Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission - Overview

Overview

Established by the United States Congress, the ALBC aims 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 nine signature events:

• The National Opening Ceremony - Louisville, Kentucky and Hodgenville, Kentucky.
• The Mother's Day Celebration - Lincoln City, Indiana.
• Birthday Tribute and Wreath-Laying Ceremony in Washington, D.C.
• The Lincoln Memorial Rededication Series - Washington, D.C.
• Bicameral Celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday: A Congressional Tribute - United States Capitol rotunda.
• Exhibition - "With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibit" - Washington, DC
• National Teach-In - National Archives, Washington, DC.
• Howard University Conference: Emancipation and Race in the Age of Lincoln - April 16–18, 2009.
• The Global Lincoln: A Conference Examining the Global Legacy of Abraham Lincoln - St. Catherine's College, University of Oxford - July 3–5, 2009.

Other ALBC tributes included:

• New penny redesign series featuring four new pennies.
• A new five-dollar bill.
• 2009 Bicentennial commemorative dollar coin.
• Four United States Postal Service commemorative Lincoln stamps.
• Ten town hall meetings around the United States.
• A Dedication Day Ceremony in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, site of the Battle of Gettysburg and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
• "Rise Up and Hear: An Evening of Poetry Honoring Abraham Lincoln's Legacy" - Washington, D.C, September 22, 2008.

Additional Lincoln Bicentennial events included:

• 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.
• An international symposium in Paris, France.
• Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation Traveling Exhibit.