When Barack Obama took the oath of office to become the 44th U.S.President, he laid his hand on the same bible used by Abraham Lincolnwhen he took the same oath nearly 150 years ago.
From the day hedeclared his candidacy in Lincoln's hometown of Springfield, Illinois,Obama has sought to evoke the 16th president. When he won the election,he echoed words from Lincoln's second inauguration address, saying"... government of the people, by the people and for the people has notperished from the Earth."
There is a reason Obama chose to tiehimself to Lincoln, and not just because this is the bicentennial ofLincoln's birth, according to political historian Harry Rubenstein. "Wethink of Abraham Lincoln and we think of the American dream as sort oftied together," says the curator of at the National Museum of American History, one of severalexhibits that have been organized this year in honor of the 16thpresident.
Lincoln's life is thestuff of myths, and is well-known by all Americans: born on February12, 1809 in a log cabin to a poor farmer, self-educated, he practiceslaw, then turns to politics and is elected president. He leads thenation during the Civil War - the country's greatest crisis, preservingthe Union and ending slavery. He is assassinated while attending thetheater.
"I think it is his personal story as much as hisachievements that have this appeal for Americans and people around theworld." Rubenstein says Lincoln will be remembered as one of the greatU.S. presidents because he was "a pragmatist with strong ideals. Ithink Lincoln casts a big shadow over anyone who holds that office."
TheNational Museum of American History exhibit features objects drawn fromLincoln's life: an iron wedge he used to split logs, etched by a youngLincoln with his initials; the inkwell he used to sign the EmancipationProclamation; his black broadcloth suit and gold pocket watch; a cup hedrank from and the hat he wore the night he was murdered.
The idea is to make the mythic Lincoln more human.
HistorianDavid Ward says that's a challenge. He says Lincoln has had morebiographies written about him than anyone, with the exception ofNapoleon Bonaparte. "I think this ceaseless stream of books aboutLincoln indicates that not only do we want to know about him, butsomehow we've really never gotten a handle on him."
Ward iscurator of at the National PortraitGallery. The exhibit includes two life masks of Lincoln that show howthe office aged him, but the majority of the portraits arephotographs. Ward calls Lincoln "the first media president."
"Everytime Lincoln gave a major address, he had his photograph taken," Wardsays. I think what he is doing there, quite consciously, is projectingan image [to the public] of the kind of man and the kind of leader thathe intended to be."
One of the most haunting images of Lincolnwas taken in February 1865. The photographer discarded the crackedglass negative after creating a single print. The crack runs rightthrough Lincoln's head, which seems to foreshadow the path of thebullet that would take his life in less than two months.
Ward says, even without the crack, this Lincoln portrait sums up his notion that Lincoln is always mysterious.
"Heis tortured, he is tired, he is exhausted. He had said he wasn't surehe would survive a second term. Yet there is a small 'Mona Lisa'-likesmile on his face."
While it is impossible to know what Lincolnis thinking, Ward suspects he may have been reflecting on hisaccomplishments. "Lincoln knows he has fulfilled his mission to savethe union, to defeat the South and free the slaves, and to give rightsto the African Americans."
And what would Lincoln think ofBarack Obama in the White House? "I think the fact that a person ofcolor is now president would hearten Lincoln immensely," Ward says.