Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise today to honor the Michigan veterans throughout history who have given their lives for our Nation. During some of the toughest times for our country, Michiganders have been there. We have been willing to put our lives on the line for the cause of freedom. That certainly was the case during the Civil War. More than 3 million Americans fought in the Civil War. Around 90,000 of them were Michiganders, and more than 85,000 of them were volunteers. It is said that President Lincoln exclaimed, ``Thank God for Michigan!'' when 75,000 volunteers from our State arrived in Washington, DC, in May of 1861. The 24th Michigan Infantry fought at Gettysburg, where a monument stands to this day commemorating their service in the ``Iron Brigade.'' And the 24th was selected to provide military escort during President Lincoln's funeral procession. Few trials have so tested a nation--or a President--as did the Civil War. As historian Jon Meacham explores in his new book ``And There was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle,'' President Lincoln and the Nation he led faced multiple existential threats: the fracturing of our country, threats against our democracy, and an institution that treated 4 million Americans not as people, but as property. The echoes of these challenges remain in our Nation to this day. And in Lincoln, we see a path forward.…”