It is found and declared by the general assembly as follows:
(1) That Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States, was one of this nation's most outstanding leaders;
(2) That Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln, and rose from humble circumstances to steer this nation through the Civil War, one of the greatest crises of its history;
(3) That President Lincoln was instrumental in ending slavery in these United States;
(4) That in 2009, this nation will celebrate the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth;
(5) That the United States Congress has passed legislation to create the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission to study and recommend suitable federal activities to honor Abraham Lincoln during his bicentennial year; and
(6) That it is appropriate for the State of Rhode Island to honor and create activities relating to Abraham Lincoln's visit to Providence and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, in 1860, to plan and carry out its own bicentennial tributes to Abraham Lincoln, and to coordinate those activities with those of the federal government.
History of Section.
P.L. 2004, ch. 112, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 157, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 216, § 59.