Janice Schakowsky: “I rise today to add my voice in celebration of today's Lincoln Bicentennial. In Illinois--the Land of Lincoln--we always…”

“I rise today to add my voice in celebration of today's Lincoln Bicentennial. In Illinois--the Land of Lincoln--we always cherish our 16th President, taking pride in a man who steered this nation through turbulent times and whose legacy continues to guide us today. Today we all join in recognizing his greatness. There have been many, many books written about President Lincoln, detailing his remarkable life and his towering achievements. I want to encourage my colleagues to explore one of those books, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America. Written by Garry Wills, my constituent and a professor at Northwestern University, this Pulitzer Prize-winning analysis underscores why the Gettysburg Address remains the most well-known speech in American history. President Lincoln spoke on the battlefield where 50,000 Americans were killed or wounded. He certainly didn't realize that the words in his short oration would be recited by schoolchildren across the nation. He said that ``the world will little note nor long remember what we say here.'' In this instance, he was wrong. President Lincoln didn't just speak in memory of those who had fought and died in the battle. He used his oration to instruct, inspire and set a vision for our nation's future.”