H.C.R. 3 Enrolled

1

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION HONORING THE
2 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF
3 ABRAHAM LINCOLN
4 2009 GENERAL SESSION
5 STATE OF UTAH
6 Chief Sponsor: Julie Fisher
7 Senate Sponsor: Margaret Dayton
8
9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor honors the life and
12 service of President Abraham Lincoln on the 200th anniversary of his birth.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This resolution:
15 . honors the life of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of
16 America, for his dedication to equality and unity; and
17 . urges Utah's public and private schools to recognize the life of Abraham Lincoln in
18 appropriate ways for the benefit of Utah's students.
19 Special Clauses:
20 None
21
22 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
23 WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809 in Hardin, Kentucky;
24 WHEREAS, in his early adulthood years working along the Mississippi River, a deep
25 and permanent impression was made upon him as he witnessed some of the acts of cruelty and
26 horrors of slavery;
27 WHEREAS, Mr. Lincoln served several terms in the Illinois State Legislature and one
28 term in the United States House of Representatives;
29 WHEREAS, in races for the Senate and the Presidency, Mr. Lincoln engaged in

30 historical political debates with Stephen A. Douglas that showcased his love of country and
31 hatred of slavery;
32 WHEREAS, more than two decades before his presidential victory in 1860, Mr.
33 Lincoln stated that the only danger that could ever destroy the United States "must spring up
34 amongst us. It cannot come from abroad . . . we must live through all time, or die by
35 suicide";
36 WHEREAS, during the Civil War, the nation's darkest hour, President Lincoln's
37 prophetic warning seemed all but reality;
38 WHEREAS, the nation was eventually reunited, but at the cost of more lives than that
39 of all American soldiers who have died in all wars since, and the life of its president;
40 WHEREAS, in 1862 President Lincoln helped to pass legislation creating the funding
41 for the Pacific Railway which, after his death, was completed at Promontory Summit in 1869;
42 WHEREAS, President Lincoln's words, most famously and succinctly found in the
43 Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, the Gettysburg Address in 1863, and his second
44 inaugural address in 1865, will live forever; and
45 WHEREAS, President Lincoln truly gave the last full measure of his devotion to the
46 nation he loved:
47 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
48 Governor concurring therein, honor the life of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United
49 States of America, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his birth, for his dedication to
50 equality and unity.
51 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge Utah's
52 public and private schools to recognize Mr. Lincoln's life in appropriate ways for the benefit of
53 Utah's students.
54 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah State
55 Board of Education and the Utah State Board of Regents.