A History Lesson for the Fourth of July

[Anita]

Something worth posting for this day! Happy Fourth of July! From President Lincoln's Cottage:

July 4, 2020

Dear Friends,

On July 4th, 156 years ago, Abraham Lincoln and his family relocated to the Cottage for the last time. It was a summer of profound uncertainty, for the country and for him personally. It was the summer of his reelection campaign.

Years earlier, during a different campaign, against Senator Douglas, Lincoln spoke specifically of the "truths" contained in the Declaration of Independence. It is a reminder of what we aspire to in this country and what is at stake in every election. I would like to leave his words for you here:

"Now, my countrymen, if you have been taught doctrines conflicting with the great landmarks of the Declaration of Independence; if you have listened to suggestions which would take away from its grandeur, and mutilate the fair symmetry of its proportions; if you have been inclined to believe that all men are not created equal in those inalienable rights enumerated by our chart of liberty, let me entreat you to come back. Return to the fountain whose waters spring close by the blood of the Revolution. Think nothing of me - take no thought for the political fate of any man whomsoever - but come back to the truths that are in the Declaration of Independence."

Wishing each of you a safe and inspiring Independence Day,

Erin Carlson Mast
CEO and Executive Director