[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3680]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 WHAT ABRAHAM LINCOLN MEANS TO AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ALTMIRE. Tomorrow we commemorate the 200th anniversary of the 
birth of Abraham Lincoln. While it's tempting to think that there could 
not possibly be anything original or profound left to say about 
Lincoln, that's not why we commemorate this occasion.
  The life of Lincoln is more than the story of our greatest President. 
It is the story of America itself. We are not here to repeat the 
history of the man who was elected at a time of unprecedented national 
challenge, tested time and again by adversity, and taken away during 
his moment of greatest glory.
  All of that is known and has been discussed and studied by students 
and scholars the world over. But that is not what this bicentennial was 
about. This is a celebration of America, because the life of Abraham 
Lincoln is, in and of itself, a celebration of America.
  Abraham Lincoln is the everlasting embodiment of the American dream--
the belief that any American, through hard work and determination, can 
achieve anything their imagination and perseverance can conceive.
  Born in a Kentucky log cabin in 1809, he would have seemed to be 
among the least likely Americans to live a life of distinction. That is 
why his story is so important to America. It could have been the story 
of any one of us--of any American.
  Throughout his early life, he was never considered extraordinary. He 
tried many jobs and went through many phases. Farmer, rail splitter, 
raftsman, shopkeeper, lawyer, and politician. And through it all he met 
with his times of failure, but he also had his times of success.
  He served just a single term in this U.S. House of Representatives, 
and would not achieve national prominence until much later, when his 
own ambition collided with our Nation's destiny. And it's what came 
next that brought Lincoln to his moment and America to her rebirth.
  We know about the Lincoln-Douglas debates, the Gettysburg Address, 
and the Second Inaugural. We know about the Emancipation Proclamation, 
the Team of Rivals, and the ups and downs of the Civil War. We know 
about the surrender at Appomattox and that fateful night at Ford's 
Theater.
  All of those are etched into our Nation's history. They're the 
reasons that Abraham Lincoln, the man, is immortalized. But they are 
not the reason that we commemorate the bicentennial of his birth.
  Now and forevermore, the role of Lincoln in the American memory is to 
remind us that, in America, everything is possible. Like Lincoln's own 
life, our Nation's history has not been perfect, it has not been 
without tragedy, and not been without adversity. But, also like 
Lincoln, as we strive for recovery, endure our hardships and mourn our 
losses, we as a Nation will always overcome. And, in the end, we 
celebrate our success. And Abraham Lincoln is one of our Nation's 
greatest successes.
  Now, a lot has been written and said about Abraham Lincoln over these 
past 200 years. In fact, more words have been written about Abraham 
Lincoln than any other American. Every one of our 50 States and many of 
our cities have some sort of memorial to him, the most famous of which 
is located just down the National Mall from this Capitol building. And 
that Lincoln Memorial, which we treasure, and we can see from here, was 
dedicated in 1922--87 years ago. Four score and 7 years ago.
  In life, he was taken from us far too soon, but in history he will 
always endure. Now and forever he truly does belong to the ages.
  Some have said that without Abraham Lincoln, there may not be a 
United States of America. Well, this can be debated, but one thing is 
certain. Without a United States of America, there could never have 
been an Abraham Lincoln. And that is what we celebrate.

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