Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2808) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous materials thereon.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today to urge passage of H.R. 2808, the Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act. I commend my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), for its introduction.

Mr. Speaker, in 2009, our great Nation will celebrate the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln's birth. To commemorate this event, the bill we are considering today authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to mint as many as half a million silver $1 coins for sale in 2009. Surcharges on the sales will be used to fund the work of Abraham Lincoln's Bicentennial Commission, which is planning various special events to commemorate the occasion of Lincoln's birth.

I fully support this program, Mr. Speaker, because there is so much to learn about this great man. Certainly, he was a tremendous President, perhaps the only man who could have held this country together during the difficult period of his presidency. Certainly, he freed the slaves, and certainly he left us some of our clearest statements of what the United States stands for both as a Nation and as a symbol.

But so much more has been said and written about him, so much that can shed light on different aspects of this man, from his persona to his presidency. As a matter of fact, thanks to the hard work and efforts of my colleague Mr. LaHood and others, an Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum just opened in Springfield, Illinois, in April of 2005 to help Americans rediscover one of their greatest Presidents.

There is no disputing that Lincoln was a great man. One of my favorite stories of his presidency could not happen today. It involves an event on which some claim the entire Civil War turned.

Early on in the war, an inventor presented himself at the White House with a new weapon and was led in to see the President. Lincoln, who had been quite a hunter in his youth, is said to have taken this new weapon out to the south lawn to try it out on a pile of firewood. The President immediately saw the great potential in its accuracy and speed, and his decision to arm the Union troops with a new repeater rifle many claim is one of the reasons the Union side won the war.

Mr. Speaker, the point of this story is not to talk about firearms but to talk about a remarkable man who literally took charge of a deeply divided Nation when he became President. His leadership through such a tumultuous time in our Nation's history certainly qualifies him as one of the greatest individuals to represent the State of Illinois.

It is that great President who will be honored by the minting of these coins and whose memory will be brought to life to a whole new generation in just 3 short years. For that reason, Mr. Speaker, I urge immediate adoption of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my friend and colleague, the author of this legislation, Mr. LaHood, from the great State of Illinois.

(Mr. LaHOOD asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would just like to thank again my friend and colleague, Mr. LaHood, for his introduction of this bill; and I would also like to thank the Members of the Illinois delegation who have spoken so eloquently, and thank Ms. Bean for her managing this bill and Mr. Davis for being here and Mr. Jackson for also working on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois, Congresswoman Biggert.

As a member of the Illinois delegation, I am proud to join my distinguished colleague today in support of H.R. 2808, the Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act. This bill celebrates the many contributions of our 16th President and one of Illinois' favorite sons, Abraham Lincoln, by directing the Treasury to mint a coin in commemoration of the bicentennial of his birth.

Born to humble roots in 1809, Abraham Lincoln and his family moved to Illinois in 1830. Lincoln would go on to serve in the Illinois House of Representatives, represent Illinois in the 30th Congress and run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate. In addition, he practiced law and later served as a judge.

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President in the midst of a Nation dissolving from within. By the time of his first inaugural address in March, seven States had already seceded from the Union. Yet, committed to doing everything in his power to prevent civil war, President Lincoln used his inaugural address to make a stirring appeal for the preservation of the Union, ending his address by saying:

``I am loathe to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.''

Nevertheless, in April, Fort Sumter was attacked, and the war began.

For 4 years, Lincoln was consumed with winning the war and salvaging the Union, and as the war finally neared its end in March 1865, Lincoln focused on healing and reuniting a ravaged Nation. Instead of rebuking or punishing the Confederacy, Lincoln chose instead to offer a united vision of a healed country. During his last inaugural address, he said:

``With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the Nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and

cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.''

Unfortunately, he would not live to see the end of the Civil War. In April of 1865, just blocks from where we stand today, Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre.

Abraham Lincoln's service to Illinois alone warrants our remembrance and recognition, but his stewardship and vision led our Nation through the darkest and most dangerous time in our history; and for that, all Americans today and all those to come, are forever indebted to him.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Biggert and Congresswoman Bean for this opportunity to consider the bill on the floor today that I have been working on for about a year and a half.

In a little more than 2 years, the United States will celebrate the 200th birthday of its greatest President, Abraham Lincoln. We are all familiar with this legendary man's story. He was born in poverty in Kentucky, educated himself while growing up in the wilds of southern Indiana, and after failing in business eventually established a thriving legal practice in Illinois. He overcame repeated obstacles in his personal, professional, and political life and rose to lead our country through the greatest crisis it has ever faced.

The American political system was still a fragile experiment, just 85 years old, when Abraham Lincoln became President in 1861. Many Europeans at the time viewed America's democracy with distaste and skepticism, and Lincoln knew that government of the people, by the people, and for the people would be discredited forever if a disaffected minority could simply withdraw from the government. His faith in representative government allowed him not only to save the Union but to forge a Nation.

As the Congressman who represents much of the same district he represented in the 30th Congress from 1847 to 1849, I am privileged to be involved in the work of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, on which I serve as one of the cochairs along with Senator Richard Durbin and Harold Halzer. For the last several years, we have been striving to plan a fitting and proper celebration of the bicentennial of Lincoln's birthday in 2009. Among our efforts is this legislation that comes before the House today, H.R. 2808, the Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act.

This bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint 500,000 one- dollar commemorative coins which would highlight the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln during the bicentennial year of 2009. Proceeds from the sale of the coin will help fund the celebration and the continued study of the life of President Lincoln.

This legislation could not have come to the floor today without the extraordinary help and assistance of Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. In order to bring a bill like this to the floor, it requires 290 signatures of Members of the House in order to signal that the bill is prepared and ready to be considered by the House. Mr. Jackson was a great help in lining up and getting the signatures so that we could bring the bill to the House.

I urge all to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great admiration and respect that I rise today in support of H.R. 2808, the Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act. In celebration of Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, I join the Illinois delegation and other colleagues in honoring this great Illinoisan with a commemorative coin.

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Kentucky. As a young man, he moved to Illinois where he earned the nickname, ``Honest Abe.'' He began his political career at the young age of 23, when he was elected to the Illinois General Assembly. After serving 12 years, Lincoln was elected to the House of Representatives. He went on to run for U.S. Senate, during which he debated Stephen Douglas in the cities of Quincy and Galesburg located in my district. Although he was defeated, Lincoln's call to public service was strong and unwavering; he reemerged two years later as a presidential candidate.

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States. From the beginning of his presidency, Lincoln was tasked with the challenge of reuniting a Nation divided over slavery and Civil War. President Lincoln was steadfast in his efforts to preserve our Union and never let the world forget that the Civil War involved an even larger issue. This he profoundly stated in dedicating the military cemetery at Gettysburg by proclaiming, ``We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.''

As Representative of the 17th District of Illinois, I look to the legacy of Abraham Lincoln for guidance and inspiration. Not only did Mr. Lincoln show great leadership during a tumultuous time in our history, but he exhibited determination and conviction as he successfully fought to defend the liberty of every American.

I urge my fellow colleagues to join me and vote in support of H.R. 2808, the Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2808, the Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act.

This Act recognizes the fact that the year 2009 will be the bicentennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln and directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins commemorating his birth.

President Abraham Lincoln is one of the most important, most instrumental, and most revered individuals in our Nation's history. Few others have had such an important role in guiding the future of our Nation. He was committed to a government of the people, believed the Constitution was inviolate, and fought for the rights of every individual.

President Lincoln's achievements include no less than the abolishment of slavery, the survival of the Union and the civil rights of all individuals, regardless of race or creed. President Lincoln truly believed in and fought for one indivisible Nation with liberty and justice for all. The legacy he left after his tragic death has continued to inspire generations.

I hope that we, as elected Members of Congress of this great Nation, continue to find inspiration in President Lincoln's words from his Second Inaugural Address:

``With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds.''

In order to honor the 200th anniversary of his birth, the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission has been charged by Congress with planning the celebration of President Lincoln's bicentennial.

The proceeds from a commemorative coin will help fund the celebration and the continued study of the life of President Lincoln. 500,000 one dollar silver coins will be issued, dated in the year 2009.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.