caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] >> you are watching american history tv. all weekend, every weekend on c-span3. join the conversation, like us on facebook at c-span history. >> july, 2016 archery centennial of the abraham lincoln birthplace historical park in kentucky. command that, a commemorative ceremony at the site with actress portraying three of the five presidents who visited the birthplace delivering speeches and we will also hear from abraham lincoln. this is about 55 minutes. ♪

[applause]

>> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests come on the superintendent of abraham lincoln's birth place national historic site. i would like to welcome you all today for this great event. before we get started, i would like to give a round of applause cadets tortland brass have been providing the music. [applause] you all can be seated. sorry. [laughter] i just realized that. us and a special day for we truly appreciate your presence. before we get started into the formal ceremony, i would like to recognize the seat of the militaries we have in attendance.

congressman brett guthrie -- dignitaries we have in attendance. carsten brett guthrie. regional director -- congressman brett guthrie. the regional director. the judge executive, tommy turner. [applause] bill -- hodgin hodginville. state representative terry mills. [applause] and, of course, samuel clemens, president roosevelt, president roosevelt, president eisenhower, and a president lincoln -- president lincoln. [applause] i would like to thank the community here. to the many other local organizations, we cannot do this without your support and

partnership and we deeply appreciate that. thank you. [applause] we have gathered here today to mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of abraham lincoln's birth place national historical park. it was president like if you let our nation to its most -- through the most small to us times, worked tirelessly to preserve the union and abolished slavery in the united states. it is only fitting that we honor withoutt lincoln who his wisdom and leadership throughout the times, the country we live in today might very well be very different. we will hear from distinguished guests, presidential limit historians who will speak of abraham lincoln, the sinking springs, the farm in which he was born and the significance of this memorial and the national park

honoring president lincoln. each of the presidential limit historians will deliver a speech given by their respective president and the president -- when the president visited the site here. todayrst speaker represented the 32nd senate district of kentucky from 2000-2008 before he was elected to the united states house of representatives from kentucky second district. he still proudly serves the people of kentucky, please warmly welcome congressman brett guthrie. [applause] >> thank you. and original representative here is from the second district. welcome back. come pursue this to be here, this of the 100 anniversary of our national park service and

also the 100th anniversary of the site. it means a lot. something not missed on me is that leaders and people who came before all of us decided they wanted to preserve the great heritage of our country for us to use for posterity. to use the lincoln term, whether it is the beautiful sites, the wonderful caves, the great national parks or the historic sites, this is important. two quick experiences i will share. i was here one day. i got a phone calls and it would be a conference call with speaker boehner and mike pence was conference chairman. i drove -- i wish i had been here. i drove to area with cell coverage. we were talking about boats we were going to take. otes we were going to take. we were lamenting about what we had to do. feeling a sense of the moment, i left here.

i said it is not -- glad it is not 1851. can you imagine what the congress and this president for here was thinking about? i thought about what his life had led him and what decisions he had to make. and lots of people say, when people say this is the end of america as we know it, just remember, we said that in 1789, 1861. it is important that we remember history. one thing i want to share since at the vietnam memorial, they're putting an education center -- memorial represents those who pass away. a lot served in vietnam. they wanted to put something for those who served and the history of the war. in the meantime, they asked if we would bring something to signify or represent someone from our district who had died in current wars. i was standing there with a

picture of matt hansen. three or four miles he is buried there. what i said, if you think about it, if you think of the vietnam memorial, right next to it is the lincoln memorial. after my speech out and had to go off-the-cuff, it really struck me that we were honoring that they met hansen, a son of our county right next to the most magnificent memorial in our country come abraham lincoln, a son of this county. within 200 ora 300 yards could you celebrate -- i will give someone george washington. the greatest american who ever lived and a great american who did not have the chance to live a long life because he sacrificed his life. he was a great american and is a great american. let's think about our country on the same spot, the most sacred

land in our nation's capital, we honor to sons of this county. matt hansen and abraham lincoln. it is a great place and a great heritage to be from. i'm so proud. i stopped the other day with a group of people and the superintendent said let me know when you stop. we were try to come incognito because i do not what to pass by here with anybody who is never been here who is traveling with me from washington and not take a moment to see someone born in that cabin and how he rose to be the greatest american in our history. thank you for having me here. it is great to be here. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, congressman. our next speaker has over 30 years and the national park service during which he has

served many different capacities including superintendent of the war national park, what to tell wachitaield -- battlefield, death valley park, and she has since returned home to horse cave, kentucky becoming the superintendent of mammoth cave national park. please welcome the acting deputy regional director of the southeast region of the national park service and superintendent of mammoth cave national park, sarah craighead. [applause] one might argue that i just can't keep a job. [laughter] it is such a great honor to be with you today representing regional director. it is a runner for many reasons. one of those is -- honor for many reasons. one of those is that jake gratz has been a friend with me for many years and be able to

commemorate this special time. 100 years ago, the national park service was created. there is no more perfect place to celebrate the centennial of the national park service than right here at abraham lincoln national historic site which is great in a month earlier than the national park service. but the national park service and the birthplace were born from the idea that our nation's treasures should be preserved and enjoyed for all americans, both now and in the future. here in this place, we pay homage to a man who gave this country a future. it is up to you and to me and all of us americans to make sure that it is a future that we are proud of. all of us who visit and love this part. -- these parks give them significance and meaning --

. this gives us the chance to reflect and look forward to the future. and to look for to what our children and grandchildren have to look forward to as they visit the national park. one of the things we are doing at the national park service is make sure that every fourth-grader has the ability to get into a park for free. passes for all fourth-graders. we are hoping to connect our youth with 412 national parks across the system. we are challenging everyone to find your park. a lot of the members that i look back to as a child -- memories that i look back to as a child involving in a part. i remember coming here as a kid and seeing the spring and the cabin. all of that made a huge impression on me. i think these places define us as americans. they are our touchdowns. -- touchstones.

they help us remember where we came from and give us hope for the future. i hope you will take a minute to ensure that the kids in your life have the ability to find their park and make those connections. thank you and congratulations to abraham lincoln national historic park on your 100 year anniversary. thank you. [applause] thank you, sarah. our next speaker demonstrated support for establishing the sacred place -- this sacred place as a national park in his article published on january 3, 1907 in which he stated it was no accident that planted lincoln on a kentucky farm. single clemens was an american author and humorist who wrote such works as the adventures of tom sawyer, the adventures of huckleberry finn under a pen

name. please give a warm welcome to mr. mark twain. [applause] >> thank you. i must admit i'm somewhat embarrassed. they told us we had about one hour and 50 minutes. i've only prepared for 45. the lincoln farm association which was newly formed, i was a member of that organization. as a member and as a writer i was encouraged and did an article for the new york times, ginny were 13, 1907. -- january 13, 1907.

the purpose of the article was to help find a group of people who would unite together to save the lincoln farm. i wrote the article and i will read it to you or tell it to you to the best of my remembrance. instinct thatuman of the site of anything hallowed by association , so great man or great work many people make pilgrimage to , theown whose shakespeare streets were shot in -- trotted by shakespeare. hartford guarded the charter oak for centuries because it was

housed and a whole was in it housed in article that preserved the liberties of a colony. it was no accident that plaintiff lincoln in a kentucky -- planted lincoln and a .entucky farm in rural america between thehalfway great lakes and the gulf of mexico. this association there had substance in it. if the union was to be saved, it needed to be by one of such origin. it did not need a witty yankee person from connecticut. yankee, it needed

cottonemplation or -- planter from the south who regarded the yankee as it of noxious bc. it needed a man of the border were civil war met the grapple of mother and brother. knew the goodwho of the slavery mixed with the evil. as it obtainedly to the negroes but also to the poor whites. needed one who understood how humans, both parties of the quarrel were. how much alike they were at bottom.

saved, iton was to be needed one of that nature. theeeded one who understood dissensionsand the and the tearing apart of the soul. when the war came, georgia sent forth an army of gray. connecticut sent an army of blue. kentucky sent an army of both sides. was born on a kentucky farm, transported -- transplanted to an illinois village. in whose heart

wisdom and charity left no room for malice. the one destined to heal the wounds of the nation. thank you very much. [applause] >> on february 12, 1909, the centennial of the birth of abraham lincoln, our next speaker came to the community of ille for the laying of the cornerstone of the lincoln memorial hall as it was first known. states civilted service commission or, president of the police commission of new york city, assistant secretary to the united days navy, colonel

of the first united states volunteer cavalry, governor of new york, vice president of the united states and president of the united states all by the age of 42. please give a warm welcome to the 26th president of the united states, theodore roosevelt. [applause] >> i was here on fedora 12 and i will tell you it was cooler that day. i'm going to give this speech and it is powerful and important as it was back then. play -- pay close attention. we have met here to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the two greatest americans. or three greatest

men of the 19th century, one of the greatest men in world history. the one wholitter, from a poorife start whose rise was by weary and painful labor lives to lead his people through the burning flames of a struggle from which the nation emerged. five -- purified. a loftier life. after long years of iron effort and a failure that came more often than victory, last wrote to the leadership of the republic at a moment when that leadership had become the stupendous task of the time. greatness butw never ease. success came to him but never happiness.

save that which springs from doing well a painful and vital path. power was his. but not pleasure. the first deepened in his brow but his eyes were undimmed by either hate or fear. his shoulders were bowed but his steel fees never faltered -- views never faltered -- fuse never faltered. his great and tender heart shrank from giving pay. the task allotted him was to pour out like law -- what are the lifeblood -- water the lifeblood. the sorrow of the women. never dismayed by disaster, the red gears of war went by and found him ever doing his duty in the future with tearless foot, high of heart and

thoughtless of soul unbroken by hatred, unshaken by scorn. he worked and suffered for the people. triumph was his at last and barely had he tasted it before kindly,ound him in the fearless eyes were closed forever. as a people we are fortunate in the characters of the two of our greatest public men, washington and lincoln. external's,d and the virginia landed gentleman and a kentucky backwoods men, they were alike and essentials. they were alike in the great qualities which make each able to service his nation and all mankind such as no other could or did render.

each had lofty ideals and each striving to gain those ideals was guided by the most common sense. each possessing flexible courage of adversity and soul. .nspoiled by prosperity each possessed of a greater virtues commonly exhibited by good men who lacked strength of character. each possessed also the strong qualities, and the -- commonly exhibited by those towering masters. much understanding of the words by which we signify the qualities of duty, marty -- mercy, lofty disinterestedness in battling for the good of others. there have been other men as great and good, and all the history of mankind, there are no other two great men as good as

these, no other two good men as great. though the problems of today differ from the problem set forth by solutions of washington and when lincoln favored to print the slaves -- free the slaves. making those problems their qualities were the same as we should show today. lincoln's on the future with the prophetic imagination of the poet. he had in him all the list towards greatness of the missionary without any of the visionary fanaticism or egotism, without any of the visionary narrow jealousy of the practical man and inability to striving practical fashion for the realization of an ideal. he had the practical man's hard common sense. there was in him none of that

morbid growth of mind and soul which binds so many practical men to the higher things in life. no more practical man ever lived in this homely idealist. it had nothing in common with those practical men whose conscious or worked until they fail to distinguish between good and evil, fail to understand that strength, ability, shrewdness, whether in the world of business or that the politics only serve to make their possessor a more evil member of the community if they are not guided and controlled a fine moral sense. we must try to solve many problems requiring to a special degree accommodation of resolution, coolheaded sanity. we can profit by the way in which lincoln used both of these traits as he strove for reform.

we can learn much of the value from the very attacks by which that course brought upon his head. untaxed unlike extremists of revolution and extremists of reaction. he never wavered in his principles and his love for the union. of slavery.d lukewarm people were always do not take him because he was too extreme. as a matter of fact, he never went to extremes. he went step-by-step and because of this, extremists hated and denounced him with a fervor which now seems to us to be is unreal the way it and impossible. as holding him up as the apostle of social revolution, the leading abolitionists described of illinois.e had when he was a second time candidate for president, the majority of his opponents attacked him because of what

they termed as extreme radicalism. while the minority threatened to full to his nomination because he was not radical enough. he had to continually check those who wished to go forward too fast at the very time he overrode the opposition of those to go forward at all. the goal was never did before his vision. he kept his way cautiously without halt as he strode such a morass of difficulty that no man of less courage would have attempted it while it surely would have overwhelmed any man of judgment erene.ertain -- s from the future, the extraordinary way in which he could write gallantly against what he deemed wrong and preserve a diminished his love and respect for the

in the hour of trial, that would have turned a weaker man's head in the heat of the struggle, which spurred many a good man to syndicate this. he said truthfully that so long as he had been in his office, he had never willingly planted a thorn in any man's bosom. he decided his supporters to study the trial through which they were passing as philosophy from which to learn wisdom, and not as rungs to be avenged. ending with the solemn exhortation that all should reunite in a common effort to save their common country. he lives in days that were great and terrible. when brother fought against brother for what each sincerely deemed to be the right, and a contest of written -- of -- ness,

darkly.through a glass only to the rarest and loftiest spirits is granted that clear vision which gradually comes to all. as please could spec into the hearts that were hurt. lincoln would give them the supreme vision. he did not hate the man from whom he differed. weakness was his -- his courage was of such a high quality that it needed no all string of dark passion. the samey saw that high qualities, the same courage and willingness for self-sacrifice and devotion to the right as it was given to them to see the right. it belongs both to the men of the north and the men of the south.

as the years rolled by, and as those of us grow to feel unable pride and a devotion of the men who were the blue and the gray so that this whole nation will feel a peculiar sense of pride and the mightiest of the mighty man who mastered the my da's, the lover of his country and the lover of all mankind, the man whose blood was shed for his union for the people that for the freedom of a race. abraham lincoln. [applause] >> thank you president roosevelt. abraham lincoln birthplace national park was established on july 17, 1916, when president woodrow wilson signed into law .ouse resolution 8351

just six weeks later come on august 25, 1916, president wilson also established the national park service when he signed into law the organic act of 19 6 -- 1915. rather national park service was 1916, thety in late administration of abraham lincoln birthplace national park was placed under the department of war, which continued to his -- administerark the park until our next bigger, through executive order, transferred 56 national monuments and historic sites to the national park service in 1933. he served in the new york state senate as assistant secretary to the united states navy, governor of new york, and was elected president of the united states four separate times. please give a warm welcome to the 32nd president of the united

states, franklin delano roosevelt. [applause] , top dignitaries, my fellow americans. i have visited the cabin in which abraham lincoln was born. have come here individually as one of many millions of americans whose lives have been influenced for the good by abraham lincoln. i live temporarily in the same house, in the same room once occupied by him. the very window from which he gazed in the dark days is the same. but this cabin is even more

personal than the scenes of his official life, for here was born and lived the child. , later to beromise so splendidly fulfilled. i have taken from this cabin a renewed confidence that the spirit of america is not dead, that men and means will be found to explore and conquer the problems of a new time with no less humility and no less fortitude than his. our pledge toenew the faith which lincoln held in the common man, the faith so simply expressed when he said "as i would not be a slave, so i would not be a master." this expresses my idea of

democracy. whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is , is no democracy. thank you. [applause] >> thank you president roosevelt. speaker served as a lieutenant colonel in the new tank corps in 1918, served as the supreme allied commander of the allied expeditionary forces in europe during world war ii, oversaw operations for d-day in june of 1944, served as the military governor of the united states occupational zone in germany after world war ii, rose to the rank of a five-star general, and was elected president of the united states in 1952.

he was the last president to visit this park on april 23, 1954. please give a warm welcome to the 34th president of the united states, dwight david eisenhower. [applause] ,> honored guests, congressmen my fellow citizens of the united states of america, long have i looked forward to the opportunity to visit this shrine. american. truly did iin my wildest moment see this kind of occasion. i saw myself driving up here jalopy,family in an old

stopping and looking and visiting this great spot. by theuly honored courtesy you show me in being , that i might greet you and bring you a warm -- a word of welcome from your far of capital, washington, d.c.. express myould best feelings about abraham lincoln in this way -- in my office in the white house, i have sketches of four great americans hanging on the wall. the first, and the oldest, benjamin franklin. george washington. abraham lincoln.

and robert e lee. lincoln has always seen -- seemed to me to represent all in termsest in america of opportunity and the readiness of americans always to rise up and exalts those who live by , whose lives are example of integrity and dedication to our country. i would like to speak about two or three characteristics of lincoln that i think most of us should now remind ourselves possibly was a prophet. he was a great leader. i would like to remind you of the message he used in his

leadership. wheren find no instance he stood up in public and excoriated another american. you can find no instance where he is reported to have slapped or pounded a table and struck a pose of a pseudo-dictator or an arbitrary individual. rather, the qualities that he showed and exhibited were forbearance and extreme patience. lincoln called upon general mcclellan, and the president , at over to his house process which i assure you has been reversed longer go -- long

ago. general mcclellan decided he did not want to see the president, and he went to bed. day, lincoln's friends criticized him severely for allowing a mere general to do it 10 -- treat-- to him that way. lincoln said all i want from general mcclellan is a victory, to hold his horse will bring it, i will gladly hold his horse. thing --s one lincoln's leadership was accomplished through a dedication of a single purpose, the preservation of the union. he understood deeply the great values that unite all of us,

georgia with new york, massachusetts with texas, california with florida. he knew that there were divisive influences at work in our country, but he knew also that they were transitory in character. , butwere flaming with heat they were made of stuff that would soon burn itself out. the true values of america he understood our enduring, as it holds us together. and so he was patient. he was forbearing. , and henderstanding lives today in our hearts as one of the greatest that the english-speaking grace has ever produced. and a great leader. yet never did he fall into the

false habit of striking a napoleonic attitude at any time under any provocation. becauseber his words they still mean to us, they still explain to us what this great country is -- the greatest power on god's footstool that exister been committed to -- permitted to exist. a power for good among ourselves and around the world. he, this great lincoln, was the one who did so much to give us the opportunity to live at a , whenhen that would be so america's leadership in the world is necessary for the preservation of freedom and of

liberty. as in hisrld, just presence in the 1860's was necessary for the preservation of liberty and freedom and union of this nation as in his . i want to thank you again for this great honor you do me in coming out here today. i amnot tell you how happy at last to have the opportunity of coming to the birthplace of who, forincoln, a man me, like all of view, has been an idle since the days of my first memory. thank you, and god bless the united states of america. [applause] >> thank you president

eisenhower. every 12,y morning, 1809 -- february 20 -- february 12, 1809, in a log cabin was born a baby boy. no one at that time could have predicted that the newborn son of thomas lincoln would go to lead the nation and change the world. in 1904, americans from across the stratum of developcame together to the lincoln birthplace farm into a national park. it was the lincoln farm association and its members who pursued that goal which was 17,lly achieved on july 1916. it was there ideal to honor the great emancipator with a

memorial at the site of his birth. self-taught, this kentucky boyd grew to the man -- kentucky boy grew to the man who served in the illinois house of representatives, became a successful lawyer, served one term in the house of representatives, and was elected president of the united states in 1860. please give a warm welcome to the 16th president of the united states, mr. abraham lincoln. [applause] >> oh what an honor. what an honor to be with you today. i will tell you a bit about my life.

here,old i was born right february 12, 1809. i don't remember my birth, and you probably don't from your birth -- don't remember your birth. here.lot of work move over to illinois, did a lot of work there. move on to a place called illinois. todd.he met a lady, mary she advised me to this cotillion . i went to this cotillion, and i walked in, and there was this mary todd. i was smitten white away -- right away. i looked around at all these

gentlemen were dancing. i said i would -- i said i would ask her to dance, but i don't know how to dance. so i looked at all these gentlemen, and every one of them had on white gloves. i had white gloves, so all the while i'm putting on my way -- white gloves, i'm seeing what these gentlemen are doing. every last one of them had his left hand upholding the ladies right hand. i said i'm going to do this. and i did. over to where she was and i took her by the hand and said oh todd, i would like to dance with the worst way. she accepted my tatian -- invitation, and we danced. i took her back to her seat and set her down. later i heard her tell her abrahamoh, that

lincoln. he is a man of his word. he said he wanted to ask me in the worst way, and that is exactly what he did." this --reparedfor speech for this. isn't the best message you can is have a very good beginning and a very good and, and keep the two as close together as you can. ofead the book ecclesiastics. seven time of war -- it said there is a time for war, and a time for peace. served this nation as president, it was a time of war.

1860 when i was elected president of the united states of america, there were 33 states in the union. virginia, north carolina, south carolina, and georgia, florida, alabama, mississippi, louisiana, arkansas, tennessee, texas, missouri, kentucky. i did not want war. no one wanted war. march 4, 1860, i close my inaugural address with these words. i said "in your hands might is , thisied countrymen country may dissent into civil war. your government will not azalea. you have no can't without yourself being the aggressor. we are not enemies but friends. we must not be enemies.

though passion may have strayed it, it must not take the bonds of the nation. -- mystic cord of memory as surely as it must be, by the better angels of our nature. 4, 1865,s later, march i knew this dreadful conflict was coming to an end. i knew i must do something to reunite this nation, to bring it together again. -- so i close my address with these words " firmly do we pray that this work may speedily pass away. , new -- lls it

-- y drop of blood it was said they he is go, so thehall be said today -- judgment of the lord is true and righteous altogether, with malice towards none but charity for all. god wills us to do right, so let us strive to face the work we , to care for him who has been in battle, and for his widow, and for his orphans to do all that you may, to care for h. in short a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. i bid you on affectionate affectionaten

farewell. [applause] >> thank you president lincoln. our speakers for this afternoon. to give a warm round of applause to all of our speakers this afternoon, and for the sentiments that they have represented on this special day. [applause] i would like to thank our distinguished guests, our presidents, and all of you for this here today and making 100th anniversary of the abraham lincoln birthplace national historical park a very special day indeed.

i invite all of you to visit and take pictures with the president's at the conclusion of the ceremony, and enjoy the park nationald all of these parks during these and daniel year. thank you again. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪

>> the smithsonian museum of african history and culture open to stores for the first time on september 24. american history tv will be live at the national mall starting at 8:00 a.m. eastern, with the sights and sounds leading up to the 10:00 a.m. opening ceremony. it includes remarks by president obama. this is american history tv, only on c-span3. c-span's american history tv's or membrane september 11, 2001 through the stories of americans who were at the white house, the capital, the pentagon, and in the skies above washington dc rear admiral david thomas takes us inside the burning pentagon, where he searched for his best friend.