Today is the 203rd birthday of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, born in Kentucky. Lincoln led the country through the American Civil War, preserved the Union, ended slavery, and promoted economic and financial modernization. Lincoln was raised in a poor family, mostly self-educated, but became a lawyer and an Illinois state legislator. He is well known for his Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and promoted the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery.
Lincoln appealed to the American people with his gift of oratory. His Gettsburg Address was the most quoted speech in American history.
Six days after the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at the Ford Theater. This was the first assassination of a United States President, and he was always ranked one of the three greatest presidents.
Lincoln signed the Revenue Act of 1861, creating the first U.S. income tax. Currency honoring Lincoln includes the United States' five-dollar bill and the Lincoln cent, which represents the first regularly circulating U.S. coin to feature an actual person's image.
1 comment:
Since Abe is your all-time hero, do you get another book for your collection on Abe's birthday?
ML
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