[1][2] The commission's 14 members were a diverse group of political leaders, jurists, scholars and collectors, chosen for their knowledge of Lincoln and their experience educating the public on his life, times, and historical impact.

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.

Various organizations supported Lincoln's Bicentennial, including the New-York Historical Society; Huntington Library in San Marino, California; National Archives; Chicago Historical Society; Newberry Library in Chicago; Organization of American Historians; Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois; Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana; Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History; Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS); Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, Michigan; National Park Service; and C-SPAN.

Pulitzer Prize winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin, McConnell Center senior fellow Dr. Thomas Mackey and African-American historian Dr. Gerald L. Smith addressed the crowd during the Lincoln on Leadership Symposium.

ALBC Commissioners Joan Flinspach and Dr. Darrel Bigham addressed the audience along with Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Congressman Baron Hill.

Other attendees included former Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne; ALBC Co-chair Harold Holzer; Poet and President of the Poetry Foundation John Barr; Former U.S.

The special live event featured Lincoln scholars, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Matthew Pinsker and Harold Holzer, sharing their expertise and answering students' questions.

[5] A three-part event, the Lincoln Memorial Rededication Series featured appearances by some of America's most notable figures, including Members of Congress, Michael Feinstein, Colin Powell and the U.S. Marine Corps Band.

Birthday Tribute and Wreath-Laying Ceremony - 8:00 am: Four-time Grammy-nominated singer Michael Feinstein sang the National Anthem, accompanied by the U.S. Marine Corps Band.

Other attendees and speakers included Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar; MOLLUS 57th Commander-in-Chief Karl Schaeffer and Gordon R. Bury, 54th MOLLUS Commander-in-Chief; and retired Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice – and ALBC Commissioner – Frank J. Williams who read the Gettysburg Address with school children from Strong John Thomson Elementary School in Washington, DC.

Below is the list of speakers (in order): The second part of the Lincoln Memorial Rededication Series, the ALBC and NPS combined efforts to produce the Marian Anderson Tribute and Naturalization Ceremony.

On Easter Sunday 1939, contralto Marian Anderson famously performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after the Daughters of the American Revolution barred her from singing at Constitution Hall due to the color of her skin.

Through the efforts of Anderson, the NAACP, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Interior Secretary Harold Ickes, arrangements were made to hold the concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The program also featured performances by the United States Marine Band and by William Farley, winner of Poetry Out Loud, who read Poet and well-known Abraham Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg's The People, Yes.

Speakers and performers included: On July 22, 2008, over 30 leaders from the fields of government, non-profit, civics, journalism, arts, humanities and education, met with the ALBC to discuss a series of National Town Halls.

Hosted by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., meeting attendants included U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL), chairman of the ALBC's town hall initiative; current Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, then ALBC co-chair; former HUD Secretary Jack Kemp; William H. Gray III, former congressman and president of the United Negro College Fund; and Jim O'Shea, former managing editor of the Los Angeles Times.

The result: Ten cities (and later an 11th) chosen to lead discussions on Race, Freedom and Equality of Opportunity and focus on connecting Lincoln to the present day.

Discussion topics have included political representation, liberty and justice, immigration, voting rights, interracial roots, leadership and the military, and reconstruction.

Panelists included Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., Secretary Jack Kemp, Allen Guelzo, Susan Eisenhower and executive director of the Pennsylvania Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs Norman Bristol Colon.

The program, produced in cooperation with the aircraft carrier's commanders and the Stennis Center for Public Service Leadership, included: In addition to the give-and-take of the town hall, the Lincoln's crew heard the world-premiere of "Letters From Lincoln," a newly commissioned jazz work by Anthony Davis, composer of operas X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X; Under the Double Moon; and Amistad.

Hosted by the Historical Society of Washington, DC, the ALBC's third national Town Hall focused on Race, Freedom, & Equality of Opportunity: The Right to Vote.

Panelists included: Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. and Howard University History professor, Dr. Edna Greene Medford delivered stirring and exceptional remarks.

The March 19, 2009, town hall also featured live musical performances from DC artists Rasi Caprice, Joe L Da Vessel and Melodic, and Chinwe Enu.

Askia Mohammad, news director of WPFW-FM Radio 89.3 and National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA) Syndicated Columnist, moderated the discussion.

[7] Dates for "With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibit" can be found below: February 12 – May 9, 2009: Library of Congress, Washington, DC June 22 – August 22, 2009: The California Museum, Sacramento, CA October 10 – December 19, 2009: Newberry Library, Chicago, IL February 22 – April 22, 2010: Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, IN September 4 – November 6, 2010: Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, GA January 8, 2011 – March 5, 2011: Durham Western Heritage Museum, Omaha, NE New-York Historical Society exhibited a selection of handwritten public documents and letters in "Lincoln in His Own Words: An Intimate Portrait Of Our Greatest President" through July 12, 2009.

Professor Norman Saul of Kansas State delivered a Russian perspective of Lincoln and the president's image in the context of Russia's revolutionary changes during the birth of the soviet era.

Professor Eugenio Biagini of the University of Cambridge examined the perceptions of Lincoln in Germany and Italy as they underwent parallel processes of unification and economic growth.