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Today is the 200th birthday of the greatest American, Abraham Lincoln.

As a number of recent books and documentaries point out, much of what is believed today about Lincoln says more about us than about him.  That is to say, Lincoln is such a towering figure, that everyone wants to have Lincoln on their side.  So, whatever beliefs or ideals you hold, you will attempt to ascribe those to Lincoln.  The problem with this is obvious.

Meanwhile, I find it vexing that some today try to vilify Lincoln because his words and actions do not live up to the idea of perfection we have attributed to Lincoln.  For example, as 21st Century Americans, it shocks some that Lincoln did not believe that blacks were the intellectual equal of whites, or that Lincoln used “the N-word”.  Some take this fact and reach the unreasonable conclusion that Lincoln was a “white supremacist” and a racist.  The problem with this, of course, is that these people are not acknowledging the reality of context.  When Lincoln lived, almost every white American was incredibly racist and almost nobody–and certainly nobody in the mainstream of society–was arguing for full equality for blacks.  The truth is this: Lincoln was always opposed to slavery, and no other man with a realistic chance of becoming president of the United States in 1861 was as open-minded, or better suited for that office, in those circumstances, at that time.  It is difficult to imagine anyone else but Lincoln having the wisdom and tenacity to preserve the Union.  Abraham Lincoln personally did more good for his country than any other man.  If you care that Florida and Vermont are in the same country today, thank Abraham Lincoln.

Meanwhile, as one who appreciates good writing, I am endlessly impressed by Lincoln’s words.  One of the best teachers I’ve ever had, Professor Brian McCrea, often quotes Lincoln’s second inaugural address, and cites it as the ideal example of parallel sentence structure.

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up our nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

Setting aside the beauty of the language, and the nobility of the content, that sentence is structurally brilliant.  It is remarkably long for one sentence, but it is held together perfectly by its parallel structure.  It even follows Dr. McCrea’s convention that the last clause in a parallel sentence should be the longest (in this case, “to do all which may achieve a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations”).  A politician today would not have said the preceding the same way today.  He would more likely say, “Let us strive on to finish the work we are in.  Let us bind up our nations wounds”, etc.  Parallel structure, as Dr. McCrea would say, is a feature of sophisticated writing.

Happy Birthday, Lincoln.

It isn’t easy to say much more than I’ve already said about today’s historic events.  Let’s simply say that I feel very proud and very happy.

On an unrelated note, though the temperature in Gainesville today reached 49 degrees, I nevertheless felt colder than I have ever felt in my life, including occasions in which I have been flat on my back in a mountain of snow.  I don’t know if it’s me or something else, but I felt certain I was freezing to death.

Still, I’d have gladly endured sub-freezing temperatures to have been in Washington today.  I couldn’t sleep last night, and tonight I’ll probably be too excited again.  I’m very happy.

A few thoughts about what has just happened:

• President Obama’s address was one of the best ever given
• I wish Chief Justice Roberts hadn’t botched the oath
• The crowds stretching from the Capitol to the Washington Monument were biblical
• It looked very cold, but I was glad the sky was blue
• I feel very happy and very proud

More thoughts to come.

To enter the Washington Monument you must have a ticket.  Tickets are free, and distributed on a first come, first served basis, so, you might arrive at ten o’clock in the morning and find the only tickets left are for two o’clock in the afternoon.  This means that instead of following the schedule you had originally designed for yourself that would involve the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, the FDR Memorial and the National Gallery of Art, you instead see the National Archives and the Jefferson Memorial and call it a day.

First things first: the Washington Monument is an amazing structure when you consider how old it is.  It’s like a 50 story skyscraper built of stone blocks, with no steel to reinforce anything.  Inside, it’s clear that gravity holds this thing together.  The security procedure was, again, rigorous, and that alone must sharply reduce the number of visitors that can be accommodated daily.  The elevator takes you to a landing at the very top of the obelisk, and the mark on the floor indicates a height of 500 feet.  There are two small windows on each face of the pyramidal section of the monument, and depending on which direction you face you see either the WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and Arlington, Virginia; the Capitol and RFK Stadium; the Jefferson Memorial and Reagan National Airport; or the Elipse and the White House.

The Jefferson Memorial requires a hike, but is well worth it.  I love classically inspired architecture, and this structure has about as many columns, steps and pediments as you could fit into a respectable design.  Plus, inside there’s a great big statue.

The National Archives is not far from the Smithsonian Museums, and is a handsome building in its own rights, with a fine dome.  Beneath that dome, of course, are our nation’s most precious possessions: the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights.  You know you’ve got some good stuff on display when you decide to keep the Magna Carta off in a corner somewhere.  The cafeteria there was surprisingly good (and very surprisingly affordable), and the elevator was fancy.  Plus, it was at the National Archives that I saw the only authentic Lincoln document of my entire trip, a letter in his own hand.  The Library of Congress has two copies of the Gettysburg Address, and the National Archives has, I believe, the Emancipation Proclamation, but they are too delicate to display for more than a few days each year.  Still, I was glad I got to see something, at least, that bore Lincoln’s own signature.

Time didn’t allow a visit to the National Gallery of Art, alas, but I did go through the sculpture garden.  Most everything in it sucked big time.  But they did have a Calder stabile, so that was nice.  One evening I took the Metro to the Dupont Circle stop and visited the Phillips Collection.  It’s an art museum in an old mansion in a neighborhood that now houses many of the international embassies.  I am very glad that admission was free, because I really only was interested in seeing one thing there.  I made a pretty weak attempt to imitate a painting, too.

So, I missed the National Cathedral, Cedar Hill, the Bureau of Printing and Engraving and the FDR Memorial.  The National Museum of American History and Ford’s Theater were closed, and my White House tour didn’t come through.  But I’ll go back someday.  Huzzah!

The Supreme Court of the United States meets in a stunning marble building across 1st Street from the Capitol, right next door to the Library of Congress.  Up the steps past the columns and in the long lobby are floors and walls of marble, too.  You’d think they stripped an entire quarry bare to build it.  The ceiling is as similarly elaborate.

On the day I was there it was possible to wait for a few minutes before being led into the chamber for a short lecture about the history and of the court, the building, and an explanation of what happens on days in which the court hears argument.  The lecture was given by a young law clerk.  Photos of the chamber are not permitted, but the Court’s website has some to see.  Elsewhere in the building was an amazing spiral staircase.

The US Botanic Garden is a pleasant diversion.  It sits right on the west side of the Capitol.  It’s not an especially large structure, and many of the plants are of the sort you can find at your local nursery, it’s a pleasant place.  I liked the glass roof.

One of the most amazing places I have ever been in my life is the Library of Congress.  The building is impressive in and of itself, and the lobby is even fancier than the Capitol, but what’s inside is beyond compare.  Right past the front door is a perfect vellum copy of the Gutenberg Bible, one of only four in the world.  Upstairs, past an exhibit that included dozens of historic pages handwritten by Washington, Jefferson and many other founding fathers, is Thomas Jefferson’s own library.  It’s displayed in a circular case, and I spied within a copy of Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language in two large volumes.  After browsing, I had to use the bathroom of congress, which, oddly, had no urinals.

Later: the National Archives and the Washington Monument.