Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
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The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) is a federally appointed 15-member commission focused on planning and commemorating the 200th birthday of the United States' 16th president. Born in 1809, Lincoln's 200th birthday will be on February 12, 2009.
The ALBC was established by Public Law 106-173[1] (February 25, 2000), and amended by Public Law 107-20, Title II, section 2804 on July 24, 2001.
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL) and Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer co-chair the Commission.
ALBC offices are located in the Adams Building at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
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[edit] Overview
Established by the United States Congress, the ALBC seeks to celebrate the life and legacy of Lincoln while reinvigorating his thoughts, ideals and spirit throughout America and around the world. The Commission’s goals highlight numerous projects and cultural events including six signature events:
- The National Opening Ceremony - Louisville, Kentucky and Hodgenville, Kentucky.
- The Mother's Day Celebration - Lincoln City, Indiana.
- A Dedication Day Ceremony - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
- Lincoln Birthday Celebration at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C.
- Lincoln Memorial Rededication Series - Washington, D.C.
- Joint Meeting of Congress.
Other tributes and events slated for the next two years include:
- A redesigned 2009 penny series and five dollar bill.
- A 2009 bicentennial commemorative dollar coin and commemorative stamps.
- Town Hall meetings.
- A week-long Lincoln Bicentennial Bike Tour (Tour de Lincoln), from August 16-23, 2008 which begins at Lincoln's birthplace in Hodgenville, Kentucky and concludes in Springfield, Illinois.
- A Lincoln Poetry Evening in Washington, D.C. - September 22, 2008.
- A nationally televised “Teach-in” for students and teachers on February 12, 2009.
- A global conference at Oxford University - July 3-5, 2009.
Information regarding commemorative events can be found on the ALBC's website calendar.
[edit] Members
The ALBC represents a diverse group of political leaders, jurists, scholars and collectors. Its 15 members are appointed by the president, the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. The Commissioners include:
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D - IL), Rep. Ray LaHood (R - IL), Harold Holzer, Dr. Jean Bandler, Dr. Darrel E. Bigham, Dr. Gabor Boritt, Sen. Jim Bunning (R - KY), Julie Cellini, Joan L. Flinspach, James Oliver Horton, Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D - IL), Lura Lynn Ryan, Louise Taper, Judge Tommy Turner, Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams.
Eileen R. Mackevich is the commission's executive director.
[edit] State liaisons
Governor appointed liaisons from each state make up the ALBC's Governor Council. These liaisons serve as a contact point between the federal ALBC and their state, and coordinate their own state's bicentennial programs and events. In addition to each liaison, thirteen states have established a Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. These include:
- Idaho Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
- Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
- Indiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
- Iowa Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
- Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
- Michigan Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
- New York Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial (Lincoln Commemorative Marker Program)
- North Dakota Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
- Ohio Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial and Lincoln Legacy - Cincinnati
- Oregon Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
- Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
- Rhode Island Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
- Alabama Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
[edit] Outreach
The ALBC has been collaborating with numerous scholars and public figures as well as cultural and educational institutions to help educate and engage the public. The ALBC has an advisory board of over 150 scholars, politicians and Lincoln enthusiasts. Among them are Michael Beschloss, David Blight, Ken Burns, Richard Carwardine, David Herbert Donald, John Hope Franklin, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Allen C. Guelzo, Dr. James M. McPherson, Douglas Wilson, Vernon Burton, Mario M. Cuomo, Dr. Roger Wilkins, Jack Kemp and Sam Waterston.
Other partnerships in formation include Prudential, United Airlines, Motorola, The Kennedy Family Foundation and the Lilly Endowment Foundation.
In conjunction with the Library of Congress, the ALBC has also been working to help create an interactive exhibit, free to the public and scheduled to open on February 12, 2009. Highlighting Lincoln’s ideals and struggles, the traveling exhibit is projected to make stops in several major U.S. cities and will feature original speeches, letters, photos and artifacts.
Major organizations supporting Lincoln’s Bicentennial include the New York Historical Society; Huntington Library in San Marino, California; the National Archives in Washington; the Chicago Museum of History; the Newberry Library in Chicago; Organization of American Historians; and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois; the Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana; the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History; the National Park Service; C-SPAN; and many others.
[edit] National opening ceremony
On February 11-12, 2008, the ALBC launched its two-year celebration of Lincoln's 200th birthday. The two day event began in Louisville at the historic Henry Clay Hotel. Author and Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin addressed the crowd during the Lincoln on Leadership Symposium. The symposium also featured a panel discussion with McConnell Center senior fellow Dr. Thomas Mackey and African American historian Dr. Gerald L. Smith.
That evening, the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts hosted A Kentucky Salute to Abraham Lincoln. Popular radio journalist and Louisville native, Bob Edwards served as master of ceremonies. Performances included the Louisville Orchestra and opera soprano Angela Brown. Film producer Jerry Bruckheimer and his wife Linda Bruckheimer, a Kentucky native, welcomed the audience. American composer Peter Schickele premiered his charming and witty new piece, Lincoln at Ease.
Capping the evening was award-winning actor Sam Waterston and Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer with their critically acclaimed production Lincoln Seen and Heard, a narrated and dramatic presentation of Lincoln’s life.
A snow storm hit that evening and the next morning, on Lincoln's 199th birthday, icy roads forced the cancellation of the formal inaugural ceremony at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville, KY.
First Lady Laura Bush had been scheduled to deliver the keynote address. Other speakers included Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, ALBC Commissioners Tommy Turner and Harold Holzer, U.S. Congressman Ron Lewis (R-KY) and Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear. Award winning actor Sam Waterston was set to narrate the Gettysburg Address. Period music by the famed brass band Saxton's Cornet Band and the American Spiritual Ensemble was also planned.
