BILL ANALYSIS Ó
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | ACR 88|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: ACR 88
Author: Linder (R), et al.
Amended: 2/14/14 in Assembly
Vote: 21
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Read and adopted, 2/14/14
SUBJECT : Abraham Lincoln's birthday
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This resolution declares that President Abraham
Lincoln be honored on February 12, 2014, the anniversary of his
birthday.
ANALYSIS : This resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1.Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, and
one of our nation's most respected and admired Americans, rose
from humble beginnings to become President of the United
States and courageously led his country during its darkest
time, the Civil War.
2.President Lincoln brought a profound honesty and integrity to
the Office of the President, and will always be remembered as
"Honest Abe." Most of all, he will forever be associated with
saving the Union and with the abolition of slavery.
3.Shortly after assuming the office of President of the United
CONTINUED
ACR 88
Page
2
States, the Civil War began. As the war continued, President
Lincoln expanded the objectives of the war beyond saving and
restoring the Union, but also to freeing the slaves and
abolishing the institution of slavery.
4.On September 22, 1862, President Lincoln took the first major
step toward the total abolition of slavery in the United
States by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, which took
effect on January 1, 1863.
5.President Lincoln enunciated the nation's loftiest ideals
during its darkest moment following the bloodiest battle of
the Civil War. His Gettysburg Address, regarded as one of the
finest speeches in the English language, was delivered by him
at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19, 1863, while
dedicating a cemetery for those killed in the Battle of
Gettysburg.
6.In his Gettysburg Address, President Lincoln reaffirmed the
nation's foremost founding principles, declaring the United
States to be a nation "conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to
the proposition that all men are created equal," while
assuring a nation still consumed by war "that this nation,
under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that
government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall
not perish from the earth."
7.To ensure that the provisions of the Emancipation Proclamation
could not be construed as a mere wartime measure, President
Lincoln insisted that enactment of a constitutional amendment
abolishing slavery be included in the 1864 Republican Party
platform; and upon reelection to a second term as President in
1864, President Lincoln actively supported the passage in
Congress of what became the 13th Amendment to the United
States Constitution.
8.President Lincoln ultimately reunified the nation and brought
about a successful conclusion to our nation's bloodiest war,
as the Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, with the surrender of
General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia to the
Union General, Ulysses S. Grant, at Appomattox Court House.
9.President Lincoln's accomplishments and legacy as the "Great
Emancipator" and "Preserver of Our Union" are perhaps
unsurpassed in the history of our nation, and it is
ACR 88
Page
3
particularly appropriate to recognize President Lincoln.
This resolution declares that President Abraham Lincoln be
honored on February 12, 2014, the anniversary of his
birthday, not only in recognition of his numerous
accomplishments and contributions to our nation, but also as the
virtual
symbol of the American dream, whereby an ordinary person from
the most humble beginnings can reach the pinnacle of American
society to be elected President, and to serve his country with
honor and courage.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
MW:e 2/24/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
**** END ****