In case you’ve missed it in the news, Barack Obama seems to be taking quite a bit of inspiration from our sixteenth President Abraham Lincoln. This is understandable considering the two have quite a bit in common.
(This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.)
Both presidents were born in other states, but hail from Illinois. However that seems to be one of the weaker links between the two. Both possess a similar body type (tall and somewhat angular), appear humble and sincere to the public, will have had young children in the White House while serving as President, and are relative newcomers to Washington. Like Lincoln, Obama is being saddled with bringing the country together in a time of crisis. Both men were lawyers first, and then served in the state legislature. They even both served a single term in Congress. Neither Lincoln nor Obama have had any military experience.
Lincoln has inspired Obama in many other ways. The theme of Obama’s inauguration was taken from a single line of the Gettysburg Address – “A New Birth of Freedom.” In case you forgot, old Abe wrote that little speech during the Civil War.
And, like Lincoln, Obama is trying to keep his rivals close by nominating former presidential opponent NY Senator Hillary Clinton for the Secretary of State position.
Obama arrived in Washington for the inaugural hoopla by taking the trip Lincoln did back in 1861. Obama rode the train from New York to New Jersey to Pennsylvania then on to Washington, D.C. It is believed that on his journey, almost a quarter of a million people saw Obama – that’s quite a journey!
(This United States Congress image is in the public domain.)
Obama has often told reporters that Lincoln was his favorite president. Today, we learned that he was sworn into the office by placing his hand on the same burgundy velvet, gilt-edged Bible that Lincoln used in 1861. That makes Obama the first president to have been sworn in with Lincoln’s Bible, which is normally kept at the Library of Congress.
All of this sounds wonderful and the country is in an Obama frenzy right now, but after all the inauguration celebration and balls are over, Obama is going to have some serious work ahead of him. Hopefully our country will be as dedicated to our new President during the hard times as well as the good ones.