Business and Professional Coalition

Lincoln Legacy Endures

Eileen Mackevich, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, outlined parallels between the lives and politics of the 16th and 44th presidents while speaking April 28, 2009, at a Carthage Business and Professionals Coalition luncheon.

Ms. Mackevich examined the common practice of comparing President Barack Obama to Abraham Lincoln, and discussed Lincoln's legacy nearly 150 years after his election as president. Ms. Mackevich visited Carthage April 27-29 as a Sam and Gene Johnson Distinguished Visitor. In addition to speaking at the luncheon, she spoke to Carthage students in their classes and presented a public lecture at the Kenosha Civil War Museum.

"President Obama's fascination for Lincoln and their shared traits has captured many American journalists -- and Obama himself," Ms. Mackevich said. Both were tall, lanky members of Congress from Illinois who were raised by single mothers. Both are known for being gifted speakers. Both headed to the White House with politically savvy wives and short, incomplete resumes. Both emphasized the importance of technology (Lincoln is the only U.S. president to hold a patent), and expressed early opposition to an unpopular war.

Politically, they share what Ms. Mackevich called a "pragmatic, practical political" style. Both Lincoln and Obama express unwavering confidence in America's ability to re-create, rebuild and reinvent in times of crisis.

"Economic crisis was Lincoln's opportunity," she said. "The deficits of 1858, '59, and '60 helped catapult a one-time Congressman from Illinois with a very short resume to the presidency."

"What we want from a president is Lincolnian confidence, where a president has that confidence in himself, and most importantly, confidence in us," she said. "So we ask, to whom does he belong? He belongs, today and when we need him most, to all of us."

After the lecture, business professionals and Carthage students who attended the luncheon thanked Ms. Mackevich for exploring the connection between two presidents 148 years apart.

"I really enjoyed the parallels that she made today," said Martina Ignesti, '09. "Even though we study Lincoln and read about him, we usually think about him as a figure of the past. It was interesting."

Else Utetiwabo, '09, said that drawing parallels between the two presidents is reassuring to Americans scarred by the financial crisis and uncertain about the future. "I think that was the point of the speech, to have confidence," she said.

The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission was formed by Congress to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. Ms. Mackevich is a co-founder of the Chicago Humanities Festival and was a broadcast journalist and talk show host on Chicago's NPR affiliate. She has 18 years experience producing programs on cultural and international issues. She holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA in British history from Northeastern Illinois University. She is a recipient of an Honorary Lectureship in the Humanities at Carthage.