The Hall of Presidents: Birth of a New America, Honoring Sacrifice, Propelling Progress

We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. The blood of over half a million Americans is spilled in this civil war. President Lincoln’s enduring hope is to give true meaning to the sacrifices of so many to lead us to that new birth of freedom. With the end of the war and the end of slavery, a new birth truly begins As we roll toward the 20th century, settlers move west on wagon wheels, and railroads connect the nation from coast to coast. We want to make this country…