Until the mid-1970s, most states in America celebrated February 12 as the birthday of Abraham Lincoln's Birthday, the 16th President of the United States.
Now this holiday is celebrated jointly with the birthday of George Washington, the first President, on the third Monday of February, and is called Presidents' Day. However, many US residents to this day do not forget the tradition of February 12 — at the level of the state national holiday. Lincoln's birthday is celebrated in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Jersey and New York.
Abraham Lincoln, whose face can be seen on dollars and after whom the automobile company is named, occupies a special place among the outstanding political figures of the world. The Homestead Act (from Homestead — Homestead, Plot: The law gave every American citizen the right to receive a piece of land that eventually became property) and the abolition of slavery — his outstanding contribution to the development of true individual freedom.
Lincoln understood and loved his people, and American citizens responded with universal support. In November 1864, at the next election, he was elected President for a second term.
His life ended tragically with a — shot to the head at the Ford Theater. A few years after the death of Abraham Lincoln, the Presidential Memorial was erected in Washington City. And every year, on Abraham Lincoln's birthday, a wreath is laid here and ceremonial events are held.
Assessing Lincoln's role in history, the great Russian writer L.N. Tolstoy said this: «He was what Beethoven was in music, Dante — in poetry, Raphael — in painting, Christ — in the philosophy of life». And for Americans, Abraham Lincoln — is a national hero.