dialogue 

that reflected on lessons from Abraham Lincolnʼs life as part of the Commissionʼs town hall meeting in Miami.

Photo by Hasan Aloul
NEWARK TOWN HALL • October 28 and November 12, 2009

The Commission held two events in Newark, New Jersey, as part of its national town 

hall series. Photographer and historian Deborah Willis presented “Lincoln as Monument, 

Lincoln as Icon,” a discussion on perceptions of him through art and photography, at the 

Historic Essex County Courthouse on October 28. Four hundred people attended the 

town hall, “Lincoln, Race, Ethnicity, and Freedom in Urban America,” at the Newark 

Museum on November 12. 

ALBC Commissioner James Oliver Horton, a Newark native, moderated the town hall, 

which featured panelists focused on the eveningʼs main question: Is Urban America 

poised to continue building on Lincolnʼs legacy of freedom and equal opportunity, or has 

it become one of the least likely places to find his legacy alive? The panelists were Eric 

Foner, history professor at Columbia University; his cousin, Nancy Foner, a sociology 

professor at Hunter College; Jeff Johnson, award-winning journalist and political 

commentator; Pedro Noguera, a professor at New York University and executive 

director of Metropolitan Center for Urban Education; and Maria Vizcarrondo, director of 

Newarkʼs Department of Child and Family Wellbeing. 

ALBC Executive Director Eileen R. Mackevich; Newark Museum Director Mary Sue 

Sweeney Price; Rutgers University Distinguished Service Professor Clement A. Price; 

and Prudential Chief Executive Officer and Chairman John Strangfeld offered remarks. 

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ALBC Commissioner James Oliver Horton moderated the town hall discussion at the Newark Museum in New Jersey.

Photo by Fred Stucker Photography
ATLANTA TOWN HALL • December 2 and December 9, 2009

The ALBC, along with 42 co-conveners, held two events in Atlanta as part of its town 

hall series, both titled “Unfinished Work: Race, Civility, and Equality of Opportunity.”

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation Board Member Orville Vernon 

Burton keynoted a leadership forum at Morehouse College on December 2. Panelists 

were Rebecca Burns, Atlanta Magazine editor; Sachi Koto, former CNN Headline News 

anchor; Martin Lehfeldt, past president, Southeastern Council of Foundations; Herman 

“Skip” Mason, archivist at Morehouse; Judith Martinez-Sadri, editor-in-chief, Atlanta 

Latino; Beverly Tatum, Spelman College president; Alexis Scott, journalist and 

publisher; and Kevin Young, poet and Emory University professor.

Former President Jimmy Carter participated via videotaped remarks in the larger public 

event, at the Carter Center on December 9. He told the audience of 400 that Lincoln 

believed even “the wicked man is not wicked every day.” Yale University professor and 

author Stephen L. Carter addressed the town hall before joining a panel discussion with 

Burton; Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin; Jerry Gonzalez, executive director, Georgia 

Association of Latino Elected Officials; Frank McCloskey, vice president of diversity, 

Georgia Power Company; and University of Massachusetts historian Manisha Sinha. 

Local television newswoman Angela Robinson moderated both of the events.

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Orville Vernon Burton, Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation Board Member, offered remarks as part 

of the Commissionʼs town hall series, as local television news personality Angela Robinsons stood by, in Atlanta.
LOS ANGELES TOWN HALL • January 17, 2010

The ALBCʼs final town hall, “Lincoln and Kingʼs Unfinished Work,” featured an 

impressive panel that explored Lincolnʼs significant role in expanding the nationʼs 

definitions of freedom and equal opportunity, and Dr. Kingʼs work in that tradition. Held 

in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilionʼs Great Hall, the event also enabled a discussion of 

how the arts are – and can be – used to explore race and freedom in the United States.

ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer and Commissioner Louise Taper offered welcoming 

remarks, with fellow Commissioners Jean T.D. Bandler, Joan L. Flinspach, and Frank J. 

Williams in the audience of nearly 300 people in the Pavilionʼs Music Center. 

Entrepreneur and motivational speaker Stedman Graham moderated the panel, which 

included U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr., an ALBC Commissioner; Academy 

Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss; historian Andy Anderson; Assemblyman Warren 

T. Furutani; the Rev. Eric Lee, president of the local Southern Christian Leadership 

Conference chapter; playwright Suzan-Lori Parks; Los Angeles schools superintendent 

Darline Robles; filmmaker Gary Ross; and Ronald C. White, author of A. Lincoln.

After a question-and-answer session with the audience, ALBC Advisory Committee 

member, Thomas Schwartz, the Illinois State historian, interviewed Harry Jaffa, an 

author and historian, about his perspective as a scholar who has helped shape history 

of Lincoln studies during his five decades in the field.

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Stedman Graham (left) moderated the ALBCʼs final town hall – with Commissioner Jesse Jackson, Jr., and Academy 

Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss (third and second from right, respectively) – as panelists in Los Angeles.

Photo by Venkitaraman Suresh
“LINCOLN SEEN AND HEARD”

ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer notes that for nearly every major speech of his 

career, Abraham Lincoln visited a photographerʼs studio to sit for a new portrait. “Lincoln 

Seen and Heard,” written and edited by Holzer, weaves together those photos and 

Lincolnʼs best-known words into a multimedia program reflecting the presidentʼs 

development as a leader and writer. On behalf of the ALBC, Holzer – with awardwinning actor Sam Waterston portraying Lincoln – presented “Lincoln Seen and Heard” 

on four occasions to help build awareness of the bicentennial.

‣ February 9, 2003 – As the nation marked Lincolnʼs 194th birthday, the 

Commissionʼs advisory committee met in Washington to further the bicentennial 

planning. It concluded with a public performance of “Lincoln Seen and Heard” at the 

Library of Congress. 

‣ April 4, 2004 – A crowd of approximately 750, including former U.S. President and 

Mrs. George H.W. Bush, saw “Lincoln Seen and Heard” at the Bush presidential 

library in Houston, Texas.

‣ February 11, 2005 – President and Mrs. George W. Bush welcomed the Abraham 

Lincoln Bicentennial Commission to the White House, and that evening they and 

other distinguished guests enjoyed “Lincoln Seen and Heard” in the East Room.

‣ February 11, 2008 – As part of ALBCʼs inaugural signature event in Kentucky, 

approximately 1,100 people enjoyed “Lincoln Seen and Heard” at the Kentucky 

Center for the Arts in Louisville.

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Academy Award-nominated actor Sam Waterston and ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer perform “Lincoln Seen

and Heard” at the Library of Congress after the first meeting of the ALBC Advisory Committee on February 9, 2003.

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
“THE LINCOLN FAMILY ALBUM” • February 13, 2006

The tempestuous and legendary marriage of Abraham and Mary Lincoln survived 

personal and national tragedy – not to mention the relentless scrutiny of journalists, 

photographers and artists of their day. 

After ALBCʼs Commissioners and Advisory Committee had convened for several hours 

to discuss plans for the bicentennial on Lincolnʼs 197th birthday, they joined members of 

the public for a special, star-studded performance, “The Lincoln Family Album,” in the 

Coolidge Auditorium of the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in 

Washington.

Academy Award-nominated actor Liam Neeson and Academy Award-winning actress 

Holly Hunter portrayed the President and First Lady, and ALBC Co-Chairman Harold 

Holzer provided the accompanying narrative.

This picture-and-words account of the lives and times of Abraham and Mary Lincoln 

presented their intimate letters and his public speeches together with of the famous first 

couple and their family displayed on a large screen.

The tapestry of words and pictures re-creates a personal and political union and vividly 

recalls the Lincolnsʼ triumphs and tragedies.

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Actress Holly Hunter and Actor Liam Neeson portray Abraham and Mary Lincoln at the Library of Congress.

Photo by Henry F. Ballone
CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM ROUNDTABLE • February 10, 2007

The ALBC hosted a “Roundtable on African Americansʼ Evolving Perspectives on 

Abraham Lincoln” at the Chicago History Museum, with some participants challenging 

Lincolnʼs image as the “Great Emancipator.” “It is good to step back and untangle some 

of that myth from the facts so that we all have a better understanding of this great man,” 

U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr., an ALBC commissioner, said in his remarks.

ALBC Commissioner James O. Horton moderated a panel that included U.S. 

Representative Danny Davis of Illinois; CNN commentator Roland S. Martin; Jenner & 

Block partner Philip Harris; NʼDigo magazine publisher Hermene Hartman; Walter 

Payton College Preparatory teacher Kyle Westbrook; James Grossman, vice president 

for research and education, Newberry Library; Charles Branham, University of Chicago 

Laboratory Schools and emeritus professor, Indiana University; Adam Green, associate 

professor, New York University; Cheryl Johnson-Odim, provost and vice president, 

Dominican University; Julieanna Richardson, executive director, The HistoryMakers; 

Jacqueline Stewart, associate professor, Northwestern University; and Chicago Tribune 

columnist Dawn Turner Trice.

About 150 people attended the program. Its co-sponsors included the Chicago History 

Museum, the Newberry Library and the DuSable Museum of African American History. 

C-SPANʼs coverage is archived on its Web site.

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ALBC Commissioner and Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr., offered opening remarks before a distinguished panel 

tackled how Abraham Lincoln should be viewed in the context of race and his legacy on slavery and emancipation. 
CONVERSATION WITH JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN • April 15, 2007

The ALBC held “A Conversation with John Hope Franklin: Reflections on African 

American History and Abraham Lincoln,” at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church 

in Washington, D.C. – where the Lincolns worshipped while living at the White House.

The late Dr. Franklin reflected on his 50-year career teaching about Lincoln and AfricanAmerican history and his personal experiences as an African American living through 

most of the 20th century. Kurt L. Schmoke, dean of the Howard University School of Law 

and former mayor of Baltimore, interviewed Franklin before a live audience.

Dr. Franklin did not mince words when sharing his views on Lincoln: “Itʼs very easy to be 

carried away – and to be completely overtaken by the sentiment around him – and I 

think that anyone who looks at his life must guard against the temptation to place him 

on a pedestal where he doesnʼt belong. And one of the things that I have discovered ... 

is that he was a person who can be subject to these exaggerations, but who doesnʼt 

deserve them, because his life, stripped of those things, is so important, and so exciting 

that he doesnʼt need the kind of sentiment that we all too frequently volunteer to cast on 

him, which, I think, distorts his life.”

Dr. Franklin died on March 25, 2009. This program was taped by C-SPAN and held 

along with the 2007 meeting of the ALBC Advisory Committee and Governorsʼ Council.

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Former Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke (left) interviews revered historian John Hope Franklin in Washington, D.C.
LINCOLN AND THE JEWS • January 13, 2008

Abraham Lincolnʼs extension of freedom, equality, and opportunity to Jews of his time is 

an important, little-known story. A program at the Jewish History Museum of Florida, in 

Miami Beach, celebrated that story and marked Floridaʼs Jewish History Month.

Jean Soman – descendant of both Marcus Spiegel, a Jewish colonel in the Union Army, 

and noted Lincoln photographer Samuel Alschuler – organized and helped fund the 

event, one of the largest ever at the museum. More than 400 people heard how Lincoln 

opened the military chaplaincy to rabbis during the Civil War; worked with Jewish 

financiers on innovative ways to fund the war; and countermanded General Grant when 

he ordered Jews, “as a class,” expelled from the territory under his military command.

Panelists included Soman, member of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission 

Foundation; ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer, and Gary Zola, executive director of 

The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives in Ohio. Gary 

Gershman, a history and law professor at Nova Southeastern University in Fort 

Lauderdale, moderated.

After the program, Soman and her husband, Bill, hosted a fundraising dinner at their 

home in nearby Pinecrest. Along with in-kind contributions, including free advertising 

provided by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, a Tribune newspaper, the event raised 

approximately $85,000 for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation.

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From left: ALBF member Jean Soman, Gary Zola and ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer faced a standing-room-only 

audience as Gary Gershman moderated the program at the Jewish History Museum of Florida in Miami Beach.
NEW THINKING ON LINCOLNʼS LEGACY: HISPANIC PERSPECTIVES

– September 18, 2007

“History is no museum piece and neither should this upcoming commemoration 

of President Abraham Lincoln make a museum piece out of him, his birth, life and 

legacy. If I have not focused enough on the parallel lines of Lincoln, it may be 

more important to focus on the legacy of his principles. ... Indeed, 

commemorating the present and looking forward toward a more promising future 

has always depended upon learning from the past. In this, history is much more 

than heroic deeds and dates, but everyday acts of courage, strength and 

survival, from which is drawn legacy and lessons, memory and meaning and all 

the manifest possibilities for transformation in the human condition.”

– Estévan Rael-Gálvez

In partnership with the National Archivesʼ celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the 

ALBC co-sponsored a program examining Hispanic perspectives on Lincoln, his era and 

his legacy. The panel discussion was part of the ALBCʼs ongoing series of explorations 

of various perspectives on Lincoln in anticipation of the bicentennial.

U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois introduced the three speakers: Ernesto 

Chávez, associate professor of history, University of Texas at El Paso; Jerry Thompson, 

Regents Professor, Social Science Department, Texas A&M University, and Estévan 

Rael-Gálvez, New Mexico state historian and New Mexicoʼs ALBC state liaison. 

 

Chavez examined how Mexican Americans have viewed Lincoln both during his lifetime 

and into the early 20th century. He looked at a variety of sources: 19th century novelist 

Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burtonʼs impressions of Lincolnʼs first inauguration, his ties with 

Mexican president Benito Juarez, his depiction in a traditional corrido (ballad), titled 

Abraham Lincolnʼs Daughter, and his depictions in the Mexican American Movement in 

the 1930s.

Thompson focused on the Civil War in the New Mexico territory and the war in Texas 

and the role Latinos played in that conflict. His lecture explored the reasons why Lincoln 

approved sending a Union force to the Texas-Mexico frontier in 1863. He examined the 

1861-1862 Confederate New Mexico Campaign and how Nuevo Mejicanos rallied to 

defend the territory in 1861 and 1862, highlighting how they became scapegoats for the 

Union defeat at the Battle of Valverde, the largest Civil War conflict in the territory. 

Rael-Galvez explored how Lincolnʼs legacy relates to Indian peonage, slavery and the 

value of labor. He relayed the story of 83-year-old Manuel Jesus Vasquez, who was 

interviewed by the Federal Writers Project in the 1930s. Vasquez lived in the household 

of Juan Policarpio Romero, and for more than 75 years was never paid for his labors. 

He said he never held a penny in his hand. Rael-Galvez encouraged the audience to 

think about Indian slavery during the bicentennial of the “Great Emancipator.” 

He used the image of Lincoln on the penny, which symbolized freedom, to raise the 

question of the value of labor and to explore the legacy of Lincolnʼs principles.

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AN EVENING OF POETRY HONORING LINCOLNʼS LEGACY • September 22, 2008

Many Americans know Lincoln for his eloquent speeches. Few know him for his poetry. 

Lincoln loved poetry. He read widely, committed much poetry to memory as a youth and 

wrote poetry himself. Poetry also helped him grieve at the loss of loved ones. Lincolnʼs 

life and words have inspired poets and writers over the years, from his contemporary, 

Walt Whitman, who often saw the president while serving as a volunteer nurse in 

Washington, those of later generations, including Vachel Lindsay, Carl Sandburg, and 

Langston Hughes drew upon Lincoln for inspiration.

Recognizing Lincoln the poet, the ALBC, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the 

Poetry Foundation presented “Rise Up and Hear: An Evening of Poetry Honoring 

Abraham Lincolnʼs Legacy,” at the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington. Four 

hundred people heard well-known poets and actors offer readings of contemporary and 

classic poems inspired by Lincoln and his legacy of freedom, democracy and equality. 

ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer began the program with an introduction highlighting 

Lincolnʼs lifelong love of poetry. Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for 

the Arts and a much-lauded poet himself, introduced the speakers and recited Lindsayʼs 

“Lincoln.” Actress Joan Allen and actor Sam Waterston participated with readings.

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From left to right: Dana Gioia, Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts; ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer; ALBC 

Executive Director Eileen R. Mackevich; former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky; Actor Sam Waterston; Actress Joan 

Allen; Poet and Emory University Professor Kevin Young; Shawntay Henry, 2008 Poetry Out Loud National Champion; 

and Poetry Foundation President John Barr share a moment after the ALBC “Evening of Poetry” event in Washington.

Photo by John Harrington Photography
NATIONAL CATHEDRAL EVENT • March 8, 2009

More than 1,300 people witnessed the Cathedral Choral Society, under the direction of 

Music Director J. Reilly Lewis, perform Paul Hindemithʼs “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomʼd; A Requiem for Those We Love” – a setting for chorus and orchestra of 

Walt Whitmanʼs elegiac poem honoring the slain Abraham Lincoln – in the National 

Cathedral in Washington. A full symphony orchestra with soloists Marietta Simpson, 

mezzo-soprano, and Christòpheren Nomura, baritone, accompanied.

During the program, ALBC Co-Chairman Harold Holzer and ALBC Executive Director 

Eileen R. Mackevich presented overviews on Lincoln and the arts. Prior to the program, 

Bruce McClung of the Cincinnati Conservatory lectured on Hindemith, refugees and 

freedom to enrich the concert experience.

The program also featured:

‣ “Lincoln Portrait” by Aaron Copland, narrated by actor Sam Waterston.

‣ “Elegiac Ode” by Charles Villiers Stanford.

‣ “Battle Hymn of the Republic” by Julia Ward Howe, arranged by Peter Wilhousky.

‣ A reading of Lincolnʼs Second Inaugural Address by Mr. Waterston.

The ALBC recognizes Allison Combs, Margot Young, and Margaret Shannon of the 

Cathedral Choral Society for their leadership in this program.

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The Cathedral Choral Society performed a Paul Hindemithʼs tribute to Abraham Lincoln at the National Cathedral.

Photo by Donovan Marks Photography
ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND NEW AMERICANS • September 10 and 29, 2009

Recognizing that by 2030 the Latino community will likely soon be the largest minority 

group in the United States, the ALBC began to consider what this changing 

demographic might mean for Lincoln studies in the future. Will Lincoln have the same 

relevance? How will Lincoln be perceived during his 250th birthday celebration in 2059?

To explore these questions more fully, the ALBC developed partnerships with Chicagoʼs 

National Museum of Mexican Art, the largest Latino art museum in the country, and the 

Newberry Library and the Chicago History Museum to examine how this new generation 

of Americans, including new citizens, will relate to Lincoln. 

Funded through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the 

partnership included three parts:

‣ A pair of exhibitions at the Chicago History Museum that explored the lives of 

Abraham Lincoln and Mexicoʼs president Benito Juarez: “Abraham Lincoln 

Transformed” and “Benito Juárez and the Making of Modern Mexico.”

‣ A Web project, www.lincolnat200.org, that included a digital version of the Chicago 

History Museum exhibit, “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War; Lincoln 

and the West, 1809–1860,” a Newberry Library Web-only exhibit; and a blog. 

‣ Public programs in Chicago designed to appeal to an audience of Latino Americans 

and new citizens. 

The ALBCʼs role in the partnership was to develop two of the public programs.

Before and during their development, the ALBC held a series of focus groups to explore 

Mexican and Mexican-American perspectives on Lincoln. Working with the National 

Museum of Mexican Art and independent educational consultant Rita Jirasek, the ALBC 

held two focus groups at the museum on September 10 and September 29, 2009. The 

focus-group format included dinner and the cultural context of a Mexican sobremesa, 

the equivalent of an “at the table” family conversation, or plática. Participants included 

professionals, civic leaders, educators, and artists and ranged in age from collegiate to 

senior citizens. 

Focus group participants knew Lincoln, respected him for a wide range of reasons, or 

believed he remains an important figure to the Americas. They suggested that creating 

opportunities for participation in institutions within their communities was vital and they 

stressed the importance of promotion through radio, TV, the Internet, local community 

newspapers and school newsletters. They also cautioned that both economic and 

language barriers can contribute to a lack of computer and television access.

Using the information gathered from these focus groups, the ALBC and the National 

Museum of Mexican Art created a miniature Web site designed to engage Latinos in 

exploring Lincolnʼs legacy.

The Web site incorporated video and text from the programs on the two following 

pages.

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ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND THE AMERICAN DREAM • October 12, 2009

“The legend of Lincoln has withstood the critical test of time. Lincolnʼs thoughts 

on issues that cause constant debate in our country, still serve as a great, 

guiding beacon in the 21st century.”

– U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo

The ALBC invited Ruben Castillo, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois, 

to reflect on Lincolnʼs legacy and its impact on immigration, human rights and 

citizenship today. Given at the Chicago History Museum, Judge Castilloʼs lecture

stressed that Abraham Lincolnʼs way of working with people of diverse perspectives and 

backgrounds provides a guide for the law, ethics and leadership. A reception preceded 

the program.

This program attracted an audience of nearly 100 people. Ricardo Estrada, executive 

director of the Erie Neighborhood House, introduced Judge Castillo. 

The program was audio-taped for later broadcast on Chicago Public Radioʼs Chicago 

Amplified, a radio broadcast partner for the Chicago History Museum, and videotaped 

for the ALBC Web site.

The ALBC sponsored the program and presented it in partnership with the Chicago 

History Museum, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and the Newberry Library. The 

Institute of Museum and Library Services also supported the event.

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LINCOLN AND JUÁREZ: IN MYTH AND MEMORY • October 28, 2009

Ramón Gutiérrez, University of Chicago Preston & Morton Distinguished Service 

Professor of History and director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and 

Culture, explored the fact and fiction behind the pairing of Abraham Lincoln and 

Mexican President Benito Juárez, at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.

Gutierrez noted that while the two men never met or corresponded directly, they 

continue to be linked. “Whenever we talk about myths as historians; whenever we talk 

about symbols from the past, they usually tell us more about the preoccupations of our 

current moment, about what weʼre thinking and what bothers us at this moment in time, 

than it tells us about the past,” he said. “We have only these icons onto which we can 

project our own values and our own attitudes and they tell us more about how we think 

we want to live the future than they tell us about how we actually lived the past.”

The program attracted more than 150 attendees, mostly of Latino heritage. National 

Museum of Mexican Art Board Member Julia Chavez introduced Gutiérrez. A reception 

preceding the program included Civil War-era music and Mexican corridos performed by 

guitar ensemble students from the local Theodore Roosevelt High School. 

The ALBC sponsored the program and presented it in partnership with the National 

Museum of Mexican Art, the Chicago History Museum, and the Newberry Library with 

support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

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MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS

“With Malice Toward None” • February to May 2009

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission is proud of its role in encouraging and 

assisting museums and historical societies nationwide to host exhibitions and other 

activities focusing on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Americaʼs 16th president.

One of the most popular and acclaimed exhibits opened immediately after the bicameral 

session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on February 12, 2009, when the Library of 

Congress opened its much-anticipated “With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln 

Bicentennial Exhibit.” Officials of the ALBC participated in the exhibitʼs opening program.

Located in the Libraryʼs Jefferson building, “With Malice Toward None” featured rare, 

original documents, photos, letters, speeches, campaign artifacts, and other seldom 

seen treasures from the Libraryʼs collections, including the Bible used during Lincolnʼs 

first inauguration and again by Barack Obama for his swearing-in on January 20, 2009.

More than 2,000 people per day visited “With Malice Toward None” during its threemonth run at the Library of Congress. Made possible through the support of Union 

Pacific Corp., the exhibit later traveled to California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, and 

Nebraska.

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A large audience witnessed the opening of “With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibit.”

Photo by Henry F. Ballone
4. Endorsements

ORIGIN AND OVERVIEW

The ALBC launched and maintained an international endorsement program that 

enabled organizations to participate and be acknowledged for their own bicentennial 

projects. At the July 2003 commission meeting at Hildene, the Lincoln family home in 

Manchester, Vermont, the Commission adopted an endorsement process promoted by 

Commissioners Jean T.D. Bandler, Darrel Bigham, and Joan Flinspach, aiming for it to 

encourage local, grassroots participation in the bicentennial. To qualify for an ALBC 

endorsement, applicants needed to satisfy the Commission that the proposed project 

met at least one of the following bicentennial goals:

‣ Increasing knowledge and awareness of Lincoln in the U.S. and abroad.

‣ Encouraging public participation and attendance at bicentennial activities. 

‣ Increasing historical literacy about Lincoln for young people.

‣ Encouraging research, scholarship and increased understanding of Lincoln.

‣ Leveraging the bicentennial for discussion of bicentennial themes of freedom, 

democracy and equal opportunity, and or serving as a catalyst for conversation and 

engagement of diverse perspectives.

‣ Creating a lasting legacy of Lincoln themes and contributions to endure beyond the 

bicentennial.

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Three children and an adult add their signatures to the more than 20,000 put on a giant birthday-card display that 

toured the country as part of the “Happy Birthday President Lincoln: From the People” effort endorsed by the ALBC.

Photo by Wendy Allen
Applicants were asked to explain how an ALBC endorsement would help their project 

and submit any letters of support from partner organizations, if applicable. Applicants 

could download the endorsement application from the ALBCʼs Web site or request one 

be mailed to them. Applicants could return the completed application via e-mail, fax or 

mail. Supporting materials remained in each applicantʼs files.

After an internal staff review of each application for completeness and appropriateness, 

applications were referred to appropriate committees for initial review. Applications 

recommended by those committees went to the Commission for final approval. 

Individual persons and religious, political, and for-profit organizations were not eligible 

for endorsement. For-profit corporations who inquired about endorsement were directed 

to the alternative possibility of entering into a licensing, program partnership or 

sponsorship agreement. In some cases, the Commission departed from these 

guidelines and granted endorsement to publications.

Endorsements by the Numbers

The Commission endorsed 226 projects over the course of the bicentennial.

The projects represented efforts from 37 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and 

France. Not surprisingly, the most endorsement activity took place in Illinois (24), 

Indiana (24), Pennsylvania (24), New York (21), the District of Columbia (17) and 

Kentucky (13) – all locations with significant Lincoln sites, collections, and history.

The ALBC denied or left inactive only 22 endorsement applications. The major reason 

for denying an endorsement: concern about the proposed activityʼs historical integrity.

Benefits of ALBC Endorsement

As an endorsed ALBC project, endorsees received a listing on the Commissionʼs Web 

site, permission to use its logo on any promotional materials and a letter of 

endorsement from the ALBC. Many organizations came to view an endorsement as a 

“Good Housekeeping” seal of approval for their activities.

The listing on the ALBC Web site was considered the most attractive benefit of the 

endorsement program. However, when the ALBC decided to allow all Lincoln events to 

be posted, with or without endorsement, one of the clear benefits of endorsement was 

lost. Perhaps endorsed projects should have received a special designation on the 

calendar indicating their endorsed status. 

Though the endorsement materials clearly stated that funding was not available from 

the ALBC for endorsed projects, many endorsees still inquired. To assist endorsees with 

funding inquiries, the ALBC staff guided endorsees to various grant-making agencies as 

appropriate and encouraged endorsees to mention the ALBC endorsement in their 

fundraising or grant proposals. We are unaware at the time of printing if any ALBC 

endorsement did directly assist endorsees in receiving funds from third-parties. 

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Diversity of Projects

Endorsed projects ranged from large ventures, such as the nationally televised PBS 

documentary “Looking for Lincoln,” to local school- or community-based events, such as 

“Lincoln and Oz” at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Chicago, Illinois, or the annual 

Lincoln Days Celebration in Hodgenville, Kentucky. The variety of activities endorsed 

spoke to the scope and breadth of the bicentennial celebration: programs for schools, 

teacher workshops, publications, exhibitions, films, concerts, plays, special events, 

websites, commemorative items, symposia, festivals, essay contests and a variety of 

artwork helped to engage more people in the celebration of Lincolnʼs bicentennial. 

These diverse efforts came from many types of organizations. Museums, libraries, 

historical societies, public and private schools, universities, choral groups, humanities 

councils, civil war roundtables and reenactment groups, bar associations, symphonies, 

theaters, arts groups, orchestras, government agencies, civic and youth organizations, 

and many more worked to bring their specific talents to the bicentennial.

A review of all ABLC education endorsements can be viewed in the appendix.

FEATURED ENDORSEMENTS

Happy Birthday President Lincoln: From the People

During the bicentennial, Lincoln portrait artist Wendy Allen and co-producer Elaine 

Henderson traveled to 13 cities across the country with a giant birthday card for the 

public to sign. “Happy Birthday President Lincoln: From the People” enabled people of 

all ages and backgrounds to share their thoughts on the bicentennial of Lincolnʼs birth 

and feel a part of the celebrations. It has also become a piece of history itself.

On May 30, 2009, at the Rededication of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, all the 

signature panels arrived with more than 15,000 signatures from across the nation and 

were brought together for display, making it one of the most successful ALBC-endorsed 

efforts. Another 5,000 people signed the panels that day and at a later event. “Originally, 

I imagined people would stop and sign just their names,” Allen said. “I was afraid that 

some might write graffiti. But at every turn, we were astounded by the outpouring of 

thoughtful sentiment and genuine gratitude, not just for Lincoln but for the nation.”

Examples of some of the comments include:

‣ “Youʼre #16, but youʼll always be #1.”

‣ “Happy Birthday, President Lincoln! God bless you & grant you peace eternally.” 

‣ “You made us strong.” 

‣ “President Lincoln: I will try to guide my children by the example of your wisdom and 

courage. You represent the best within us.”

‣ “Thank you for making our earth a better place.”

Before its arrival at the nationʼs capital, the card traveled to Gettysburg, Harrisburg and 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; Stockbridge, Massachusetts; Warwick, 

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Rhode Island; Danbury and Hartford, Connecticut; Rochester, New York; West Orange, 

New Jersey, and Columbus, Ohio. After the Lincoln Memorial success, the card traveled 

to Allentown, Pennsylvania. At each city, Allen painted a large portrait of Lincoln.

Allen hopes to create a book that captures both the humorous and poignant sentiments 

and that the card itself will be archived for the next celebration of Lincolnʼs birth so that 

future generations will see how we viewed Lincoln.

Twenty-First Century Abe: Rochenbach Museum and Library

Looking to attract “Generation Net” – young people in their teens and twenties who get 

their information and make social connections through technology – the Rochenbach 

Museum and Library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, launched an interactive Web site, 

www.21centuryabe.org, to celebrate Lincolnʼs legacy. The main goal of this ALBCendorsed site was to explore the questions of why Americans are still obsessed with 

Lincoln today and what does this popular Abe have to do with the historical Lincoln? 

Using the museumʼs collection of 30 Lincoln documents as a starting point, the Web site 

allows visitors to explore the documents digitally and see how select artists and 

scholars interpret them. Lincoln scholar Doug Wilson, visual artist Maira Kalman, 

composer and musician Bryce Dessner and media artists Anne Walsh and Chris Kubick 

spent time in the Rosenbach archives to draw their inspiration. In addition, visitors were 

able to upload their own creative interpretations, share content from other sites and 

comment on Lincoln through a moderated blog and postings.

The user-generated content provided the most fertile ground for explorations on Lincoln. 

Many of the submissions focused on Lincoln in popular culture, ranging from video of 

recent commercials featuring Lincoln selling everything from soda to sleeping pills, to 

his appearance in an episode of Star Trek, to the countless film portrayals of his life.

Other submissions offered user generated tributes to Lincoln through video, “word 

clouds” of the Gettysburg Address, or paintings and the graphic arts. Though much of 

the content was laudatory, there were some submissions critical of Lincolnʼs role in 

emancipation and views on race.

The Web site received 65 submissions from visitors not associated with the project or its 

sponsoring institutions. The Rosenbach had hoped for more contributions, and found 

that the opened-ended nature of sending in Lincoln-related material may have been too 

daunting for visitors. If the museum were to do this again, it would provide more 

structure and guidance on what visitors should submit.

From the launch of the promotional pre-site in November 2008 through when the 21stCentury Abe site was archived on August 31, 2009, the Web site received 28,411 visits, 

representing 22,228 unique visitors from 126 countries. The museum found that the 

average age of a visitor to the site – 30-40 year olds – was older than the target 

audience (18-24 years old), but also younger than the Rosenbachʼs traditional 

audience. It also found that its traditional older audience and docents were eager to 

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learn how to navigate the site. The Rosenbach felt these positive observations will be 

useful as it continues to blend technology with traditional programming.

Thanks to the experiences learned from this project, the Rosenbach is planning a morefocused project for the Civil War sesquicentennial, in which it plans to post items from its 

collections 150 years to the day after they were written. This will launch in November 

2010 on the 150th anniversary of Lincolnʼs first election.

From the Classroom to the Statehouse: Ohio Emancipation Day

In June 2006, students from Paul LaRueʼs Research Methods history class at 

Washington High School, Washington County Courthouse, Ohio, witnessed Governor 

Bob Taft sign into law legislation they helped to craft and that officially designated 

September 22 as Emancipation Day in Ohio. This ALBC-endorsed project demonstrates 

how young people can make a difference in their local communities.

While Emancipation Day is celebrated in communities nationally, there is no official 

national designation of a specific date. Some communities celebrate Emancipation Day 

on June 19th or “Juneteenth” because on June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, the 

reportedly last slaves in America learned they were free. The District of Columbia 

celebrates Emancipation Day on April 16, the day President Lincoln signed the D.C. 

Emancipation Act. Still other states celebrate September 22, in commemoration of 

President Lincolnʼs issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation in 1862.

Mr. LaRue was selected as one of The History Channelʼs 25 teacher finalists in the 

“Save Our History” program. He developed a “how to” guide about the Emancipation 

Day project that details how other classrooms can research an event or tradition and 

seek to have the local, state or federal government commemorate the subject.

The Ohio Emancipation Day research inspired a new class of Mr. LaRueʼs students. 

Others wanted a likeness of either President William McKinley or President William 

Howard Taft to replace Governor William Allenʼs statue in National Statuary Hall in the 

U.S. Capitol. But his students nominated James M. Ashley, a Civil War-era 

congressman from Toledo and the prime sponsor of the 13th amendment to abolish 

slavery.

The studentsʼ enthusiasm and pride in being involved in this project is evident. Each 

September 22, Mr. LaRue receives e-mails or cards from the long-since-graduated 

students who participated in the Emancipation Day project, celebrating their part in 

Ohio, and American, history.

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5. Communications

The ALBC engaged in a concerted and continuous effort to raise awareness of both its 

own activities and the bicentennial of Abraham Lincolnʼs birthday. After initially hiring 

consultants for limited periods to handle media relations and outreach, the Commission 

in late 2005 hired a communications director. A dedicated corps of interns, mostly 

college students or recent graduates, provided invaluable assistance.

Much of the comprehensive communications strategy focused on creating and then 

redesigning and then expanding the ALBC Web site, at www.abrahamlincoln200.org. It 

also included a number of news releases and media advisories, helping to develop 

relationships with media outlets and creating publications and a speakers pool.

After his election as president in November 2008, Barack Obamaʼs interest in Lincoln, 

his many connections to Lincoln, including his naming Hillary Clinton as Secretary of 

State – thus invoking ALBC advisor Doris Kearns Goodwinʼs acclaimed book, “Team of 

Rivals” – all served to increase visibility for the ALBC and the bicentennial. 

The ALBCʼs communications efforts sought to maximize the “Obama effect.” For 

example, the ALBCʼs staff helped prod television commentators to note that the country 

would celebrate Lincolnʼs 200th birthday just three weeks after the Obama inauguration. 

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A screenshot of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commissionʼs Web site at www.abrahamlincoln200.org.
C-SPAN: NETWORK OF THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN BICENTENNIAL

The ALBC and C-SPAN began a three-year broadcast partnership in 2006. The 

Commission believed the public affairs cable network to be a natural partner because of 

its loyal audience that is highly educated and interested in history and public affairs; 

well-regarded presidential biography/history programming that is among the networkʼs 

most viewed; existing education department with regular contacts among educators 

nationwide; and its highly trafficked Web site with an extensive library of programs.

After several discussions between the two parties, C-SPAN approached the ALBC with 

a proposal to produce Lincoln-related content for the bicentennial, including live 

coverage of major bicentennial programs from the first events in 2008 through 2009. In 

exchange, the ALBC highlighted C-SPANʼs Lincoln programming in its promotional 

materials and ensure priority access for the networkʼs crews at its events. The 

Commission approved the proposal in September 2006, designating C-SPAN as “the 

network of the Lincoln Bicentennial.” The network televised 97 original programs for a 

total of 352 hours of bicentennial airtime.

C-SPAN also dedicated two hours for Lincoln programming the first Saturday of each 

month from April 2008 through April 2009; built a Lincoln-focused section on its Web 

site, with a prominent link from the home page; and bought newspaper advertising to 

promote its “Lincoln 200” programming. With broadcast and cable networks focused on 

profit, the C-SPAN partnership was an important opportunity and benefit for the ALBC.

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COMMEMORATIVE BOOK: “A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM”

Early on, the ALBC decided that, unlike in 1959 when the Abraham Lincoln 

Sesquicentennial Commission produced and sponsored a number of print publications, 

it would rely on the Internet to publish information about Lincoln and the bicentennial.

The ALBC did, however, elect to pursue contract publishing and on April 3, 2007, hired 

Newsdesk Media of London to publish a glossy magazine to include a collection of 

essays by prominent writers who would connect the legacy of the 19th century Lincoln to 

the 21st century citizens of the democratic nation he preserved; and a special 50-page 

section would highlight the many Lincoln events and programs in the states.

After Barack Obamaʼs election as Americaʼs 44th President, and his decision to 

dedicate his inauguration to Lincoln, the editorial effort gained a fresh title, “A New Birth 

of Freedom.” Noting the many connections between Lincoln and Obama, the ALBC and 

Newsdesk Media decided to publish in time for the inauguration and market it as for 

both the inauguration and Lincolnʼs birthday. Interest in advertising jumped significantly.

Newsdesk Media produced another 15,000 at no cost to ABLC after an initial print run of 

50,000 was quickly exhausted. Don Wycliff, former public editor for the Chicago Tribune, 

served as editor in chief. The final slate of writers and their submissions included:

‣ A Foreword by President Barack Obama

‣ “The Greatest President,” by Senator Richard J. Durbin

‣ “The Legend and the Man,” by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood

‣ “An Enduring Good,” by Harold Holzer

‣ “Toward a More Perfect Union,” by Don Wycliff

‣ “Lincoln Above All Others,” by Eileen R. Mackevich

‣ “The Legacy of Hope,” by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

‣ “A Windshield Tour of Lincoln Land,” by Alan Solomon

‣ The Driving Force of Freedom,” by Jack Kemp

‣ The Heroic Struggle,” by Charles Branham

‣ “The Great Orator,” by Theodore C. Sorensen

‣ “Imagine Another Ending,” by Orville Vernon Burton

‣ “The Commander in Chief,” by Craig L. Symonds

‣ “The Fruits of Labor,” by Lewis E. Lehrman

‣ “Paying the Price,” by Robert D. Hormats

‣ “The Power of Education,” by Richard Herman

‣ “A Lifetime of Words,” by Dianne Donovan

‣ “Taking Up the Mantle,” by Richard Norton Smith

‣ “The Law: Then and Now,” by Daniel Farber

‣ “The Better Angels,” by Mark Noll

‣ “The Artistsʼ Inspiration,” by David Grubin

‣ “Arms and the Man,” by Julia Keller

‣ “Collecting Lincoln,” by Thomas F. Schwartz

Also, each governor provided a message that anchored each stateʼs page, and state 

liaisons provided information about the bicentennial events planned for their state.

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SPEAKERS POOL

The Commission created and promoted a speakers pool to help communities locate 

Lincoln experts for planned Bicentennial programs. 

The Commission posted the pool on its Web site, listed each speaker separately with 

contact information, fees, availability to travel, topics and areas of expertise and types of 

programs presented. The ALBC noted that the listing did not constitute endorsement of 

the speaker and that the speakerʼs views did not necessarily reflect its own views. The 

local organization and the speaker handled all arrangements related to speaking dates, 

travel and fees, with no negotiations by the Commission.

The speakers pool included ALBC Commissioners, Advisory Committee members, 

Lincoln scholars, teachers and collectors, all united in their interest in the nationʼs 16th 

president. Some were solicited directly, some were recommended, some independently 

volunteered. All were vetted to ensure that individuals on the roster demonstrated a 

degree of competency.

By 2010, the Web site listed more than 40 Lincoln experts as speaker pool members.

Members of the Speakers Pool

‣ Jean H. Baker

‣ Darrel E. Bigham 

‣ Richard J. Blackett 

‣ Larry E. Burgess 

‣ Richard J. Carwardine 

‣ Brooks Davis

‣ Paul Finkelman

‣ Joan Flinspach

‣ Eric Foner

‣ Joseph R. Fornieri 

‣ Guy C. Fraker 

‣ Paul E. Gleason 

‣ Doris Kearns Goodwin

‣ Allen C. Guelzo 

‣ Harold Holzer

‣ Charles M. Hubbard 

‣ Edward T. Jennings, Jr.

‣ Ron J. Keller 

‣ Philip B. Kunhardt 

‣ Bruce Levine

‣ David E. Long 

‣ Thomas C. Mackey 

‣ David Madden

‣ James H. Madison 

‣ John F. Marszalek 

‣ Martin E. Marty 

‣ Lucas Morel

‣ William D. Pederson 

‣ Gerald J. Prokopowicz 

‣ Ronald D. Rietveld 

‣ Joshua Wolf Shenk

‣ Phillip C. Stone 

‣ Craig L. Symonds 

‣ Timothy P. Townsend 

‣ Michael Vorenberg

‣ Jennifer L. Weber 

‣ Daniel R. Weinberg 

‣ Ronald C. White, Jr.

‣ Frank J. Williams 

‣ Gary P. Zola 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

105
ALBC WEB SITE (www.abrahamlincoln200.org)

The ALBC Web site debuted at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, on June 10, 

2002. Its first iteration offered historical and biographical information as well as 

extensive links to other Lincoln-related Web sites. Speakers included two of ALBCʼs CoChairmen, Senator Richard Durbin, who stressed Lincolnʼs mastery of communications, 

and Harold Holzer, who noted Lincolnʼs fascination with emerging technologies.

By the Commissionʼs February 2005 meeting, a revised Web site was launched. 

Although still mainly a brochure site, it incorporated a platform that allowed for e-mail 

and improved potential for interactivity. In July 2006, the Commission held a retreat in 

Washington, during which the commissioners were asked to rank a list of various 

projects and events that previously had been proposed for consideration – in committee 

discussions, in the interim report and in the strategic report prepared by a hired 

consultant. Of the 30 or so priorities ranked, the Web site was ranked No. 1.

Its strategic plan called for creating a robust, “enterprise class” Web site to be launched 

in 2007, and that would become the ALBCʼs primary communications tool. During the 

months that followed, the ALBC staff worked closely with consultants concerning overall 

content development, including a new site map and timeline, for the expanded site.

ALBC Executive Director Eileen Mackevich and historian/author Orville Vernon Burton 

arranged to have the ALBC Web siteʼs server hosted at the Institute for Computing in 

the Humanities, Arts and Social Science (I-CHASS), part of the National Center for 

Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The new Web site was unveiled at the ALBC meeting in September 2007, and launched 

two weeks later with a new URL: www.abrahamlincoln200.org. The earlier URLs – 

lincoln200.gov and lincolnbicentennial.gov – were redirected to the new site. It built on 

the colors of the ALBC logo and the home page features the logo in the top left corner. 

The pageʼs main components included a Lincoln timeline built in Flash, a quiz, a 

calendar of the monthʼs events around the country, a “recent news” box and a rotating 

quote from various individuals about what Lincoln means to them. In addition, an “action 

box” allowed visitors to contribute online, sign up for updates or to volunteer.

On February 12, 2009, the ALBC Web site became a major online destination as the 

media – including nearly all-day bicentennial coverage by CNN – drew attention to the 

dayʼs significance. By noon that day, the Web site was receiving 22,000 unique visitors 

per minute. On Google that day, the site ranked first for the search phrase “lincoln 

bicentennial,” third for “abraham lincoln,” and second for “lincoln 200,” after 

lincoln200.net, which was the URL for the Illinois Lincoln Bicentennial Web site.

On October 25, 2009, the Commission approved a long-term arrangement with the 

University of Illinois and I-CHASS for hosting the Web site and maintaining the server. 

In addition, I-CHASS staff began to transition the site away from the restrictive, 

proprietary Ektron system to an open-source content management system. This allowed 

for greater expansion of the ALBCʼs Web site in the future.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

106
Web Site Vision for the Future

Civic engagement has been a primary ALBC objective. It follows logically, therefore, that 

the ALBC envisions its Web site remaining an important online gathering place where 

Americans can tap into the vast collective creativity of Abraham Lincoln and the America 

he preserved. To achieve this ambitious goal, planning has begun to expand the siteʼs 

resources for studying Lincolnʼs life and legacy. Content available on the site, and links 

to rich material at other sites, will build a “digital Lincoln” that will help visitors 

understand him and make full use of his life and lessons as an ongoing resource.

The Commission continues to work closely with tech-savvy and other Lincoln scholars 

to create a blue-ribbon advisory group and editorial board to help maximize Internet 

opportunities. Some have suggested collaborating with the leaders of the emerging “eDemocracy” movement. Technology may help transform public participation in American 

governance in the 21st century. The ALBCʼs Web site can enhance this discussion by 

helping to ground it in the ideals Lincoln espoused. Its future Web site will be a place 

where the public at large and the Lincoln community are drawn together, where diverse 

groups can build and maintain meaningful dialogue about completing Lincolnʼs 

“unfinished work.”

Ideally, www.abrahamlincoln200.org will continue to foster collaborations, ensure 

access to Lincoln resources and provide an avenue for self-education. The

Commissioners believe this would be a primary legacy for the ALBC.

ALBC Web Blog

In May 2008, Executive Director Eileen R. Mackevich launched a Web blog to review 

some of the many excellent ideas and comments directed to her concerning the 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and its work. 

In addition to discussing good ideas for celebrating the bicentennial, the executive 

director wrote about, among other things, some of the exceptional people she 

encountered, interesting books that had been suggested, meetings and conferences 

she had attended.

“Lincoln lovers everywhere send me e-mails, phone calls, and handwritten letters,” 

Mackevich wrote. “These often original and always heartfelt ideas should not vanish into 

the air even though all too frequently there are no funds for their execution.

Occasionally it is only a party of one who enthuses about an idea. I want to share their 

sentiments. Perhaps when these ideas are in the air we breathe, our search for a more 

perfect union may be more nearly fulfilled.”

Her first blog post provided a quick report on the Motherʼs Day program at the Lincoln 

Boyhood National Memorial site in Indiana on Sunday, May 11, 2008. Despite blustery, 

rainy weather, 300 intrepid souls turned out to honor Lincolnʼs mother and stepmother.

The ALBC blog can be viewed on the ALBC Web site.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

107
Supporters

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

108

A view of the Abraham Lincoln statue by Vinnie Ream inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C.

Photo courtesy of the Office of Senator Richard Durbin
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The ALBC wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the many institutions, organizations 

and groups, not to mention all of the distinguished Americans and ordinary citizens, who 

have all generously donated their time, financial support, expertise, and spirit toward 

ensuring the bicentennial celebration of Abraham Lincoln was all that it should be.

The Commission depended on many partnerships, large and small, but wishes to note 

here those entities with which it had extensive agreements: C-SPAN, The History 

Channel, the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National 

Endowment for the Humanities, the Organization of American Historians, the U.S. Mint, 

the U.S. Postal Service and the Institute for Computing in Humanities, Arts, and Social 

Science (I-CHASS) at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

The ALBC also wants to acknowledge the many people who went beyond their normal 

call of duty to help develop and produce our numerous events to great success.

Of course, the Commission is most indebted to the U.S. Congress, which appropriated 

a large of sum of taxpayer dollars to enable a worthwhile bicentennial commemoration.

An accounting of the ALBCʼs spending, and a comprehensive list of our donors and 

contributors, follows on the succeeding pages of this final report.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

109

Two educators and authors, Edna Greene Medford of Howard University and Lucas Morel of Washington and Lee 

University, discussed Lincoln at an ALBC Advisory Committee meeting on February 13, 2006, in Washington, D.C.

Photo by Henry F. Ballone
INSTITUTE OF MUSEUMS AND LIBRARY SCIENCES FUNDING

The initial funding for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission was received in 

the form of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). 

Public Law 106-554 (December 21, 2000) directed the Institute to provide the 

Commission with $461,000 to be used consistent with the Commissionʼs statutory 

activities.

The Commission spent $428,000 of that amount. 

The funds spent in support of the Commissionʼs statutory activities included:

‣ Compensation.

‣ Commission and staff travel.

‣ Initial outfitting of furniture, equipment and operating supplies.

‣ Printing, fulfillment and mailing.

‣ Strategic planning.

‣ Web site development and support.

‣ Other federal agencies support, administrative support and professional services.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

110

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IMLS FUNDING 
ALBC APPROPRIATED FUNDS

The first appropriated fund allocation for the ALBC was in the 2002 Legislative Branch 

Appropriations Bill. The ALBC received the following appropriated funds:

Fiscal Year 2002 (no rescission)! ! ! $ 500,000

Fiscal Year 2003 (.65% rescission)! ! $ 496,750

Fiscal Year 2004 (.59% rescission)! ! $ 248,525

Fiscal Year 2005 (.80% rescission)! ! $ 496,000

Fiscal Year 2006 (1.00% rescission)! ! $ 594,000

Fiscal Year 2007 (1.00% rescission)! ! $ 594,000

Fiscal Year 2008 (.25% rescission)! ! $ 748,125

Fiscal Year 2009 (no rescission)! ! ! $1,495,000

Fiscal Year 2010 (no rescission)! ! ! $ 750,000

Total appropriated funds received!! ! $5,922,400

The appropriated funds were expended in support of:

‣ Staff compensation.

‣ Commission, invited participants, and staff travel.

‣ Strategic planning.

‣ Web site development and support.

‣ Other federal agencies support.

‣ Public events production.

‣ Printing, fulfillment, and mailing.

‣ Professional services and administrative support for mandated events and closing 

costs.

GIFT FUNDS

Public Law 107-68, Section 209(f) authorized the ALBC to accept and use gifts of 

money, property and services. An ALBC gift fund was initially established in the Library 

of Congress with a follow-on gift fund established with the National Park Foundation.

To perpetuate the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, the Commission authorized the formation 

of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation (ALBF) as a 501c(3). The 

Foundation consists of a Board of Directors whose mission is to continue and build 

upon the work begun by the ALBC. That includes:

‣ To educate the public about Lincoln.

‣ To serve as an honest broker in building collaborations.

‣ To foster civic engagement grounded in Lincolnʼs ideals of freedom, democracy and 

equality of opportunity as a guide.

More than $2 million has been donated by approximately 600 donors to commemorate 

the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln. Eighty-five percent of the donors 

contributed $1,000 or less. The funds supported the major public events, fees for 

speakers and performers, Web site development and support and production of the 

Commissionʼs nationwide town halls. More than 96 percent of the donated funds were 

used in support of the ALBCʼs nationwide programs.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

111
DONORS

The ABLC gratefully acknowledges the many individuals, business, corporations and 

foundations whose generous financial support helped realize its mission and goals.

Lincoln Bicentennial Circle

($500,000+)

‣ McCormick Foundation

Lincoln Cabinet

(250,000+)

‣ Prudential Financial Inc.

‣ The John E. Fetzer Institute Inc.

Freedom Circle

($100,000+)

‣ Marjorie Kovler Fund

‣ Motorola Foundation

Emancipation Circle

($50,000+)

‣ Canadian National

‣ Caterpillar Foundation

‣ Mr. and Mrs. William and Jean Soman

Unity Circle

($30,000+)

‣ Jean and Ned Bandler – Bridgewood Fieldwater Foundation

‣ John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Log Cabin Circle

($20,000+)

‣ Anonymous

‣ Boeing Company

‣ Brown-Forman Corporation

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Jerry and Linda Bruckheimer

‣ Chicago History Museum

‣ CME Group

‣ Henry Repeating Arms Company

‣ Deere & Company

‣ Kentucky Historical Society

‣ Newberry Library

‣ NewsDesk Media Inc.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

112
Log Society ($10,000+)

‣ A&E Television Networks

‣ Baker & McKenzie LLP

‣ Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois

‣ Mr. and Mrs. William and Julie Cellini

‣ Comcast Corp.

‣ Exelon Corp.

‣ Illinois Tool Works Inc.

‣ Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trusts Philanthropic Fund

‣ Kirkland & Ellis Foundation

‣ National Endowment for the Arts

‣ Tempel Steel Company

‣ Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky

‣ Union Station Foundation

$5,000 – $9,999

‣ Allstate Insurance Company

‣ Smith, Dawson & Andrews Inc.

‣ Beatrice Snyder Foundation

‣ Chicago Historical Society

‣ Citizens of LaRue County

‣ CSX Corp.

‣ Field Foundation of Illinois

‣ Ms. Joan L. Flinspach and Mr. Scott Kingdon

‣ Jim Beam Brands Company

‣ The Joyce Foundation

‣ New West LLC

‣ New York State United Teachers

‣ Owsley Brown Frazier

‣ Sidley Austin Foundation

‣ Louise Taper

‣ Harold Wetterberg Foundation

‣ Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

‣ Wildman Harrold

‣ Winston & Strawn LLP

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

113
$1,000 – $4,999

‣ Ms. Alicestyne Adams

‣ Adelman & Gettleman

‣ AT&T

‣ Mr. James Basker

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Gabor and Liz Boritt

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Larry and Charlotte Burgess

‣ Mr. Richard Carwardine

‣ Corboy & Demetrio PC

‣ Mr. Kelly Easton

‣ Ms. Jane Emke

‣ Mrs. Don E. Fehrenbacher

‣ Figliulo & Silverman, P.C.

‣ Ford Foundation

‣ Mr. and Mrs. James and Joanne Getty

‣ Ms. Nell Haydon

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Harold and Edith Holzer

‣ Mr. David Lord

‣ Louisville & Jefferson County

‣ Ms. Eileen R. Mackevich

‣ Mr. David Madden

‣ Miller, Shakman & Beem, LLP

‣ Mr. Steven F. Molo

‣ National Association of Home Builders

‣ National Park Service

‣ Northern Trust Bank

‣ Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Brenda Pascal

‣ Mr. Laurance Rockefeller

‣ Ms. Malana Salyer

‣ Ms. Susan Scott

‣ Judge John Settles

‣ Mr. Jeff Shaara

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Dennis and Katharine Swanson

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Jacqueline Traurig

‣ Judge and Mrs. Tommy and Camille Turner

‣ Mr. James Wallace

‣ Mr. Nelson Watkins

‣ Chief Justice (Retired) and Mrs. Frank and 

Virginia Williams

‣ Ms. Jacqueline M. Williams

$251 – $999

‣ Adrienne Arsht Center

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Harold and Eleanor Aibel

‣ AMETHYST, LLC

‣ AMJ Foundation

‣ Mr. Bill Anderson

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon and Florence 

Anderson

‣ Ms. Diana Bailey

‣ Ms. Jean Baker

‣ Ms. Dawn Ballard

‣ Mr. David Barefoot

‣ Mr. and Mrs. William and Kathryn Bartelt

‣ Mr. David Baughman

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Allen and Beatrice Bernkrant

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Darrel and Polly Bigham

‣ Mr. Roger Billings, Jr.

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Larry and Francine Blum

‣ Mr. and Mrs. John and Theresa 

Bondurant

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Ray and Verena Borton

‣ SenatorJim Bunning

‣ Mr. Marshal Case

‣ Ms. Janet Chatfield

‣ Chicago Children's Choir

‣ Mr. Steve Clark

‣ Henry Clay Memorial Foundation

‣ Ms. Kimberly Clay

‣ Mayor Terry Cruse

‣ Mr. David Cuming

‣ Mrs. Sharon Cunningham

‣ Ms. Betty Kay Deemer

‣ Mr. Edward Del Grosso

‣ Ms. Dolores Delahanty

‣ Mr. Lee Deters

‣ Mr. John A. Dinome

‣ Dividends - National Park Service

‣ Ms. Melody Doda

‣ Ms. Jean Dorton

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Philip Le and Elizabeth 

Douglas

‣ Mr. and Mrs. George Duthie

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Eddie and Susan Dyer

‣ Mr. Bryan Eaton

‣ Educational Broadcasting Corporation

‣ Mr. Edward Ehrhart

‣ Mr. and Mrs. A. Edward and Susan 

Elmendorf

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Donald and Vicki Ensor

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Damon and Lori Eubank

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Colleen Fain

‣ Mr. Douglass Farnsley

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence M. Fishman

‣ Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold 

Foundation

‣ Mr. Sid Gamertsfelder

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Herbert and Frances Gaynor

‣ Mr. Jeffrey George

‣ Ms. Alexandra Gerassimides

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

114
$251 – $999 (continued)

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Arthur and Anne Goin

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Mauricio and Maureen 

Gonzales

‣ GSA ACH 

‣ Ms. Paula Cooke Hawshaw

‣ Mr. and Mrs. William and Brenda Heady

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Carol Hebel

‣ Mr. Armando Higueras

‣ Ms. Rebecca Holcombe

‣ Ms. Edith and Rose Holzer

‣ Mr. James Hood

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Armando and Debra Incera

‣ Dr. and Mrs. Jorge Jacobi

‣ Mr. John Jeffries

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Brereton and Elizabeth 

Jones

‣ Mr. Michael Jones

‣ Mr. Michael Kannensohn

‣ Mr. Dan Kelly

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Harvey and Penny Kent

‣ Mr. Simon J. Kushmar

‣ Congressman Ray LaHood

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Alex Larue

‣ LaRue County Fiscal Court

‣ Mr. David Leroy

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Sheryl Levine

‣ Mr. David Long

‣ Mrs. Laura Longley

‣ Mr. Paul Marcum

‣ Mr. Andrew “Skipper” Martin

‣ Mr. John McCarthy

‣ Ms. Edna Medford

‣ Jerald Melberg Gallery, Inc.

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Neil and Madelyn Messinger

‣ Mr. J.T. Miller

‣ Mr. Al Minard

‣ Ms. Sherry Murphy

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Joe and Jacquelene Mylor

‣ National Park Foundation

‣ Mr. Michael Nethers

‣ Mr. Donald Nims

‣ North Elementary School

‣ Ms. Sarah Novello 

‣ Mr. Robert Odell

‣ Mr. John Oller

‣ Mr. and Mrs. James and Charlotte Ott

‣ Ms. Lauran Perrill

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Perrone

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Stephen and Merry-Kay Poe

‣ Mr. Edward Power

‣ Ms. Linda Puckett

‣ Mr. Gary Ransdell

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Jack and Jill Reiter

‣ Mr. and Mrs. W. Daniel and Emily 

Reneker

‣ Mr. T.J. Rhoades

‣ Mr. and Mrs. John and Doris Riehm

‣ Mr. J. Daniel Rivers

‣ Ms. Julia Roberts

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Peggy 

Robinson

‣ Rev. Barbara Roche

‣ Mr. Winfield Rose

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie and Edna Rubin

‣ Ms. Gail Russell

‣ Mr. and Mrs. R. L. and Jeannette Sias

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Ivan and Ann Schell

‣ Mr. Walter Schloss

‣ Mr. J. Herb Shulhafer

‣ Mr. Bob Sims

‣ Ms. Marcheta Sparrow

‣ Mr. John Stacy

‣ Mr. Keith Steele

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Allen and Sherry Steinbock

‣ Mr. Ted Steinbock

‣ Mr. Axel Steuer

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Bill and Nancy Stroh

‣ Mr. Herschel Stroud

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Roz Stuzin

‣ Mr. Donald Swain

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Retha Tarter

‣ Ms. Eleanore Thomas

‣ Ms. Garnett Thurman

‣ Mr. Lee Todd

‣ Marty Varble

‣ Mr. Grant Veeder

‣ Mr. and Ms. Karl and Roanne Victor

‣ Mr. James Voyles

‣ Mr. William Waddell

‣ Mr. Skott Wade

‣ Mr. Gleaves Whitney

‣ Ms. Shirley Willihnganz

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

115
$101 – $250

‣ Mrs. Evelyne Acheson

‣ Mr. Jerome Agius

‣ Ms. Lillian Andruszkiewicz

‣ Ms. Anne Arensberg

‣ Mr. Charles Arensberg

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Henry and Eileen Ballone

‣ Honorable Stanley Balzekas

‣ Mr. John W. Bates

‣ Mr. and Mrs. John and Patricia Benedetto

‣ Ms. Edith Bingham

‣ Ms. Jennifer Blythe

‣ Ms. Joyce Boggess

‣ Rabbi Terry Bookman

‣ Mrs. Barbara Boster

‣ Ms. Carolyn Breedlove

‣ Mr. Paul Bremer

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Eric and Twila Brooks

‣ Mr. Robert Bullock

‣ Mr. Jeffry Burden

‣ Mr. Michael Burton

‣ Mr. David Bybee

‣ Ms. Theresa Caldwell

‣ Mr. Robert Carroon

‣ Ms. Robin Chandler

‣ Mr. Clancy Cherry

‣ Mr. Bradley Churchill

‣ Mr. Larry Cleveland

‣ Mr. Ronald Cogswell

‣ Ms. Andrea Collin

‣ Mr. Rick Collin

‣ Mr. N. Taylor Collins

‣ Ms. Polly Coombs

‣ Mr. Jeffrey Crow

‣ Ms. Marcia Current

‣ Mr. Jim DeCesare

‣ Mr. John Deitz

‣ Mr. Anthony Devoney

‣ Ms. Marie Dominguez

‣ Ms. Julie Donnell

‣ Mr. Paul Douglas

‣ Ms. Jennifer Fleischner

‣ Mrs. Martha Flinspach

‣ Mr. F. Todd Gardner

‣ Mr. George Gaulrapp

‣ Mr. Paul Gausemel

‣ Mr. Roger Gench

‣ Ms. Molly George

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Ira and Honey Giller

‣ Mr. William Gladstone

‣ Mr. Donald Glaser

‣ Ms. Elisa Glazer

‣ Mr. Wilson Golden

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Bruce and Mary Goodman Fund

‣ Mrs. Doris Goodwin

‣ Ms. Paula Goss

‣ Mr. Ed Grosel

‣ Mr. Harold Gross

‣ Mr. and Mrs. David and Joan Grubin

‣ Mr. Karl Gruen

‣ Ms. Karen Hawbecker

‣ Mr. John Hays

‣ Ms. Darlene Hine

‣ Ms. Teresa Holahan

‣ Mr. Phinis Hundley

‣ Ms. Tera W. Hunter

‣ Ms. Lillian Iversen

‣ Mr. John Jacobi

‣ Mr. Mark Junge

‣ Mr. Maysoon Kaibni

‣ Mr. David Karem

‣ Mr. Welz Kauffman

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Shepard and Bernita King

‣ Honorable Edward Koch

‣ Mr. Edward Krieser

‣ Ms. Heather Landis

‣ Mr. Donald Leach

‣ Mr. Alan Loomis

‣ Mr. Crit Luallen

‣ Ms. Lynn Luallen

‣ Mr. and Mrs. William and Luz MacArthur

‣ Mr. Millard Mack

‣ Mr. and Mrs. David and Carol Magidson

‣ Mr. Glenn Manns

‣ Ms. Peggy McAllister

‣ Mr. C. Russell McCabe

‣ McDermot Will & Emery

‣ Ms. Ellen McDougall 

‣ Mr. W. Philip McLaurin

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Lori Meadows

‣ Mr. David Meerse

‣ Ms. Gail Melvin

‣ Ms. Kathryn M. Mershon 

‣ Ms. Marianne Metz

‣ Ms. Susan Mineer

‣ Ms. Pritidhara Mohanty

‣ Ms. Amy Moore

‣ Mr. William Moore

‣ Ms. Helen Mountjoy

‣ Ms. Connie Nass

‣ Ms. Donna Neary

‣ Mr. Chris Nielsen

‣ Mr. David Nielsen

‣ Mr. Thomas Noland, Jr.

‣ Mr. Mark Ohnmacht

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

116
$101 – $250 (continued)

‣ Ms. Janice Osborne

‣ Mr. Paul O'Shea

‣ Ms. Judy Pierce

‣ Mr. John Edward Porter

‣ Mr. John Potter

‣ Ms. Terry Pyles

‣ Mr. Staton Rabin

‣ Ms. Ann Redman

‣ Ms. Emily Reichert

‣ Mr. Danny Russel 

‣ Mr. Edgar Russell III

‣ Mrs. Lura Lynn Ryan

‣ Ms. Vivian Sawyer

‣ Ms. Marsha Schmidt

‣ Mr. Leonard Schrank

‣ Mr. Alex Schwartz

‣ Mr. David Seddelmeyer

‣ Ms. Betsy Shapiro

‣ Mr. John Shoaff

‣ Ms. Jennifer Soman

‣ Mr. Patrick Souders

‣ Ms. Sue Stenhouse

‣ Mr. Gene Stotz

‣ Mayor Brian Stratton

‣ Mr. W. Douglas Tanner, Jr.

‣ Ms. Regina Taylor

‣ Ms. Gwen Thompson

‣ Mr. Robert Timpson, Jr.

‣ Ms. Stephanie Toothman

‣ Mr. Jotham Trafton

‣ Mrs. Mary Ann Trafton

‣ Mr. David Traub

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Roger and Ann Truitt

‣ Mr. Thomas Turbyne

‣ Ms. Caroline Van Deusen

‣ Ms. Mary Villines

‣ Ms. Christine Ward

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Susan Wilburn

‣ Mr. Bob Willard

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Roger and Margaret Zetah

‣ Mr. Michael Zurcher

$1 – $100

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Leonard and Cynthia Alaimo

‣ Mr. James Aldridge

‣ Mr. Leamond Allen

‣ Ms. Dana Altobelli

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence and Susan Andersen

‣ Ms. Nikoletta Antonakos

‣ Ms. Debra Armstrong

‣ Ms. Evelyn Axler

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Barbara Baber

‣ Balzekas Family Foundation, LTD

‣ Mr. David Bandler

‣ Mr. and Mrs. John and Gail Bandler

‣ Ms. Allison Barash

‣ Ms. Kay Barmore

‣ Mrs. Harold W. Barner

‣ Mr. James Basker

‣ Mr. Joel Beane

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Russell and Jeanne Belle

‣ Ms. Kristen Bene

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Wesley and Lois Berryman

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Ronald and Keva Berutti

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Betty Bixby

‣ Ms. Karen Boodey

‣ Ms. Evelyn Booth

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Bonnie Brady

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence and Melissa M. Breen

‣ Mr. and Mrs. George and Amanda Bremer

‣ Ms. Ann Bristow

‣ Ms. Melissa Burka

‣ Ms. Susan Campbell

‣ Mr. Edward Carroll

‣ Mr. Kenneth Cash

‣ Ms. Alice Abell Caulkins

‣ Ms. Vera Enid Chandler

‣ Mr. Schuyler Chapin

‣ Mr. and Mrs. John and Vickie Cimprich

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Arthur and Melody Clark

‣ Mr. Robert Clauser

‣ Ms. Evelyn Cohn

‣ Mr. John Cole

‣ Mr. John Coniglio

‣ Mr. J. Danny Cooper

‣ Ms. Molly Cormaney

‣ Mr. Daniel Cubel

‣ Mr. John Czajkowski

‣ Mr. Keith E. Danish

‣ Mr. William Darcy

‣ Mr. Richard Davies

‣ Mr. and Mrs. John and Judith Day

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Elizabeth DeFazio

‣ Ms. Leila De Jesus

‣ Ms. Margaret De Palma

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Frank and Melva Delaney

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Gerald and Kathleen Desko

‣ Mr. Roderic Deyo

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Donna Dinardo

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

117
$1 – $100 (continued)

‣ Dividends – LOC

‣ Ms. Erma Donner

‣ Mr. Kenneth Lee Draut

‣ Mr. Barry Dwork

‣ Mr. David Early

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Rolland and Phyllis Eckels

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Paul and Mary Ellis-Graham

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Francis and Jeanne Elmore

‣ Mr. Patrick W. Ewing

‣ FedEx

‣ Ms. Gayle Ferioli

‣ Mr. Peter Finn

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Larry and Mary Flowe

‣ Mr. Lee Formwalt

‣ Mr. James Fox

‣ Mr. Philip Funkenbusch

‣ Mr. R. J. Gage

‣ Ms. Marie Gecik

‣ Ms. Miriam Gee

‣ Mr. Stephen Gilroy

‣ Mr. Joseph Giza

‣ Mr. Robert Glass

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey and Juliette Glasser

‣ Mr. Robert Gossett

‣ Ms. Sherry Grant

‣ Mr. Richard Grosboll

‣ Mr. Harvey Gross

‣ Mr. Frank Gutierrez

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Bruce and Marilyn Halpern

‣ Ms. Anne Hamilton

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Lowell and Elaine Harrison

‣ Mr. Howard Hassman

‣ Mr. Alan Hawkins

‣ Hear in Kentucky Hearing Center

‣ Mr. and Mrs. John and Patricia Hester

‣ Ms. Betty Hickey

‣ Mr. Grant Holcomb

‣ Ms. Teresa Horstman

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Mark and Teri Hudson

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Gordon and Carole Hyatt

‣ Ms. Alison Irvin

‣ Mr. Robert Jackle

‣ Ms. Susan Jakubowski

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Scott and Pamela Jameson

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Kathleen Jennings

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Mark and Leah Jewett

‣ Ms. Julia Johnas

‣ Ms. Nancy Johnson

‣ Mr. Thomas Johnson

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Annette Kahn

‣ Mr. Richard Kelly

‣ Ms. Nancy J. Kaiser

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Harold and Ruth Keller

‣ Mr. Kimhuot Kiet

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Marvin and Carol Kitman

‣ Ms. Joan Kraska

‣ Mr. Raman Kumar

‣ Mr. Carl Langenhop

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Ernest and Linda Lapp, Jr.

‣ Mr. Thomas Lauth

‣ Ms. Marilyn Lim

‣ Lincoln-Marti Schools, L.L.C.

‣ Mr. Thomas W. Lincoln

‣ Mr. and Mrs. D. A. and L. J. Lindly

‣ Mr. Peter Lorey

‣ Mr. Daniel Lowery

‣ Mr. Mark Luongo

‣ Mr. William Michael Lyons

‣ Mr. Thomas Mackey

‣ Ms. Anne Madden

‣ Mr. Clay Major

‣ Mr. and Mrs. John and Jeanne Marszalek

‣ Ms. Rosalina McClain

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Franklin and Elizabeth McColgin

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Rob McGee

‣ Ms. Debra Mecky

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Lee and Lynda Miles

‣ Monroe-Woodbury High School

‣ Mr. David Morris

‣ Mr. and Mrs. John and Betty Mosedale

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Don and Kelly Murphy

‣ Mr. Martin Murphy

‣ Mr. Frank Musgrave

‣ Ms. Lorraine Netzko

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Marvin and Sarah Neuwirth

‣ Ms. Sally Nyhan

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Dorothy Nylen

‣ Mr. Stephen Oates

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Allen and Barbara Olson

‣ Mr. Jerry Osborn

‣ Ms. Patricia O'Toole

‣ Mr. William Pederson

‣ Ms. Lauran Perrill

‣ Ms. Linda Perry

‣ Mr. Victor Persbacker

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Donald and Janet Pieper

‣ Mr. William Pithers

‣ Ms. Debra Pitts

‣ Mr. Gerald Pollack

‣ Mr. Don Pollard

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Ned and Michelle Provan

‣ Ms. Evelyne Acheson Purdy

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey and Susan Purdy

‣ Ms. Genevieve Race

‣ Mr. John Radecki

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Byron and Karen Reed

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

118
$1 – $100 (continued)

‣ Ms. Alicia Reeks

‣ Mr. Robert Remer

‣ Ms. Marsha Renwanz

‣ Ms. Diane Rhonemus

‣ Ms. Georgia Robinson

‣ Mr. Robert Rosen

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Ken and Jennifer Rosenfeld

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Bradley and Debra Rovanpera

‣ Mr. David Saperstein

‣ Mr. Kris Schaus

‣ Ms. Joanne Schenck

‣ Mr. Mark A. Schoen

‣ Mr. Thomas Schuler

‣ Mr. Milton Seltzer

‣ Mr. Homer Sewell III

‣ Ms. Ann Sheadel

‣ Mr. John Sinclair

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Gregory and Nancy Sinclitico

‣ Ms. Nancy Slattery

‣ Survilla M. Smith

‣ Mr. Jeremiah Soifer

‣ Mr. William Spears

‣ Mr. Brian J. Steenbergen

‣ Ms. Carol Stein

‣ Mr. Venkitaraman Suresh

‣ Surratts Society

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and Janet Szot

‣ Ms. Christine Tansey

‣ Ms. Betty Taucher

‣ Mr. Paul Thiede

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Dennis and Doris Tidwell

‣ Mr. Douglas Tracy

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Hans and Rashelle Trefousse

‣ Ms. Alma Triner

‣ Ms. Ann Trudgeon

‣ Mr. and Mrs. C. Garrick and Gertje Utley

‣ Mr. Jordan Uttal

‣ Ms. Jill Warzer

‣ Mr. Richard Bradshaw Watson II

‣ Ms. Sarann Weeks

‣ Mr. Alan Weisberg

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Lowell and Emily Wenger

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Brian and Marie West

‣ Ms. Margaret Winkenhofer

‣ Mr. Phillip Winter

‣ Mr. Blake Wolf

‣ Mr. David R. Wright

‣ Mr. Richard Wyman

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Mary Wysocki

‣ Mr. Xiaohuai Yang

‣ Mr. Ronald Yungul

‣ Mr. and Mrs. John and Yolanda Zachwieja

In-Kind Contributions

‣ Ace Beverage

‣ Henry F. Ballone 

‣ Capitol Hill Suites

‣ Conquest Beverage Group

‣ Cultural Tourism D.C.

‣ Destination D.C.

‣ Gettysburg College

‣ The Henry Clay and CITY Destinations

‣ Wayne Hettinger

‣ The Institute for Computing in Humanities, 

Arts, and Social Science (I-CHASS) at the 

University of Illinois

‣ Lincoln Vineyards (New Zealand)

‣ Herbert Lowe

‣ Eileen R. Mackevich 

‣ Morgan, Lewis & Bockius

‣ Mr. and Mrs. Paul Pascal

‣ Publishers Printing

‣ Ruzicka and Associates

‣ Sam Meyers Formal Wear

‣ The Shakespeare Theatre Company

‣ The Silver Spoon, Inc.

‣ Jean and Bill Soman

‣ South Florida Sun-Sentinel

‣ Louise Taper

‣ The United States Colored Troops Living 

History Association

‣ U.S. National Arboretum, with support from 

Friends of the National Arboretum and 

National Bonsai Foundation

‣ United States Postal Service

‣ U.S.S. Lincoln 

‣ The United States Volunteers, Inc.

‣ Washington National Opera

‣ Winston & Strawn

Many thanks to all the performing artists and 

academicians who generously donated or relaxed 

their fees to help commemorate the bicentennial.

February 12, 2009 Birthday Cake Donators: 

Ameliaʼs Cakes, Furinʼs of Georgetown, 

Georgetown Cupcakes, PeterBakes, Washington; 

Fancy Cakes by Leslie, Just Cakes, Bethesda, 

Md.; Sugarbakers Cakes, Catonsville, Md.; 

Simply Desserts, Columbia, Md; Curly-Q-Cakes, 

Ashburn, Va.; Kendallʼs Cakes, Falls Church, Va.; 

SugaChef Desserts, Fort Washington, Va.; 

Amphora Bakery, Herndon, Va.; MallowDrama, 

Reston, Va.; Tastefully Treated, South Riding, Va.; 

and Lily Lane Cakes, Springfield, Va. 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

119
Appendix

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

120

ALBC Co-Chairman Richard Durbin (center) shared a moment with ALBC Commissioners Joan Flinspach, Jean T.D. 

Bandler, Gabor S. Boritt, and Darrel Bigham, and ALBCʼs first administrator, Jackie Williams (second from right), before 

the Commissionʼs second meeting, at Gettysburg College, on November 19, 2001, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Photo courtesy of Darrel Bigham
Legislation Creating the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission! ! 122

Categorical Listings of ALBC Endorsements ! ! ! ! ! 126

Listing of State Bicentennial Commissions! ! ! ! ! ! 143

Lincoln Legacy Schools Certificate Program Distribution!! ! ! 144

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

121

Commissioners (from center, top) Harold Holzer, Frank J. Williams, Joan Flinspach, Darrel Bigham, Jean T.D. Bandler, 

and Tommy Turner, joined Executive Director Eileen Mackevich and staff at an ALBC meeting in Washington in 2009.

Photo by Henry F. Ballone
LEGISLATION CREATING THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Act (Public Law No: 106-173) established the ALBC in 

2000. Reps. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. and Ray LaHood of Illinois introduced the creating legislation in the 

U.S. House of Representatives; Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois introduced it in the U.S. Senate. The 

legislation was enacted on February 25, 2000, under President Bill Clintonʼs signature. 

ONE HUNDRED SIXTH CONGRESS

of the 

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,

the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand

An Act to establish the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress 

assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Act.”

SECTION 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, was one of the Nationʼs most prominent leaders, demonstrating 

true courage during the Civil War, one of the greatest crises in the Nationʼs history.

(2) Born of humble roots in Hardin County, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln rose to the 

Presidency through a legacy of honesty, integrity, intelligence and commitment to the United States.

(3) With the belief that all men were created equal, Abraham Lincoln led the effort to free all slaves in the 

United States.

(4) Abraham Lincoln had a generous heart, with malice toward none and with charity for all.

(5) Abraham Lincoln gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country Lincoln loved, dying from an assassinʼs 

bullet on April 15, 1865.

(6) All Americans could benefit from studying the life of Abraham Lincoln, for Lincolnʼs life is a model for 

accomplishing the “American Dream” through honesty, integrity, loyalty, and a lifetime of education.

(7) The year 2009 will be the bicentennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, and a commission 

should be established to study and recommend to Congress activities that are fitting and proper to 

celebrate that anniversary in a manner that appropriately honors Abraham Lincoln.

SECTION 3. ESTABLISHMENT.

There is established a commission to be known as the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission 

(referred to in this Act as the “Commission”).

SECTION 4. DUTIES.

The Commission shall have the following duties:

(1) To study activities that may be carried out by the Federal Government to determine whether the 

activities are fitting and proper to honor Abraham Lincoln on the occasion of the bicentennial anniversary 

of Lincolnʼs birth, including:

(A) The minting of an Abraham Lincoln bicentennial penny;

(B) The issuance of an Abraham Lincoln bicentennial postage stamp;

(C) The convening of a joint meeting or joint session of Congress for ceremonies and activities 

relating to Abraham Lincoln;

(D) A rededication of the Lincoln Memorial, or other activity with respect to the Memorial; and

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

122
(E) The acquisition and preservation of artifacts associated with Abraham Lincoln.

(2) To recommend to Congress the activities that the Commission considers most fitting and proper to 

honor Abraham Lincoln on such occasion, and the entity or entities in the Federal Government that the 

Commission considers most appropriate to carry out such activities.

(3) To recommend to Congress a plan to carry out the activities recommended under paragraph (2).

(4) To carry out other related activities in support of the duties carried out under paragraphs (1) through 

(3).

SECTION 5. MEMBERSHIP.

(a) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Commission shall be composed of 15 members appointed as 

follows:

(1) Two members, each of whom shall be a qualified citizen described in subsection (b), 

appointed by the President.

(2) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen described in subsection (b), appointed by the 

President on the recommendation of the Governor of Illinois.

(3) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen described in subsection (b), appointed by the 

President on the recommendation of the Governor of Indiana.

(4) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen described in subsection (b), appointed by the 

President on the recommendation of the Governor of Kentucky.

(5) Three members, at least one of whom shall be a Member of the House of Representatives, 

appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(6) Three members, at least one of whom shall be a Senator, appointed by the majority leader of 

the Senate.

(7) Two members, at least one of whom shall be a Member of the House of Representatives, 

appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives.

(8) Two members, at least one of whom shall be a Senator, appointed by the minority leader of 

the Senate.

(b) QUALIFIED CITIZEN.—A qualified citizen described in this subsection is a private citizen of the United 

States with:

(1) a demonstrated dedication to educating others about the importance

of historical figures and events; and

(2) substantial knowledge and appreciation of Abraham Lincoln.

(c) TIME OF APPOINTMENT.—Each initial appointment of a member of the Commission shall be made 

before the expiration of the 120-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act [February 

25, 2000].

(d) CONTINUATION OF MEMBERSHIP.—If a member of the Commission was appointed to the 

Commission as a Member of Congress, and ceases to be a Member of Congress, that member may 

continue to serve on the Commission for not longer than the 30-day period beginning on the date that 

member ceases to be a Member of

Congress.

(e) TERMS.—Each member shall be appointed for the life of the Commission.

(f) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the Commission shall not affect the powers of the Commission but shall 

be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made.

(g) BASIC PAY.—Members shall serve on the Commission without pay.

(h) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each member shall receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 

subsistence, in accordance with sections 5702 and 5703 of title 5, United States Code.

(i) QUORUM.—Five members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum but a lesser number may hold 

hearings.

(j) CHAIR.—The Commission shall select a Chair from among the members of the Commission.

(k) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet at the call of the Chair. Periodically, the Commission shall 

hold a meeting in Springfield, Illinois.

SECTION 6. DIRECTOR AND STAFF.

(a) DIRECTOR.—The Commission may appoint and fix the pay of a Director and such additional 

personnel as the Commission considers to be appropriate.

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

123
(b) APPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN CIVIL SERVICE LAWS.—

(1) DIRECTOR.—The Director of the Commission may be appointed without regard to the 

provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, and 

may be paid without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of that 

title relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates.

(2) STAFF.—Consistent with all other applicable Federal laws governing appointments and 

compensation, the staff of the Commission may be appointed without regard to the provisions of 

title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, and may be paid 

without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of that title relating 

to classification and General Schedule pay rates.

SECTION 7. POWERS.

(a) HEARINGS AND SESSIONS.—The Commission may, for the purpose of carrying out this Act, hold 

such hearings, sit and act at such times and places, take such testimony, and receive such evidence as 

the Commission considers to be appropriate.

(b) POWERS OF MEMBERS AND AGENTS.—Any member or agent of the Commission may, if 

authorized by the Commission, take any action that the Commission is authorized to take by this Act.

(c) OBTAINING OFFICIAL DATA.—The Commission may secure directly from any department or agency 

of the United States information necessary to enable the Commission to carry out this Act. Upon request 

of the Chair of the Commission, the head of that department or agency shall furnish that information to 

the Commission.

(d) MAILS.—The Commission may use the United States mails in the same manner and under the same 

conditions as other departments and agencies of the United States.

(e) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES.—Upon the request of the Commission, the Librarian of 

Congress shall provide to the Commission, on a reimbursable basis, administrative support services 

necessary for the Commission to carry out its responsibilities under this Act, including disbursing funds 

available to the Commission,

and computing and disbursing the basic pay for Commission personnel.

(f) GIFTS.—The Commission may, for the purpose of carrying out this Act, accept and use gifts of money, 

property, and services, and, notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States Code, may accept and 

use voluntary services as the Commission deems necessary.

(g) DETAIL OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—On the request of the Commission, the head of a Federal 

agency or other Federal appointing authority may detail, on a reimbursable or non-reimbursable basis, 

any of its employees to the Commission to assist the Commission in carrying out the duties of the 

Commission under this Act. Any such detail of an employee shall be without interruption or loss of civil 

service status or privilege. Any reimbursement under this subsection shall be credited to the 

appropriation, fund, or account used for paying the amounts reimbursed.

(h) EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall fix employment benefits for the Director and for 

additional personnel appointed under section 6(a), in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FOR THE DIRECTOR.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall determine whether or not to treat the Director 

as a Federal employee for purposes of employment benefits. If the Commission 

determines that the Director is to be treated as a Federal employee, then he or she is 

deemed to be an employee as that term is defined by section 2105 of title 5, United 

States Code, for purposes of chapters 63, 83, 84, 87, 89, and 90 of that title, and is 

deemed to be an employee for purposes of chapter 81 of that title. If the Commission 

determines that the Director is not to be treated as a Federal employee for purposes of 

employment benefits, then the Commission or its administrative support service provider 

shall establish appropriate alternative employment benefits for the Director. The 

Commissionʼs determination shall be irrevocable with respect to each individual

appointed as Director, and the Commission shall notify the Office of Personnel 

Management and the Department of Labor of its determination. Notwithstanding the 

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

124
Commissionʼs determination, the Directorʼs service is deemed to be Federal service for 

purposes of section 8501 of title 5, United States Code.

(B) DETAILEE SERVING AS DIRECTOR.—Subparagraph (A) shall not apply to a 

detailee who is serving as Director.

(3) EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FOR ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL.— A person appointed to the 

Commission staff under section 6(b)(2) is deemed to be an employee as that term is defined by 

section 2105 of title 5, United States Code, for purposes of chapters 63, 83, 84, 87, 89, and 90 of 

that title, and is deemed to be an employee for purposes of chapter 81 of that title.

SEC. 8. REPORTS.

(a) INTERIM REPORTS.—In addition to the interim report required under subsection (b), the Commission 

may submit to Congress such interim reports as the Commission considers to be appropriate.

(b) REQUIRED INTERIM REPORT.—Not later than June 24, 2004, the Commission shall submit an 

interim report to Congress. The report shall contain—

(1) a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of the Commission;

(2) the recommendations of the Commission; and

(3) any other information that the Commission considers to be appropriate.

(c) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than April 30, 2010, the Commission shall submit a final report to 

Congress. The final report shall contain final statements, recommendations, and information described 

under subsection (b)(1), (2), and (3).

SECTION 9. BUDGET ACT COMPLIANCE.

Any spending authority provided under this Act shall be effective only to such extent and in such amounts 

as are provided in appropriation Acts.

SECTION 10. TERMINATION.

The Commission shall terminate 120 days after submitting the final report of the Commission pursuant to 

section 8.

SECTION 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.ʼʼ [Pub. L. 

107–117, div. B, § 917(b), January 10, 2002, 115 Stat. 2325, provided that: ʻʻThe amendments made by 

this section [amending section 209 of Pub. L. 107–68, which amended section 7 of Pub. L. 106–173, set 

out above] shall take effect as if included in the enactment of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 

2002 (Public Law 107–68).ʼʼ]

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

125
CATEGORICAL LISTINGS OF ALBC ENDORSEMENTS

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) launched and maintained an international 

endorsement program that enabled organizations to participate and be acknowledged for their own 

bicentennial projects. This is a list of projects endorsed by the ALBC. More information about the 

endorsement program can be found beginning on page 97 of this final report. More information about 

many of these endorsed projects can be found on the ALBC Web site at www.abrahamlincoln200.org. 

Communications 

Annual Lincoln Days Celebration

Lincoln Days Celebration

Hodgenville, Kentucky

Civil War Medicine Documentary

JAMCO Films

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Historic Structure Report Carrigan and Burch Houses

Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Springfield, Illinois

Looking for Lincoln 

Meserve-Kunhardt Foundation

Chappaqua, New York

Education

11th Annual Civil War Symposium and Reenactment: Abraham Lincoln as War President

National Archives-Great Lakes Region

Chicago, Illinois

2009 American Democracy Lecture at Messiah College

Messiah College

Grantham, Pennsylvania

A Humanitarian as Broad as the World: Lincolnʼs Legacy in International Context

German Historical Institute Conference

Washington, D.C.

A Man and His Books

Center for Screen Time Awareness

Washington, D.C.

A Symposium Honoring the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Abraham Lincoln

Robert E. Lee Civil War Round Table of Central New Jersey

Saddle Brook, New Jersey

A Symposium on President Lincolnʼs Health

The National Museum of Health and Medicine

Washington, D.C.

Abraham Lincoln and Robert Burns: Combined Lives and Legends

Southern Illinois University Press

Carbondale, Illinois

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

126
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Lecture Series

The Grace A. Dow Memorial Library

Midland, Michigan

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Poster Contest

Office of Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor

Columbus, Ohio

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Symposium 

Hartwick College

Oneonta, New York

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Teacher Workshop

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site

Hodgenville, Kentucky

Abraham Lincoln in Song (Audio CD)

Chris Vallillo/Gin Ridge Music

Macomb, Illinois

Abraham Lincoln Looks West: 41st Annual Dakota Conference

The Center for Western Studies of Augustana College

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Abraham Lincoln Portrayed in the Collections of the Indiana Historical Society

Indiana Historical Society Press

Indianapolis, Indiana

Abraham Lincoln Supplemental Lesson for We the People: What Was Abraham Lincoln's Legacy to 

American Constitutionalism and Citizenship?

Center for Civic Education

Calabasas, California

Abraham Lincoln Without Borders (Parts 1 and 2) Conference

International Lincoln Center; International Lincoln Association, Dr. William Pederson, Louisiana State 

University in Shreveport

Shreveport, Louisiana

Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and Indiana: An Evening of Presentations for the Community

Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus Division of Liberal Arts

Columbus, Indiana

Abraham Lincoln: An Enduring American Symbol

Northwestern Oklahoma State University

Alva, Oklahoma

Abraham Lincoln: From Rail-Splitter to President

Lou Del Bianco

Port Chester, New York

Abraham Lincolnʼs Classroom

The Lincoln Institute

Greenwich, Connecticut

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

127
Abraham Lincoln: His Legal Career and His Vision for America

Seventh Circuit Bar Association Lincoln Symposium

Chicago, Illinois

Abraham Lincolnʼs Life and Legacy: A Symposium

College of Liberal Arts, University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

Abraham/Mary Lincoln from A to Z

Betty Carlson Kay

Jacksonville, Illinois

African American History Event

The Crusor Family Historical Research Corporation

Washington, D.C.

Abraham Lincoln Institute Annual Symposium

Abraham Lincoln Institute

Frederick, Maryland

American Musical Salute to Abraham Lincoln

American Musical Salute

Mesa, Arizona

Andrew Johnson Site

National Park Service

Greeneville, Tennessee

Annual Lincoln Institute for Teachers

Darrel Bigham, Historic Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

Annual Lincoln Pilgrimage

Boy Scouts of America-Abraham Lincoln Council

Springfield, Illinois

Annual Lincoln Pilgrimage

Boy Scouts of America-Detroit Area Council

Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan

Building an American Icon

Indiana Historical Society

Indianapolis, Indiana

Children's Lincoln Penny Week

Louisiana Abraham Lincoln Commission

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Civic Rhetoric and Lincolnʼs Birthday

University of Maryland Department of Communication

College Park, Maryland

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

128
Conference on Mary Todd Lincoln and the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Creative Breakthroughs in Leadership

International Lincoln Center

Shreveport, Louisiana

Digital Lincoln: An Exercise in Story Telling

Michigan Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Committee

Plymouth, Michigan

European Readings of Abraham Lincoln, His Times and Legacy

Université de Versailles, St Quentin en Yvelines

Guyancourt Cedex, France

Herndon Biography

Lincoln Studies Center, University of Illinois Press

Springfield, Illinois

His Name Was Lincoln

National Center for Presidential Studies, American Presidents Museum

Branson, Missouri

Learning with Lincoln Institute

Teaching with Primary Sources at Eastern Illinois University and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

Charleston, Illinois

Legacies of the American Revolution: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War

David Library of the American Revolution

Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania

Libo TWHP Lesson Plan

Mike Capps

Lincoln City, Indiana

Lincoln and Oz

Roosevelt High School

Chicago, Illinois

Lincoln and American Ideals Symposium

NARA-Budge Weidman

Washington, D.C.

Lincoln and Freedom

The Lincoln Museum

Fort Barry, Indiana

Lincoln and New York

New York State Archives and the Archives Partnership Trust

Albany, New York

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

129
Lincoln and the Civil War in Contemporary America

University of South Carolina and College of Charleston

Columbia, South Carolina

Lincoln and the South Conference

The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar

Richmond, Virginia

Lincoln Bicentennial Essay Contest

Queens Village Republican Club

Queens Village, New York

Lincoln Bicentennial Project

National League of American Pen Women

Delray Beach, Florida

Lincoln Bicentennial Speaker Series

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site

Hodgenville, Kentucky

Lincoln Elementary Centennial

Lincoln Elementary School

Highland Park, Illinois

Lincoln for the Ages: Lessons for the 21st Century

Professor Lucas E. Morel, Politics Department, Washington and Lee University/Garwood Visiting Fellow 

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey

Lincoln in American Memory

The Library of America

New York, New York

Lincoln in Michigan: An Anthology

Michigan Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Committee

Lansing, Michigan

Lincoln Landing

Give Something Back Foundation

Lockport, Illinois

Lincoln Leadership Series

Michigan Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Committee

Lansing, Michigan

Lincoln Legacy: A Cincinnati Celebration of Freedom

Cooperative of Cincinnati Organizations

Cincinnati, Ohio

Lincoln Lessons: Experts Reflect on Democracyʼs Greatest Political Leader

Lincoln Forum, International Lincoln Center

Shreveport, Louisiana

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

130
Lincoln Letters for Kids

Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum

Harrogate, Tennessee

Lincoln Pageant 

Lincoln Academy

American Fork, Utah

Lincoln Reenactment

Lincoln County Historical Society

Lincoln, Kansas

Lincoln Song

Gary Cherone

Malden, Massachusetts

Lincoln the Inventor by Jason Emerson

Southern Illinois University Press

Carbondale, Illinois

Lincoln: A Man For All Times

Lincoln Project Publishing

Buffalo, Kentucky

Lincolnʼs America Book

Lincoln Museum

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Lincolnʼs Boyhood in Indiana: Teaching and Learning Resources

Indiana Humanities Council

Indianapolis, Indiana

Lincolnʼs Constitutionalism in Time of War: Lessons for the Current War on Terror?

Chapman Law Review, Chapman University School of Law

Orange, California

Lincolnʼs Gettysburg Address: Echoes of the Bible and Book of Common Prayer by A. E. Elmore

Southern Illinois University Press

Carbondale, Illinois

Lincolnʼs Legacy

Forbes House Museum

Milton, Massachusetts

Lincolnʼs Legacy: Enduring Lessons of Executive Power

Albany Government Law Review, Albany Law School

Albany, New York

Lincolnʼs Treasurer: Hugh McCulloch of Fort Wayne

Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

131
Lincolnarchives.us

Documents on Wheels

College Park, Maryland

Link to Lincoln: The 29th Annual Childrenʼs Literature Conference

Northern Illinois Universityʼs College of Education

DeKalb, Illinois

Looking For Your Lincoln Hero: Global Online Essay Contest

Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition, Lincoln National Heritage Area and the My Hero Project

Springfield, Illinois

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: Lincoln, the NAACP, and the World They Created

The 29th Annual Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Series

Rutgers Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience

Newark, New Jersey

Mr. Lincolnʼs Boys: Being the Mostly True Adventures of Abraham Lincolnʼs Trouble-Making Sons, Tad 

and Willie

Viking Childrenʼs Books

Irvington, New York

Music for Abraham Lincoln: Campaign Songs, Civil War Tunes, Laments for a President 

Anne Enslow and Ridley Enslow, Enslow Publishers

Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

National Conference for K-12 Teachers of U.S. and World History

Westlake, Ohio

National Council on Public History Annual Conference

National Council on Public History

Indianapolis, Indiana

Nevada Humanities Chautauqua: Lincoln and the Civil War

Nevada Humanities

Reno, Nevada

Ohio Emancipation Day

Paul LaRueʼs Research History Class

Washington Court House, Ohio

One State, One Story: Indiana Reads About Lincoln

Indianapolis, Indiana

Presidential Academy for American History and Civics

Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs

Ashland, Ohio

Profiles in Leadership: Abraham Lincolnʼs Leadership and Legacy for a New Generation

Georgia Historical Society

Savannah, Georgia

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

132
Reading Lincoln, Exploring Lincoln, and the Civil War Through Books

Edgewater Historical Society and Museum

Chicago, Illinois

Restoring Lt. Lamson: Lincolnʼs Stalwart Webfoot

Civil War Round Table Group at PSU

Portland, Oregon

Songs of the Civil War/“Lincoln & Liberty Too”

Songs of the Civil War

Dubuque, Idaho

Star Valley Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration

Star Valley Arts Council, Lincoln County School District No. 2, Star Valley Historical Society

Afton, Wyoming

Symposium 2009

Houghton Library, Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts

The 2008-09 Jepson Leadership Forum

The Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond

Richmond, Virginia

The 48th Annual Robert Fortenbaugh Memorial Lecture with Michael Burlingame 

Topic: “Abraham Lincoln: New Information, Fresh Perspectives”

Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College and Gettysburg College Department of History

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

The Abraham Lincoln Institute Annual Symposium

The Abraham Lincoln Institute

San Francisco, California

The Abraham Lincoln Map

Kieran McAuliffe

Toronto Ontario, Canada

The Abraham Lincoln Symposium

Emporia State University 

Emporia, Kansas

The Civil Warʼs History in a Box

Carol Campbell and Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum

Harrogate, Tennessee

The Footprints of Lincoln

The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum

Harrogate, Tennessee

The Language of Liberty: The Political Speeches and Writings of Abraham Lincoln (Revised Bicentennial 

Edition), edited by Joseph R. Fornieri 

Regnery Publishing

Washington, DC

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

133
The Lincoln Bicentennial for the Next Generation

Office of Secretary of Illinois Secretary of State

Springfield, Illinois

The Lincoln Forum Annual Conferences

The Lincoln Forum

Englewood, Colorado

The Lincoln Memorial and American Life

Christopher Thomas

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

The Lincoln Symposium

Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum

Harrogate, Tennessee

Twelfth Annual Symposium

Abraham Lincoln Institute

Frederick, Maryland

Twenty-First Century Abe

Rosenbach Museum and Library

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

UCLA Lincoln Celebration

UCLA Center for the Liberal Arts and Free Institutions

Los Angeles, California

Welcome to Lincolnʼs Louisville

Jefferson County Clerkʼs Office

Louisville, Kentucky

Public Programs

2008 Annual Conference

Lincoln Highway Association

Evanston, Wyoming

2009 Annual Conference

Lincoln Highway Association

South Bend, Indiana

A Dinner Party with History

Lightbeam Studio Institute

Vienna, Virginia

A Lincoln Celebration

The Kentucky Humanities Council

Lexington, Kentucky

A Lincoln Letter

Long Beach Central Area Association

Long Beach, California

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134
A Meeting of the Minds of the Presidents of Mount Rushmore

Lincoln-Hanks Wedding Celebration Committee and St. Catherineʼs College

Springfield, Kentucky

A Period 1860 Bicentennial Ball Celebrating Mr. Lincolnʼs 200th Birthday

10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment Band

Springfield, Illinois

Abraham Lincoln and the Farmington Plantation

Farmington Historic Home

Louisville, Kentucky

Abraham Lincoln and Gallaudet University

Gallaudet University

Washington, D.C.

Abraham and Mary: A Dramatic Character Study of the Lincolns

Author: Bo Metzler

New York, New York

Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of America Exhibit

Lehigh Valley Heritage Center and Museum

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration

Spencer County Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Santa Claus, Indiana

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Concert

Queens College Orchestra and Chorus, New York City Labor Chorus, Riverside Church Gospel Choir

Sunnyside, New York

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Weekend at the Asa Waters Mansion

Friends of the Asa Waters Mansion

Millbury, Massachusetts

Abraham Lincoln Manuscripts Exhibit

Oregon Historical Society

Portland, Oregon

Abraham Lincoln, the Gettysburg Address and Remembrance Day

Friends of History and Oregon Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Portland, Oregon

Alaska Lincoln Bicentenary Commemoration

University of Alaska-Anchorage

Anchorage, Alaska

American Heritage

The Topeka Symphony

Topeka, Kansas

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

135
An Evening with President Lincoln

Civil War Round Table Group at PSU

Portland, Oregon

Apart From That

Theseus Roche/Manhattan Youth

New York, New York

Bicentennial Abraham Lincoln Medallion

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Valparaiso, Indiana

Celebrating Lincolnʼs 200th birthday and the 150th Anniversary of His Speech in Dayton

The Lincoln Society of Dayton

Dayton, Ohio

2008 Conference on Lincoln

The Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Concert to Commemorate the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Year

Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras

Madison, Wisconsin

Dedication Day 2008

Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Dedication Day 2009

Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Dedication Day Ceremony

The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, Civil War Institute, Gettysburg National Military Park

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Fanfare for the Fourth: A Bicentennial Tribute to Abraham Lincoln

The Louisville Chorus

Louisville, Kentucky

For the People: World Premiere

Pennsylvania Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

GAR Cemetery and Civil War Statue Dedication

Colonel Edward D. Baker Camp 6, Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War

Eugene, Oregon

Gettysburg Addressed

Longfellow National Historic Site

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

136
Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center Opening

Gettysburg Foundation with Gettysburg National Military Park

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Gilder Lehrman Institute of America Exhibition for Underground Railroad Freedom Tour 

Pennsylvania Lincoln Bicentennial Commission 

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Grand Opening of the David Wills House Lincoln Museum

Gettysburg National Military Park

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

H. Res. 736: Honoring President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address on "Dedication Day"

Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Happy 200th Birthday President Lincoln: From the People

Wendy Allen

New Milford, Connecticut

His Terrible Swift Sword

Charles R. Widdersheim

Butler,Pennsylvania

Homerʼs Celebration of Lincoln in Print and Paint

Homer Educational Foundation

Homer, New York

Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Springfield, Illinois

Indiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

State of Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

Jewish Life in Mr. Lincolnʼs City Exhibition

Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington

Washington, D.C.

Journey of Remembrance

RLD Enterprises and Spencer County, Indiana

Santa Claus, Indiana

Juneteenth Celebrating the Bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln

Long Beach Central Area Association

Long Beach, California

Kentucky Repertory Theatre Presents: Abraham Lincoln

Kentucky Repertory Theatre

Horse Cave, Kentucky

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

137
Kentucky Music and the Lincoln Family

Lexington Philharmonic

Lexington, Kentucky

Last Measure of Devotion: The Lincoln Presidency

Cornell University Library, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections

Ithaca, New York

Liberty on the Border Exhibit

Frazier International History Museum

Louisville, Kentucky

Lincoln 

The Lincoln Amphitheatre and Lincoln Boyhood Drama Association

Lincoln City, Indiana

Lincoln Addresses Oregon Legislature

Oregon Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Portland, Oregon

Lincoln and Alexander Traveling Exhibit

American Russian Cultural Cooperation

Washington, D.C.

Lincoln and Shakespeare: Politics and Art

The Shakespeare Theatre Co.

Washington, D.C.

Lincoln and the Constitution Traveling Exhibit

National Constitution Center

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Lincoln Bicentennial Benefit Run

Henagerʼs Museum and National Veterans Memorial

Elberfeld, Indiana

Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration

Orange County Regional History Center

Orlando, Florida

Lincoln: The Early Years

Riverside County Library System

Riverside, California

Lincoln for All Ages 

The Blair County Historical Society

Altoona, Pennsylvania

Lincoln Frontier Trail

FirstServePress

Ottawa, Illinois

Lincoln-Hanks Wedding

Frankfort, Kentucky

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

138
Lincoln in New York

New York Historical Society

New York, New York

Lincoln in New Hampshire Exhibit

New Hampshire Historical Society

Concord, New Hampshire

Lincoln in New York

New York ALBC

Albany, New York

Lincoln in Washington

Historical Society of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Lincoln Opera

ImaginationSound and the Manhattan Choral Ensemble

Sea Cliff, New York

Lincoln Plays and Musicals

National Historic Theatre

Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania

Lincoln Series: Inspiring the Better Angels of Our Nature

John E. Fetzer Institute

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Lincoln Society Day and Evening Commemoration 

Lincoln Society

Peekskill, New York

Lincoln Tomb Ceremony

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Valparaiso, Indiana

Lincoln the Untold Story

The Lincoln Story, Inc.

College Park, Maryland

Lincolnʼs America in Maps

McElfresh Map Company

Olean, New York

Lincolnʼs Beardstown Trial: The Play

Orville Vernon and Georganne Burton

Ninety Six, South Carolina

Lincolnʼs Great Fair

Independence Visitor Center Corporation

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

139
Lincolnʼs Ideals in a New Century

Spokane Symphony

Spokane, Washington

Lincolnʼs Legacy at Veterans Affairs

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Washington, D.C.

Lincolnʼs Love of Music and Song

Cameo Productions

Sparta, New Jersey

Looking for Lincoln

The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition

Springfield, Illinois

Manhunt: Chasing Lincolnʼs Killer

Newseum

Washington, DC

MENC: A Music Tribute to Lincoln

National Association for Music Education

Reston, Virginia

Michigan Commissioned Piece of Classical Music

Michigan Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Lansing, Michigan

Music of Lincoln and His Era

97th Regimental String Band

Madeira Beach, Florida

2009 Transcontinental Motor Convoy Along the Lincoln Highway

Military Vehicles Preservation Association

Troy, Michigan

My Summers With Lincoln: An Odyssey Through Americaʼs Monumental Mania With the Sixteenth 

President

James A. Percoco

Springfield, Virginia

Mystic Chords of Memory: Abraham Lincoln and the Performing Arts

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

New York, New York

Nevada Day Parade Celebration

Nevada Day Parade Board

Carson City, Nevada

Nevada Lincoln Bicentennial Medallion

Nevada State Museum

Carson City, Nevada

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

140
New/Replacement Gettysburg Address Tablets for National Cemeteries 

National Cemetery Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs

Washington, DC

Our American Cousin Opera

American Singers Theater

Leeds, Massachusetts

Our Favorite Lincoln: Favorite Stories of Lincoln, by Lincoln and for Lincoln

La Crosse County Historical Society

La Crosse, Wisconsin

Partners in Freedom concert

The Rochester Oratorio Society

Rochester, New York

Pilgrimage to Lincolnʼs Tomb

American Legion

Springfield, Illinois

Portraying Lincoln Exhibit

Michael Fowler

Aiken, South Carolina

Preserving Lincoln Sculpture

Save Outdoor Sculpture!

Washington, DC

Remembrance Day

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Valparaiso, Indiana

Remembrance Day at Mt. Zion Methodist Meeting Cemetery

Friends of Darby Methodist Meeting Cemetery

Darby, Pennsylvania

Restaging of October 16, 1858 Lincoln Rally and Dedication of Permanent Marker

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of Lincoln, Illinois

Lincoln, Illinois

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Providence, Rhode Island

Rise Up and Hear the Bells

The Southeastern Festival of Song

Atlanta, Georgia

Riverfest Celebrates Lincolnʼs Bicentennial

Riverfront Recapture

Hartford, Connecticut

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

141
Riverfront Recaptureʼs Lincoln Financial Sculpture Walk

Riverfront Recapture

Hartford, Connecticut

Savannah Book Festival

Savannah Book Festival, Inc.

Savannah, Georgia

Series of Dramatic Productions

Minnesota Heritage Publishing

Mankato, Minnesota

The Abolition Unfinished: Lincolnʼs Legacy Revived in the Movement Against Modern Day Slavery

Free the Slaves

Washington, D.C.

The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (a film from PBSʼs flagship history series)

American Experience/WGBH Boston

Boston, Massachusetts

The Day Carl Sandburg Died

Star Valley Arts Council, Lincoln County School District No. 2, Star Valley Historical Society

Asheville, North Carolina

The Gettysburg Festival (Four Lincoln-themed Events)

The Gettysburg Festival, Inc.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

The Grand Review of November 20, 1861, at Baileyʼs Crossroads: A Tribute to President Lincoln

Lincoln at the Crossroads Alliance

Falls Church, Virginia

The House of the Temple Library Exhibition

The Library of the Supreme Council

Washington, D.C.

The Life Abraham Lincoln painting

Lincoln Legacy

Santa Claus, Indiana

The Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration

The Monmouth Civic Chorus

Red Bank, New Jersey

The Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration 

The Mary L. Cook Public Library

Waynesville, Ohio

The Lincoln Flag From Pike County Exhibit at the Historic Gettysburg Railroad Station

Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

142
The Lincoln, Virginia, Bicentennial

The Lincoln Preservation Foundation, et al.

Lincoln, Virginia

The Little Orchestra Society Lincoln Bicentennial Project

The Little Orchestra Society/Orpheon Inc.

New York, New York

The Year of Lincoln at the Ohio Statehouse

Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board

Columbus, Ohio

There I Grew Up: Remembering Abraham Lincolnʼs Youth

Indiana Historical Society Press

Indianapolis, Indiana

Town Hall Meetings

Oregon Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Portland, Oregon

Two Traveling Exhibitions

The Lincoln Museum

Fort Wayne, Indiana

LISTING OF STATE BICENTENNIAL COMMISSIONS

• Alabama Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Arizona Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Connecticut Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Delaware Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Idaho Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Indiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Iowa Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Louisiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Massachusetts Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Michigan Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Missouri Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• New Hampshire Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• New York Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• North Dakota Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Ohio Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Oregon Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Rhode Island Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Vermont Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• West Virginia Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

• Wyoming Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

143
LINCOLN LEGACY SCHOOLS CERTIFICATE PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION

The Lincoln Legacy Schools Certificate Program recognized schools, students and 

teachers that participated in the Lincoln bicentennial. Each school that submitted its 

plans for the bicentennial received a certificate signed by the Commissionʼs CoChairmen. By the end of the 2008-2009 school year, 5,024 schools had received 

certificates. The listing represents all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana 

Islands and U.S. Department of Defense Schools overseas. The top five states were 

Illinois, Florida, California, Texas, and New York. Schools also hailed from Argentina, 

Australia, the Bahamas, England, Finland, France, Ghana, Holland, India, and Nigeria.

More information about the certificate program can be found on page 65 of this report.

State" " " Certificates

Alaska ! ! ! 16

Alabama! ! ! 61

Arizona! ! ! 80

Arkansas! ! ! 40

California! ! ! 405

Colorado! ! ! 78

Connecticut! ! ! 55

Delaware! ! ! 34

District of Columbia ! ! 15

Florida!! ! ! 462

Georgia! ! ! 229

Hawaii!! ! ! 24

Idaho! ! ! ! 38

Illinois! ! ! ! 510

Indiana! ! 195

Iowa! ! ! 50

Kansas ! ! 65

Kentucky ! ! 120

Louisiana ! ! 89

Maine! ! ! ! 24

Maryland ! ! 96

Massachusetts ! ! 100

Michigan! ! ! 159

Minnesota! ! ! 75

Mississippi! ! ! 40

Missouri! ! ! 131

Montana! ! ! 12

North Carolina!! ! 170

North Dakota! ! ! 20

Nebraska! ! ! 42

Nevada ! ! 78

State" " " Certificates

New Hampshire! ! 49

New Jersey ! ! ! 198

New Mexico! ! ! 29

New York ! ! ! 317

Ohio! ! ! ! 165

Oklahoma! ! ! 78

Oregon! ! ! 32

Pennsylvania! ! ! 255

Rhode Island! ! ! 21

South Carolina! ! 64

South Dakota! ! 5

Tennessee! ! ! 130

Texas! ! ! ! 348

Utah! ! ! ! 44

Virginia! ! ! 224

Vermont! ! ! 12

Washington! ! ! 84

West Virginia! ! ! 27

Wisconsin! ! ! 129

Wyoming! ! ! 11

Armed Forces Schools 10

Argentina! ! 2

Bahamas! ! ! 1

Finland! ! ! 1

France!! ! ! 1

Ghana!! ! 1

England! ! 1

Holland! ! 1

Nigeria!! ! 1

Northern Marianas 1

Puerto Rico! ! 4

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

144
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report

145

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission wishes to acknowledge the following 

individuals for their committed efforts in ensuring the completion of its final report:

Commissioners

Harold Holzer

Darrel Bigham

Jean T.D. Bandler

Joan Flinspach

Staff

Eileen R. Mackevich

Jennifer Rosenfeld

David Early

Senior Editor and Writer

Herbert Lowe

Designed by

Aim High Media

A partnership between the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, the Newberry Library, and the Chicago 

History Museum in 2009 produced a new Web site project, at www.lincolnat200.org, that digitized the museumʼs 

exhibit, “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War; Lincoln and the West, 1809-1860.” 
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, D.C. 20540

www.abrahamlincoln200.org

Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Final Report 

146