A Bicentennial, Blown?

NEARLY a hundred years ago, a group of distinguished Americans gathered to honor the centennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. Their ideas and determination eventually led to the construction of the Lincoln Memorial – one of the nation’s most beloved examples of commemorative architecture. It’s on the list of must-see tourist attractions in Washington, and it provided a stirring backdrop to the greatest speech of the civil-rights era. For government work, that’s not too shabby.

To build on this legacy, Congress established an Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission six years ago. When the 200th anniversary of the 16th president’s birth arrives in 2009, the commission will have had almost a decade to prepare. The president, whoever he (or she) is, probably will make a big speech about national unity and equal opportunity. A few teachers will insist that children read the Gettysburg Address (four score and seven years ago, of course, a lot of students actually had to memorize it). There has even been talk of Steven Spielberg’s directing a biopic about Lincoln, starring Liam Neeson.

About the Author

John J. Miller

John J. Miller, a former national correspondent for National Review, is the director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College. He is the author of A Gift of Freedom: How the John M. Olin Foundation Changed America.

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NEARLY a hundred years ago, a group of distinguished Americans gathered to honor the centennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. Their ideas and determination eventually led to the construction of the Lincoln Memorial – one of the nation’s most beloved examples of commemorative architecture. It’s on the list of must-see tourist attractions in Washington, and it provided a stirring backdrop to the greatest speech of the civil-rights era. For government work, that’s not too shabby.

To build on this legacy, Congress established an Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission six years ago. When the 200th anniversary of the 16th president’s birth arrives in 2009, the commission will have had almost a decade to prepare. The president, whoever he (or she) is, probably will make a big speech about national unity and equal opportunity. A few teachers will insist that children read the Gettysburg Address (four score and seven years ago, of course, a lot of students actually had to memorize it). There has even been talk of Steven Spielberg’s directing a biopic about Lincoln, starring Liam Neeson.

About the Author

John J. Miller

John J. Miller, a former national correspondent for National Review, is the director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College. He is the author of A Gift of Freedom: How the John M. Olin Foundation Changed America.