Illinois: 1 State, 200 Years, 4 Presidents
This year, Illinois has reason to celebrate: The state bordering Lake Michigan celebrates its bicentennial and honors four former Presidents who call the Land of Lincoln their home, most notably Abraham Lincoln who gave Illinois its state slogan.
FRANKFURT, Germany, April 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- While the official celebration is not until December 3rd, there will be numerous events and festivities leading up to the big anniversary which you should include in your trip to Illinois. Today, we have two suggestions for those of you interested in history and politics.
Illinois visitors who want to follow in the tracks of Abraham Lincoln have a lot of choices. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield provides an entertaining way to learn about the famous President. It features a memorable exhibition of the life of the 16th President. Visitors enter the house where he was born, learn about his time in Springfield, see him engaged in political debate, and follow him through his presidency up to his assassination.
As part of the Prairie State's bicentennial, the exhibit "From Illinois to the White House: Lincoln, Grant, Reagan, Obama" honors these four U.S. Presidents and their First Ladies and tells the story of how they shaped their country and their hardships along the way. Exhibits include historical documents and unique pieces such as Ronald Reagan's high-school yearbook from Dixon, the table where Ulysses Grant and General Robert Lee discussed civil war strategies, an original sample from Barack Obama's speech to mark the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches of the American civil rights movement, and Abraham Lincoln's very own Presidential pocketbook.
All of the artifacts are on loan from private collectors and institutes, including the U.S. Grant State Historic Site, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the Barack Obama Presidential Library, the National Portrait Gallery and the Chicago History Museum. The exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum runs through the end of 2018 and is well worth a visit. Museum director Alan Lowe notes that, "Illinois greatly shaped these four leaders, and vice versa: Without them, Illinois and the whole country would not be the same."
The museum features interactive media exhibits and is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. The exhibit "From Illinois to the White House" runs through December 30.
Deborah Theis, Christine Hobler
Illinois Tourism Bureau
c/o Wiechmann Tourism Service GmbH
Scheidswaldstrasse 73
60385 Frankfurt
Tel: (069) 25538-280 Fax: (069) 25538-100
E-mail: illinois@wiechmann.de
Web: www.enjoyillinois.de
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