Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration

Celebrate with Us!

“There’s an old saying that our country gets the president it deserves. More likely, however, is that every so often, the country is blessed with a great leader despite itself. Such was the case with Abraham Lincoln. Though he had neither the resume nor the breeding that hinted at his formidable gifts, he assumed the leadership of the country as it verged on self-destruction, and in so doing, was able to preserve the first democratic republic of any significance in more than a millennium. He possessed an extraordinary ability to unite political opponents behind his causes and to draw out the “better angels” in the nation’s collective nature. For these reasons and so many others, Lincoln is often ranked as our nation’s greatest president.” wrote Holly Korab.

Representatives from Lincolnwood civic, business and educational organizations have come together to form the Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration Committee. This committee is busy planning numerous Lincoln themed special events which are highlighted here on this page. The culmination of these events will be the unveiling of a life sized bronze Lincoln statue, taking place on Labor day of 2009. You can become a part of the Lincoln Legacy by being a Statue Sponsor.

You can also become a part of his legacy by becoming a Sponsor for Lincolnwood's Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration. Your sponsor dollars go towards supporting Lincoln-themed events throughout the community.

REENACTMENT IN HISTORY AT PROESEL PARK IN LINCOLNWOOD - SEPTEMBER 19-20, 2008

The Wapita Trading Company transformed our own Proesel Park to the times of Abraham Lincoln in a Living History Encampment. History was recreated right here in our own town of Lincolnwood!

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

ABRAHAM LINCOLN FACTS

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865) was the sixteenth President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1861 until his assassination. As an outspoken opponent of the expansion of slavery in the United States, Lincoln won the Republican Party nomination in 1860 and was elected president later that year. During his term, he helped preserve the United States by leading the defeat of the secessionist Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. He introduced measures that resulted in the abolition of slavery, issuing his Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and promoting the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1865.

Lincoln closely supervised the victorious war effort, especially the selection of top generals, including Ulysses S. Grant. Historians have concluded that he handled the factions of the Republican Party well, bringing leaders of each faction into his cabinet and forcing them to cooperate. Lincoln successfully defused a war scare with the United Kingdom in 1861. Under his leadership, the Union took control of the border slave states at the start of the war. Additionally, he managed his own reelection in the 1864 presidential election.

Opponents of the war (also known as "Copperheads") criticized him for refusing to compromise on the slavery issue. Conversely, the Radical Republicans, an abolitionist faction of the Republican Party, criticized him for moving too slowly in abolishing slavery. Even with these road blocks, Lincoln successfully rallied public opinion through his rhetoric and speeches; his Gettysburg Address is but one example of this. At the close of the war, Lincoln held a moderate view of Reconstruction, seeking to speedily reunite the nation through a policy of generous reconciliation. His assassination in 1865 was the first presidential assassination in U.S. history and made him a martyr for the ideal of national unity. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.