MISTER LINCOLN

Today is the 207th birthday anniversary of my hero, the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.  Charles Darwin shares the same birth date.  I always say that I would have been a Republican in 1856 when John C. Fremont ran as the first Republican for President and also when Mr. Lincoln ran in 1860.  I believe that, if Lincoln were alive today, he most definitely would NOT be a Republican.  

I notice that Republicans today rarely mention Mr. Lincoln.  I commented to a Republican,  "I expect you all to change the February celebration to the Reagan Dinner rather than the Lincoln Day Dinner since Ronnie's birth date was February 6."   I must refrain from such sarcasm as the recipient replied, "Hey, that's a great idea!"  I refuse to participate in Democratic Jefferson-Jackson Day celebrations as I detest both of those men.  Fortunately, our local celebration is called Presidents Day Dinner, but I do celebrate the birth date of Mister Lincoln.  I plan to watch the excellent portrayal by Daniel Day-Lewis in the movie Lincoln once again.

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 reared 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.

His writing is still incredibly moving;  his Gettysburg Address is one of the most quoted speeches 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 has always been 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.