Happy 200th Birthday, Mr. President

"And in the end, it's not the year's in your life that count, but the life in your years." - Abraham Lincoln

I can think of few other quotes that would better sum up the legacy of this wonderful human being. His life, tragically cut short, still enthralls and inspires generation after generation. What he accomplished in his life was astounding, despite a desperately poor childhood, loss of his mother at a young age and no formal education to speak of.

He was a thinker and a self-starter, always striving for self-improvement. Truly humble and incredibly intelligent. A fierce defender of liberty for all human beings, an incomparable patriot and an incorruptible statesman. Physically strong and emotionally acute. Loving father and husband, joke teller, aspiring poet and keen orator. He was honest, forthright and eternally honorable. The fact of the matter is, I could never describe President Lincoln in sufficient enough words here. To say that I hold him in the highest regard would be a gross understatement as few men have been greater, in my humble opinion.

Harper's Weekly , April 29, 1865. "Booth Killing Lincoln" etching.

The History Channel has a mini site dedicated to President Lincoln. On that site you can "Give a Lincoln for Lincoln" to help preserve President Lincoln's legacy.

There's also a link to sign up for a National Teach-in on Lincoln. This is a live webcast that is sponsored by The History Channel together with the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. This will take place at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. today at 1:30 PM, EST. If you miss it...no worries. It will be available to view on The History Channel (on-demand) starting tomorrow.

The website also has tons of other videos and information on our 16th President to enjoy. I, for one, am very much looking forward to watching a new special on The History Channel on Monday night titled, "Stealing Lincoln's Body", in which The History Channel brings back to life the President with computer graphics. Here's a teaser...

The United States Postal Service has just released a new set of commemorative stamps that chronicle President Lincoln's life. I think they're very well done and will definitely be purchasing a sheet.








There's also some wonderful stops online for anything and everything Lincoln. Here's a couple of recommendations:

A Little Touch Of History

Abraham Lincoln Research Site

Smithsonian.com has developed an outstanding interactive timeline, which you can view below.

Take a little time today to reflect on the achievements and life of President Lincoln. We owe him a debt of gratitude for all that he did. For without him, the great Democratic experiment known as The United States may not have sustained and slavery may not have been eradicated. I challenge you to not be amazed and inspired by his life and the relevancy of his words in our tumultuous times.

From his second inaugural address: "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan - to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."