[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 29 (Thursday, February 12, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2169-S2170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN ON THE 
                       BICENTENNIAL OF HIS BIRTH

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I have a resolution commemorating the life 
and legacy of President Lincoln, which I wish to offer if it meets with 
the approval of the Republican leader.
  I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the immediate 
consideration of S. Res. 38, submitted earlier today.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the 
resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 38) commemorating the life and the 
     legacy of President Abraham Lincoln on the bicentennial of 
     his birth.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. DURBIN. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the 
preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, 
with no intervening action or debate, and any statements relating to 
the resolution be printed in the Record.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 38) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 38

       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;

[[Page S2170]]

       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'';
       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
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commemorates the bicentennial of the birth of President 
     Abraham Lincoln;
       (2) recognizes and echoes the commitment of Abraham Lincoln 
     to what he called the ``unfinished work'' of unity and 
     harmony in the United States; and
       (3) encourages the people of the United States to recommit 
     to fulfilling the vision of Abraham Lincoln of equal rights 
     for all.

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I wish to make a statement relative to 
this anniversary of Lincoln's birth, but I would be prepared first to 
yield to the Republican leader if he wishes to make a statement.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I thank my friend from Illinois. I do have a couple of 
brief observations.

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