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National Archives Celebrates Lincoln's Bicentennial in January
Press Release · Monday, November 24, 2008

Press Release
November 24, 2008

The National Archives Celebrates Lincoln’s Bicentennial in January

Special program and film mark 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth

Washington, DC…The National Archives will celebrate the 200th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth in January 2009 with a special lecture and film. These events are free and open to the public and will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, which is located on the National Mall at Constitution Ave. and 7th Street, NW, and is fully accessible.

Coming soon - The Emancipation Proclamation!
**February 12-16, 2009 - Featured Document Display: The Emancipation Proclamation**
Thursday, February 12 through Monday, February 16, 2009
National Archives East Rotunda Gallery

In celebration of Lincoln's birthday and the Presidents' Day holiday, the National Archives will display the original Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Lincoln. The special display of the Emancipation Proclamation is free and open to the public.

Saturday, January 17, at noon
Film:  Abraham Lincoln
Noon, William G. McGowan Theater

Director D. W. Griffith presents a biography of Abraham Lincoln through vignettes about his life, including his birth, early jobs, courtship of Mary Todd, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, his Presidency, and the Civil War. Walter Huston stars as Lincoln. (96 minutes, 1930)

Thursday, January 22, at noon
Lecture: Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln
Noon, William G. McGowan Theater

Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln are the two preeminent self-made men in American history. Lincoln was born poor, had less than one year of formal school, and became one of the nation’s greatest Presidents. Douglass spent the first 20 years of his life as a slave, had no formal schooling, and became the most famous black man in the Western world and one of the nation’s greatest writers. John Stauffer, author of Giants:  The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, discusses how Douglass and Lincoln reinvented themselves and transformed America.

Related Exhibition

Public Vaults permanent exhibition
The Public Vaults exhibition of the National Archives Experience features a Lincoln telegram, an image of Lincoln and his general after Antietam, a facsimile of all five pages of the Emancipation Proclamation, a letter congratulating Lincoln on his re-election, and an interactive exhibit about the Lincoln assassination and the Booth conspiracy.

To verify the date and times of the programs, the public should call the Public Programs Line at: (202) 357-5000, or view the Calendar of Events online. To request an accommodation (e.g., sign language interpreter) for a public program please e-mail public.program@nara.gov or call 202-357-5000 two weeks prior to the event. To contact the National Archives, please call 1-866-272-6272 or 1-86-NARA-NARA (TDD) 301-837-0482.

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For Press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (202) 357-5300.

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