Kentucky Celebrates One of its Own: President Abraham Lincoln
February 12, 2008
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday honoring the birthday of Abraham Lincoln:
“Today on February 12, America celebrates the birthday of the greatest leader our country has ever produced—and my home State of Kentucky has a front-row seat.
“Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809, in a log cabin three miles south of Hodgenville, Kentucky. The one-room cabin measured 16-by-18 feet, had a dirt floor and no glass in the windows.
“The future president was born with no advantages in life, except for a strong curiosity and a sterling character. By the end of his life, this man of humble background had united our country by demonstrating leadership during America’s time of greatest crisis.
“And he showed our country the true value of the Declaration of Independence, by asserting that there must be no exceptions to the ideal that all men are created equal.
“Two centuries later, America looks back with gratitude at our 16th president by celebrating the Lincoln Bicentennial. The Commonwealth of Kentucky can take special pride in the fact that Lincoln was one of our own, and the Lincoln Bicentennial’s opening ceremonies will take place in Hodgenville.
“So begins a two-year event celebrating the Great Emancipator’s life and legacy. All across the country, from the state capital in Springfield, Illinois, where Lincoln served as a legislator to here in Washington, D.C., where Lincoln served as a wartime commander-in-chief, Americans will celebrate this important figure in our national story.
“This time will be exciting for teachers, students, and any adult who loves American history.
“I know that Kentucky’s friendly neighbors to the north in Illinois often claim Lincoln as their own. Their license plates even say so. But Lincoln was born and spent his formative years in Kentucky, which surely must have shaped the man he became. And he would never have denied his Kentucky heritage.
“In fact, in 1861 as he traveled east to Washington to begin his term as president, Lincoln wrote a speech that he intended to deliver in Kentucky, but never got the chance to. In it, he crafted these words: ‘Gentlemen, I too, am a Kentuckian.’
“So it is appropriate that the Lincoln Bicentennial celebration begins in the same state the man himself did. I hope every Kentuckian and every American will take advantage of this opportunity to explore this exciting chapter in history.”
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“Today on February 12, America celebrates the birthday of the greatest leader our country has ever produced—and my home State of Kentucky has a front-row seat.
“Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809, in a log cabin three miles south of Hodgenville, Kentucky. The one-room cabin measured 16-by-18 feet, had a dirt floor and no glass in the windows.
“The future president was born with no advantages in life, except for a strong curiosity and a sterling character. By the end of his life, this man of humble background had united our country by demonstrating leadership during America’s time of greatest crisis.
“And he showed our country the true value of the Declaration of Independence, by asserting that there must be no exceptions to the ideal that all men are created equal.
“Two centuries later, America looks back with gratitude at our 16th president by celebrating the Lincoln Bicentennial. The Commonwealth of Kentucky can take special pride in the fact that Lincoln was one of our own, and the Lincoln Bicentennial’s opening ceremonies will take place in Hodgenville.
“So begins a two-year event celebrating the Great Emancipator’s life and legacy. All across the country, from the state capital in Springfield, Illinois, where Lincoln served as a legislator to here in Washington, D.C., where Lincoln served as a wartime commander-in-chief, Americans will celebrate this important figure in our national story.
“This time will be exciting for teachers, students, and any adult who loves American history.
“I know that Kentucky’s friendly neighbors to the north in Illinois often claim Lincoln as their own. Their license plates even say so. But Lincoln was born and spent his formative years in Kentucky, which surely must have shaped the man he became. And he would never have denied his Kentucky heritage.
“In fact, in 1861 as he traveled east to Washington to begin his term as president, Lincoln wrote a speech that he intended to deliver in Kentucky, but never got the chance to. In it, he crafted these words: ‘Gentlemen, I too, am a Kentuckian.’
“So it is appropriate that the Lincoln Bicentennial celebration begins in the same state the man himself did. I hope every Kentuckian and every American will take advantage of this opportunity to explore this exciting chapter in history.”
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