III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 38 

Commemorating the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln on the 

bicentennial of his birth. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 12, 2009 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. BAYH, Mr. BUNNING, Mr. BURRIS, Mr. LUGAR, 

and Mr. MCCONNELL) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the life and legacy of President Abraham 

Lincoln on the bicentennial of his birth. 

Whereas President Abraham Lincoln was born on February 

12, 1809, to modest means, in a 1-room log cabin in 

Kentucky; 

Whereas Abraham Lincoln spent his childhood in Indiana, 

and, despite having less than a year of formal schooling, 

developed an avid love of reading and learning; 

Whereas Abraham Lincoln arrived in Illinois at the age of 21; 

Whereas, while living in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln met and 

married his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, built a successful 

legal practice, served in the State legislature of Illinois, 

was elected to Congress, and participated in the famous 

‘‘Lincoln-Douglas’’ debates; 


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Whereas Abraham Lincoln left Illinois 4 months after being 

elected President of the United States in 1860; 

Whereas Abraham Lincoln was the first member of the Republican party elected President of the United States and 

helped build the Republican party into a strong national 

organization; 

Whereas, after his election and the secession of the southern 

States, Abraham Lincoln steered the United States 

through the most profound moral and political crisis, and 

the bloodiest war, in the history of the Nation; 

Whereas, by helping to preserve the Union and by holding a 

national election, as scheduled, during a civil war, Abraham Lincoln reaffirmed the commitment of the people of 

the United States to majority rule and democracy; 

Whereas the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham 

Lincoln declared that slaves within the Confederacy 

would be forever free and welcomed more than 200,000 

African American soldiers and sailors into the armed 

forces of the Union; 

Whereas the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham 

Lincoln fundamentally transformed the Civil War from a 

battle for political unity to a moral fight for freedom; 

Whereas the faith Abraham Lincoln had in democracy was 

strong, even after the bloodiest battle of the war at Gettysburg; 

Whereas the inspiring words spoken by Abraham Lincoln at 

Gettysburg still resonate today: ‘‘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’’; 


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Whereas Abraham Lincoln was powerfully committed to 

unity, turning rivals into allies within his own Cabinet 

and welcoming the defeated Confederacy back into the 

Union with characteristic generosity, ‘‘with malice toward 

none; with charity for all’’; 

Whereas Abraham Lincoln became the first President of the 

United States to be assassinated, days after giving a 

speech promoting voting rights for African Americans; 

Whereas, through his opposition to slavery, Abraham Lincoln 

set the United States on a path toward resolving the tension between the ideals of ‘‘liberty and justice for all’’ espoused by the Founders of the United States and the ignoble practice of slavery, and redefined what it meant to 

be a citizen of the United States; 

Whereas, in his commitment to unity, Abraham Lincoln did 

more than simply abolish slavery; he ensured that the 

promise that ‘‘all men are created equal’’ was an inheritance to be shared by all people of the United States; 

Whereas the story of Abraham Lincoln and the example of 

his life, including his inspiring rise from humble origins 

to the highest office of the land and his decisive leadership through the most harrowing time in the history of 

the United States, continues to bring hope and inspiration to millions in the United States and around the 

world, making him one of the greatest Presidents and humanitarians in history; and 

Whereas February 12, 2009, marks the bicentennial of the 

birth of Abraham Lincoln: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) commemorates the bicentennial of the birth 

3 of President Abraham Lincoln; 


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1 (2) recognizes and echoes the commitment of 

2 Abraham Lincoln to what he called the ‘‘unfinished 

3 work’’ of unity and harmony in the United States; 

4 and 

5 (3) encourages the people of the United States 

6 to recommit to fulfilling the vision of Abraham Lin7 coln of equal rights for all. 

Æ 


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