The theme for the 2009 Inauguration of President-Elect Obama in Washington, DC is "A New Birth of Freedom."
"A New Birth of Freedom" commemorates the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. The words, echoing across 200 years from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address, express Lincoln's hope that the sacrifice of those who died to preserve the United States would lead to "a new birth of freedom" for the nation....
President Lincoln was invited as the second speaker to give "a few appropriate remarks" at the dedication of the Soldier's National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on Thurs., Nov. 19, 1863.
His speech, now known as The Gettysburg Address and considered to be one of the most quoted speeches in U.S. history, contained only 10 sentences and 272 words. Although two phrases from this short speech, "four score and seven years ago..." and "...government of the people, by the people, and for the people...", are more widely recognized, the lesser recognized"this nation shall have a new birth of freedom"is the cornerstone for the 2009 Inaugural theme."
