[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 46 (Monday, November 24, 2008)]
[Pages 1434-1435]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Reopening of the National Museum of American History

November 19, 2008

    Thank you. Laura and I are thrilled to be here. We are honored you 
would invite us to reopen one of the country's great civic institutions, 
the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. This building is home to 
many of our national treasures. It is a reminder of our country's proud 
heritage. And today we're witnessing the beginning of an exciting new 
era in its history. And I would urge all our citizens who come to 
Washington, DC: Come to this fantastic place of learning.
    Wayne, thank you for serving; proud to be with you. Roger Sant, the 
Chair of the Smithsonian Institute's Board of Regents, and Vicki. I 
appreciate Brent Glass, the Director. I want to thank Dirk Kempthorne; 
Mr. Secretary, thank you for being here. Jonathan Scharfem, Acting 
Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as well as 
Congressman [Congresswoman] * Doris Matsui from California. I want to 
thank Governor Martin O'Malley of the great State of Maryland for coming 
here today. I am honored to be with Judy Woodruff, the esteemed master 
of ceremony--mistress of ceremony, MC. I thank David McCullough for 
joining us, a great historian and a fine American.
    * White House correction.
    Ever since President James K. Polk laid the Smithsonian's 
cornerstone in 1847, it has been one of our Nation's greatest centers of 
knowledge. And since it opened nearly 45 years ago, the Museum of 
American History has been one of the Smithsonian's most popular 
institutions.
    The items on display here are as diverse as our Nation. Visitors can 
see George Washington's military uniform, one of Thomas Edison's early 
lightbulbs, the desk on which Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration 
of Independence, even Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves, which he modestly 
predicted would become the most famous thing in this building. 
[Laughter]
    Another item on display here is one of our Nation's proudest symbols 
of patriotism. The icon's fame dates to the War of 1812. In that 
conflict, the British Navy bombarded Baltimore's Fort McHenry with 
rockets and mortar fire. And as the battle raged, a young American was 
detained on a ship in Baltimore Harbor, unable to join the fight. The 
next morning, he was anxious to see whether his country had resisted the 
invasion. He discovered the answer when he saw the stars and stripes of 
the United States waving defiantly above Fort McHenry.
    That young American, of course, was Francis Scott Key. He referred 
to the moment he saw the flag as an ``hour of deliverance and joyful 
triumph.'' He recorded those emotions in a poem called ``The Star-
Spangled Banner.'' Today, nearly two centuries after they were composed, 
his words are written on the heart of every American and written into 
our law as our country's national anthem. And the flag that inspired 
them is preserved here, thanks to the generosity of some fine citizens, 
to remind us of the sacrifices that have been made to ensure our 
freedom.
    There have been hours in our Nation's history when that promise of 
freedom looked uncertain. One of them took place 145 years ago today, 
when President Abraham Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to 
dedicate a cemetery at one of the Civil War's bloodiest battlefields. By 
that day, the war had raged for more than 2\1/2\ years and claimed 
hundreds of thousands of casualties. Many were convinced that a peace 
that preserved slavery would be better than a war that was pitting 
brother against brother. President Lincoln understood that liberty is a 
gift given by the Almighty, and that peace must not be purchased with 
injustice.

[[Page 1435]]

    That day, President Lincoln called the Nation together in the 
pursuit of a new birth of freedom. He urged Americans to honor the dead 
by carrying out the cause for which they gave their lives. With only 10 
sentences, he strengthened the bonds of our Union, and rededicated our 
Nation to the proposition that all men are created equal.
    At the time, President Lincoln said that the world would ``little 
note nor long remember'' his words. The verdict of history has been 
quite different. Over the years, the Gettysburg Address has been 
memorized by generations of schoolchildren--including me and Laura--
stands as the greatest Presidential speech of all time.
    For nearly 50 years, one of the only handwritten copies of this 
speech has been kept at the White House. For the next several weeks, it 
will be on display here at the Museum of American History. And Laura and 
I are delighted that this important piece of our country's heritage will 
be available for all to see.
    Among those inspired by the principles in the Gettysburg Address 
were four African American college students in Greensboro, North 
Carolina. In 1960, they sat at a lunch counter inside a Woolworth's 
department store and asked to be served. Their request was denied, 
because the counter was designated as ``whites only.'' When they were 
asked to leave, those brave students refused to give up their seats. The 
single act of courage helped power a national movement that culminated 
with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And today, that lunch 
counter is preserved here at the Smithsonian, in an honored location 
just down the hall from the Gettysburg Address.
    In the lives of Francis Scott Key, Abraham Lincoln, and those brave 
students in Greensboro, we see the best of America. We see men and women 
of character who refused to surrender to adversity. We see hope, 
courage, and a devotion to universal values. And we see a nation 
constantly moving toward greater freedom and greater opportunity.
    Throughout our history, these ideals have called out to those beyond 
our shores. They have beckoned those who love liberty from every nation. 
They have made countless generations of men and women across the world 
long for the pride that comes with calling yourself an American citizen. 
Today I'm delighted to congratulate five of you who will be taking your 
oath of citizenship in just a few moments. Though you are originally 
from France, Germany, Guyana, Lebanon, and Peru, today you're becoming 
members of the American family. We welcome you with open arms. I will be 
proud to call you fellow citizen.
    The Museum of American History is a wonderful place to begin your 
journey as an American. These halls reflect both the duties and 
privileges of citizenship. They remind us that America's highest ideals 
have always required brave defenders. They remind us that our liberty is 
a precious gift from God.
    Thank you for having Laura and me here. May God continue to bless 
the United States of America.

Note: The President spoke at 10:16 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution G. Wayne Clough; Victoria P. 
Sant, president, National Gallery of Art; and Judy Woodruff, senior 
correspondent, Public Broadcasting Service.