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Washington D.C. October 3, 1863 By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation. The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude...

Proclamation - Thanksgiving Day, 1863October 3, 1863 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war...

The lesson of history for any small child is that if you are lucky enough to be presented to the future president of the US, then make sure you have evidence of the encounter before bragging about it to your classmates. George Patten, aged eight, discovered the bitter truth of that maxim in 1860 after he boasted at school about having met Abraham Lincoln, having been introduced to the then presidential candidate with his journalist father. The boy's friends thought he had made the story up, and bullied him. To settle the matter, Patten's teacher wrote to the White House...

Pennsylvania historians announced plans Tuesday to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with a statewide commemoration. "The Pennsylvania Civil War 150 commemoration is far more than a formal remembrance," said Barbara Franco, executive director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. "It is a collection of stories brought to life that are as epic as the fields of Gettysburg and as small as the struggles of a soldier's wife working to survive her husband's absence on a Pennsylvania farm." The early kickoff of the Civil War program is primarily a call for participation to state residents and historical...

To mark the 200th anniversary year of the birth of Abraham Lincoln Britain's Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) wants to analyse the mercury-based medicine thought by some to have been responsible for the President's notorious bouts of rage in the decade before the American civil war.But the society first needs to track down some of the legendary Victorian "Blue Mass" concoction and to that end is offering a reward of £200 for information that results in some of it being pinpointed by the end of November.Blue Mass, sometimes known as "Blue Pills", was used widely, often ineffectively, for a range...

No presidency is ever without its fair share of criticism, but some presidents seem to stir up more controversy than others. So, who are the 6 most controversial presidents? That is a hard question to answer, and this list is by no means definitive. That brings us to the first President on this list, which may surprise some.

So I said to him, "Barak, I know Abe Lincoln, and you ain't him." Caption the past Republican presidents having a laugh in honor of the messiah's speech this evening. The original artwork is copyright by Andy Thomas, who has paintings of all political persuasions, including the messiah.

So I said to him, "Barack, I know Abe Lincoln, and you ain't Abe Lincoln." "You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves." .....Abraham Lincoln

A museum in Philadelphia plans to submit a sample of Abraham Lincoln's blood to scientific analysis in hopes of shedding light on the mysterious ailments that afflicted the 16th US president. The Grand Army of the Republic Museum's board unanimously approved "further investigation into the sciences, legacy and history of the artefact," its vice-president Andy Waskie said. The artefact is a piece of bloodstained pillow taken from the Peterson house where Mr Lincoln died in 1985 after being shot by an assassin in Fords Theatre in Washington, said Mr Waskie, a historian and professor at Temple University. Acting on the...

Maryland lawmakers are thinking maybe it's time to find a way to scrub "Northern scum" — and a few other sensitive pre-Civil War phrases — from the official state song. "Maryland, My Maryland," set to the traditional seasonal tune of "O, Tannenbaum," was written in 1861 and adopted as the state song in 1939. But now some lawmakers are pushing for a change to the warlike language in what was originally a poem that doubled as a call to arms. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller wants a new commission to examine the song and consider changing some stanzas to...

3/3/2009 The two predecessors Barack Obama reveres the most are Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt.  Obama has already taken the opportunity to follow FDR’s lead with the New Deal 2.0, better known as the Stimulus Package.  Aside from the similarity that Obama and Lincoln share by being elected President after serving the State of Illinois (as Senator and Representative, respectively), I have wondered what else does Obama aspire to do as Lincoln did?  It is understandable why Obama wants to emulate Abraham Lincoln since he is consistently ranked as the greatest president for holding together the union and ensuring the...

Darwinism as Religion in a Holy War Feb 19, 2009 — It might be expected that media attention on Darwin would be exceptionally high this month because of his bicentennial, but some of it seems downright religious. The adulation he has been receiving is almost embarrassing sometimes. It is only exceeded by the righteous indignation frequently expressed against intelligent design. In any other context, the fighting words of the Darwinians would be described as hate speech. Here are some recent examples: 1. Shrine to Darwin:...

Happy Birthday Abe by: Heather Latham, February 20, 2009 On the 200th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, Shelby Steele, Ph.D., a Robert J. and Marion E. Oster Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, recalls, “As a native son of Illinois, I grew up steeped in Lincoln lore. I remember boarding a bus on a dark winter morning with my sixth grade classmates for a day-long fieldtrip that would take us from our school…all the way downstate to Springfield and New Salem, the small, Southern Illinois towns in which the great man had come of age. It was a day-long excursion…with...

This past week, America celebrated the 200th birthday of President Abraham Lincoln. Republicans all over the country held “Lincoln Dinners” lauding the man they herald as the founder of their party. A plethora of verbose speeches telling of the greatness of our 16th President were offered by elected officials from coast to coast and on both sides of the isle. I have to admit, I literally cringe whenever I hear politicians, pastors, teachers, and media-types sing the praises of “Honest” Abe. If it weren’t for his outspoken belief in white supremacy, I could possibly understand the Lincoln-worship by those on...

In light of President's day I would like to entertain you with a slightly closer look at the comparisons being made between our current president and the much accomplished Abraham Lincoln. I found the comparison to be extremely off-putting as I failed to see any comparison other than state origin and perceived "inexperience" in Congress. For starters, Honest Abe got into politics at the tender age of 23. In the next 17 or so years Abe served in the state legislature, taught himself law, passed the bar and according to most sources became a reputable lawyer. Lincoln toured with Zachary...

What do John Lennon and Barack Obama have in common, you may ask? (There isn't enough bandwidth in the Western Hemisphere to sufficiently respond).The answer ... they both rejected Winston Churchill.Lennon did so when he publicly renounced his birth name of John Winston Lennon in favor of John Ono Lennon, although never legally. (His mother named him Winston after being overcome with an irresistible wave of patriotism as the Battle of Britain waged in 1940).Obama rejected Churchill by returning a prized bronze bust of the great statesman and wartime leader (created by Sir Jacob Epstein) that was loaned to...

If, as British cleric and aphorist Charles Caleb Colton has it, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” then what might resemblance perceived in the eye of the beholder be? With rare exceptions, in politics, sycophancy. Barack Hussein Obama has been likened to all but seven of our past presidents – including John Adams, William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson - and has at least one thing in common with 25 of them – including, Calvin Coolidge, Chester Arthur, Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon. Click here to find out more.

" ...I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's."

Lincoln at Peoria by: Alanna Hultz, February 10, 2009 Abraham Lincoln was a man dedicated to equal rights and was opposed to the expansion of slavery in the United States. At a Heritage Foundation event, Lewis E. Lehrman, member of the Advisory Committee of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and author of Lincoln at Peoria examined Lincoln’s Peoria speech and the historical context in which Lincoln delivered it. The Heritage Foundation’s mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Lincoln...

President Obama has a keen desire to emulate Abraham Lincoln. For instance, he took the oath of office on the very same Bible that Abraham Lincoln took it on. He took a train ride that mirrored the train ride that Lincoln took in anticipation of his own inauguration. They are of course both from Illinois. No doubt, President Obama would like nothing more than to one day be revered much like Lincoln was. The comparisons between he and Lincoln are rather immense considering that President Obama has only held the office for just more than 48 hours.

Among his many accomplishments, Winston Churchill is author of two of my favorite quotes History is written by winners and History will be kind to me for I intend to write it

Ten American Biographies Everyone Should Read Posted Nov 14, 2003 HUMAN EVENTS asked a panel of 21 distinguished scholars to help us develop a list of Ten American Biographies Everyone Should Read. We asked them first to nominate biographies or autobiographies of anyone who had been a native-born or naturalized American citizen since 1776. Then they listed their top ten choices from the entire roster of nominated titles. A book received 10 points for each No. 1 vote it received, 9 points for each No. 2 vote, and so on. The title with the highest aggregate score was rated the...

This video of the National Portrait Gallery U.S. Civil War exhibit features: Lincoln, Seward, Stanton, Beauregard, Butler, McClellan, Lee, Davis, Sherman, Jackson, Pickett, Mosby, Grant, Frederick Douglas, Hariet Beecher Stowe and the Fugitive's story. After watching, please name your favorite Civil War era person and explain why. Thanks. Watch video.

Thousands of Americans have bought Doris Kearns Goodwin's 2005 book, "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln ," after hearing that it shaped President-elect Barack Obama's thinking. "Rivals," which examines how Lincoln put three of his opponents in the 1860 election in his Cabinet, was No. 14 on Amazon.com's bestseller list the Friday before Thanksgiving , no small feat for three-year-old nonfiction. (Obama's "Audacity of Hope" and "Dreams From My Father" were No. 10 and 11 on that list, respectively.) Goodwin spoke by phone with McClatchy recently about her take on Obama and the lessons Lincoln offers him:...

What change??? Once upon a time, there was a young charismatic and eloquent young leader who decided that his nation needed a change and that he was the one to implement it. The people were receptive and ready for a change. He spoke passionately when denouncing the existing system and the media loved him. Nobody questioned what he believed in or who his friends were. He would help the poor and bring free medical care and education to all. He would bring justice and equality. He said: I am for hope and change and I will bring you both. Nobody...

To show how foolishly hyperbolic the Old Media and the ignorati in our universities are, the Associated Press issued a dire report that breathlessly informed us all that Barack Obama is facing a "nation in crisis" and it's all "just like Lincoln and FDR." The AP even gets an historically illiterate university professor to sonorously declare how Obama is "one step away" from Lincoln and FDR. But a review of our nation's real history shows that the America Obama will inherit is in nowhere near the state of crisis that Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt had to deal with. But,...

Does it make sense to compare Barack Obama to Abraham Lincoln? In order to answer widespread objections to the Democratic nominee’s lack of leadership experience, his supporters have developed the annoying habit of citing the sainted sixteenth president as another titanic, world-shaking and divinely anointed figure who ascended to the presidency after few prior accomplishments in politics. According to this misleading analogy, Lincoln lacked an appropriately presidential resume, just as Obama does, and shocked the political establishment of his time in much the same way that today’s Democratic candidate threatens business-as-usual in Washington. True believers feel confident that the absence...

NORTH ARABIAN SEA, Aug. 28, 2008 – Several senior military officials visited the USS Abraham Lincoln here Aug. 26 and yesterday. The visitors included Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq; Army Gen. David McKiernan, commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan; Navy Adm. Eric Olson, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command; and Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, acting commander of U.S. Central Command. The senior officers toured the ship, attended briefings, visited with Lincoln and Carrier Air Wing 2 crewmembers and awarded...

Barack Obama launched his presidential campaign from Springfield, Ill. He was to announce his vice presidential running mate on Saturday from Springfield as well. Why Springfield?Obama is clearly trying to capitalize on the legacy of America's most captivating president, Abraham Lincoln, for whom Springfield was as much of a home as he ever knew. But in a 2005 feature essay in Time magazine, Obama distanced himself from what he called Lincoln's "limited" views on race. So, it seems, Lincoln leaned more toward bigotry than justice, at least for Obama. What about America? As we learn more about candidate Obama, many...

Barack Obama has never been shy about comparing himself to Abraham Lincoln. He did so when he announced his candidacy at the Illinois state capitol, where both he and Lincoln served in the legislature. "The life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible," Obama said. "He tells us that there is power in words ... He tells us that there is power in hope." That was, well, audacious, to say the least — and the comparisons have continued, on issues large and small. But the most important similarity, in Obama's mind, is...

Left-Wing Racism Remembered   By Floyd and Mary Beth BrownFrontPageMagazine.com | Monday, May 19, 2008 Did you know…Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican? Every civil rights law, beginning in the 1860s through the 1950s and 1960s, was fought against by Democrats? Or the KKK had links to the Democratic Party? Not only are these questions addressed by the National Black Republicans Association (NBRA), but also more surprising facts. A few months ago, we had the privilege to meet the chairwoman of NBRA, a brave and gusty woman named Frances Rice. “The double standard looms large when Democrats practice...

Over the last few months, celebrations for Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday have drawn attention to the Kentucky native's life and his legacy as president. But the 200-year anniversary of another Kentucky president's birth, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, is receiving mixed reviews. "I'll say it this way - winners write history," said Ron Bryant, a Lexington historian writing a book on Davis. "We need heroes, we need villains. Lincoln became a hero and Davis a villain." Davis was born in what is now Todd County, Ky., in 1808, one year before Lincoln. Davis served as the only president of the 11...

The John McCain camp informed us yesterday that it is mathematically impossible for Mike Huckabee to win the nomination. What they won't say is that McCain stands a good chance of losing the nomination as long as Huckabee stays in the race. Huckabee only has to win half of the remaining delegates to block McCain from the nomination. And even if he falls a few short of that, many of the delegates in McCain's column will be unbound delegates who may in fact vote for anyone they choose on the first ballot... The McCain camp thinks the "mathematically impossible" rhetorical...

Abraham Lincoln popped out of his mother's womb on Feb. 12, 1809, which means that soon begins a year of activities leading up to his bicentennial in 2009. With only $200, the devoted can buy the "premier package" for "The Official Bicentennial Kick-Off" next week in Kentucky, where Lincoln was born. That expenditure buys admission to a "Champagne Reception" and other activities. In a campaign year when reporters often ask candidates for yes-or-no answers concerning their religious beliefs, there is something to learn from Abraham Lincoln's long and winding road to God. Apart from the spin—proclamations that Lincoln was a...

Remember the Reagan Coalition? Some, like Ed Rollins, think this coalition is dead and buried. Others know better: SPARTANBURG, SC (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson says Tuesday he thinks the legacy of Ronald Reagan is alive and well in the United States. The former Tennessee senator told a crowd of more than 100 people at a Spartanburg restaurant Tuesday morning that to say the Reagan coalition is dead is like saying the Constitution is dead. As Sen. Thompson has said, "This is a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party and its future." To many...

Lessons on Leadership by: Amanda Busse, January 14, 2008 From George Washington to George W. Bush, British historian Paul Johnson used the lives of political figures to teach lessons of leadership in a recent speech during a Hillsdale College cruise. The keys to good leadership, according to Johnson, include familiar words and phrases such as self-restraint, communication, willpower and magnanimity. They do not, however, always come across in the typical fashion, as Johnson explained. George Washington, for example, was able to show self-restraint simply by the way he dressed. “Washington might wear a uniform when the Republic was in danger,...

Rep. Ron Paul told Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" Sunday that the war was a mistake – the American Civil War. "Six hundred thousand Americans died in a senseless civil war…. [President Abraham Lincoln] did this just to enhance and get rid of the original intent of the republic," Paul said.

The other day, Jonah put some distance between himself and NR’s endorsement of Mitt Romney. I’d like to do the same. Romney strikes me as impressive, but also as terribly flawed. Over the next couple of days, I’ll do my best to explain. In the meantime, one observation. Endorsing Romney, the editors explained that they had decided against Fred Thompson largely because “Thompson has never run any large enterprise.” This brought to mind another Republican candidate—one whose management experience, like that of Fred Thompson, was limited to having served as a partner in a law firm. Abraham Lincoln.

This morning I received an e-mail from a crusty lady in Sheridan Wyoming who happens to be a Fred Thompson supporter. This lady has e-mailed me before adding a little to each of my articles supporting Fred Thompson. Charlotte isn’t the only one who tells me they are behind Fred Thompson 100%. I would have used the popular Democratic statistic of 110% except like so many things Democratic 110% doesn’t exist. Democrats are always trying to convince the voters they can go several steps beyond what’s physically possible. Every time Hillary opens her mouth she goes 110% beyond reality, she’s...

European and American countries that enslaved African people and scattered them in the African Diaspora should pay reparations for their slave crimes. This came out at the historic African Union (AU) conference in the Caribbean Island of Barbados, set to tackle the integration of the African Diaspora and the continent. Leading scholars, ambassadors and government ministers from Africa and beyond are examining economic relations and the responsibility of the slave masters in undoing the slave trade damage they inflicted on Africa and her Diaspora. With song and the beating of drums, the African people in the Diaspora of the Caribbean...

Tour the Abe on July 4thAlong with the USS Abraham Lincoln, at least one other Everett-based ship is scheduled to be open to the public.By Jim HaleyHerald Writer EVERETT - The public will be able to get a close-up view of the huge aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln over the Fourth of July holiday. It's likely one or more of the other ships at Naval Station Everett also will be open to public tours, station spokesman Rick Huling said. The Lincoln was last open to the public during the Independence Day holiday in 2005. Huling said the base is...

HOUSTON, May 17 (Reuters Life!) - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln may have come closer than previously realized to dying from smallpox shortly after delivering his Gettysburg Address, medical researchers said on Thursday. After giving the Civil War speech, Lincoln became ill with symptoms of smallpox: high fever, weakness, severe pain in the head and back, "prostration" -- an old-fashioned word for extreme fatigue -- and skin eruptions that lasted for three weeks in late 1863. Lincoln's doctors told the ailing president he suffered from a cold or a "bilious fever" before one physician told him he had a mild form...

As Democrats push to withdraw troops, they seek to undermine Republicans by creating repeated chances to side with an unpopular president. WASHINGTON — As congressional Democrats move to force President Bush to veto a war spending bill that would start a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, they are simultaneously pursuing a carefully crafted offensive aimed at another target: Republican lawmakers. In the charged debate over the war, the strategy aims to achieve Democratic objectives on both policy and political fronts, according to party leaders and aides. Convinced that Bush will never listen to their calls to bring troops home,...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A defiant Democratic-controlled Senate passed legislation Thursday that would require the start of troop withdrawals from Iraq by Oct. 1, propelling Congress toward a historic veto showdown with President Bush on the war. At the White House, the president immediately promised a veto. "It is amazing that legislation urgently needed to fund our troops took 80 days to make its way around the Capitol. But that's where we are," said deputy press secretary Dana Perino. The 51-46 vote was largely along party lines, and like House passage of the same bill a day earlier, fell far short...

CNN Baghdad correspondent Michael Ware and anchor Kyra Phillips joined Kiran Chetry on American Morning to discuss their recent trip to Iraq. Towards the end, Chetry wondered if America pulling out of Iraq would “help the situation.” Neither Ware nor Phillips appear to think anything of that idea, with Ware saying pulling out would hand “Iraq to Iran…and al Qaeda.” Will liberal bloggers who constantly swoon over Ware post about this? Transcript: KYRA PHILLIPS: It would be a disaster. I mean, I had a chance to sit down with the Minister of Defense, to General Petraeus, to Admiral Fallon, head...

BAGHDAD (AP) - An Iraqi government spokesman criticized the U.S. Senate vote to begin withdrawing U.S. troops by Oct. 1. "We see some negative signs in the decision because it sends wrong signals to some sides that might think of alternatives to the political process," Ali al-Dabbagh told The Associated Press. He spoke after the Senate passed legislation Thursday that would require the start of troop withdrawals from Iraq by Oct. 1. The House passed the same bill a day earlier, and President Bush has promised a veto. The legislation is the first binding challenge on the war that Democrats...

WASHINGTON - A defiant Democratic-controlled Senate passed legislation Thursday that would require the start of troop withdrawals from Iraq by Oct. 1, propelling Congress toward a historic veto showdown with President Bush on the war. The 51-46 vote was largely along party lines, and like House passage of the same bill a day earlier, fell far short of the two-thirds margin needed to overturn the president's threatened veto. Neverthe less, the legislation is the first binding challenge on the war that Democrats have managed to send to Bush since they reclaimed control of both houses of Congress in January.

IN SEPTEMBER 1862, Union troops were soundly defeated by Confederate forces led by Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee at Manassas Junction, Virginia. The North called it the Second Battle of Bull Run. President Abraham Lincoln's somber mood afterward was recorded in a diary entry by Attorney General Edward Bates, who wrote that Lincoln "seemed wrung by the bitterest anguish--said he felt almost ready to hang himself." Soon afterward Lincoln wrote out a private musing on a small piece of lined paper. He sought to discern the will of God among the cacophony of voices all around him after news...

On this day in 1860 -- a year later in the political cycle than he would have today -- Abraham Lincoln launched his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Shrewdly, he chose the home ground of the front-runner, Senator William Seward (R-NY). Contention for the Republican presidential nomination already underway, Lincoln traveled to New York City in February 1860 to deliver a major address at the Cooper Union, at the invitation of the Young Republicans. Calmly, logically, and convincingly, he demolished the Democratic Party's pro-slavery position by outlining the history of the crisis from the very origins of the country....

I began this column last week with a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln in which harsh treatment was deemed warranted for congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military. It turns out to have been a paraphrase of our 16th president's attitude toward those who engage in such behavior, rather than a direct quote. I regret the error and should, instead, have used the following, verbatim excerpt from a letter President Lincoln wrote in June 1863, as Robert E. Lee's army was on the march north to the fateful battle of Gettysburg. Mr. Lincoln...