Abraham Lincoln's Birthday
Resources for Educators and Students
On February 12, 2007, we celebrate the 198th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States. The U.S. Department of Education honors the life and legacy of one of our nation's most formidable statesmen.
Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky in 1809 and raised in Indiana. A self-made man, he taught himself how to read and write. Elected President in 1861 and again in 1865, Lincoln made significant strides restoring freedom and dignity to all Americans. Through the Emancipation Proclamation issued January 1, 1863, and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Lincoln was influential in ultimately abolishing slavery. On April 15, 1865, John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln in Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. The following year marked the first time that Lincoln's birthday was nationally celebrated.
Free classroom resources:
[From the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Initiative]
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