Illinois is known as the “Land of Lincoln” due to Abraham Lincoln’s early political career there. The state made it the official motto in 1955, and the US Congress granted special copyright to the “Land of Lincoln” insignia. Lincoln’s political service bonded Illinois with him, not his birthplace. He served four terms in the state legislature and one in the US House of Representatives before becoming the 16th president of the United States. His legacy as a defender of human rights and symbol of honesty, integrity, and humility remains strong.
“Lincoln Land” is the nickname and official slogan of the state of Illinois, a reference to US President Abraham Lincoln’s early political career there. Abraham Lincoln first served in the Illinois General Assembly beginning in 1834. His presidency may have secured his place in history, but it was his work that represented the people of Illinois, first at the state level and then to the United States House of Representatives, which so closely associated its name with that state and caused Illinois to become known as the “Land of Lincoln.”
Proud of the bond between their state and the former president, Illinois officials have sought to commemorate that bond in an official way. In 1955, the state made “Land of Lincoln,” already a nickname for the state, into the official motto of Illinois. That same year, the United States Congress granted special copyright to the “Land of Lincoln” insignia, a silhouette of Lincoln within an outline of the state.
“Land of Lincoln” is not a reference to the president’s birthplace, as many think. He was born in 1809 in a cabin about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Hodgenville, Kentucky. In 1816, he and his family moved to Indiana. It was not until 1830 that he moved his family to Illinois, where he tried his hand at a number of professions before turning to politics. It was Lincoln’s political service that bonded Illinois with his favorite adopted son.
In 1832, Lincoln made his first bid for public office in the Illinois General Assembly. That attempt was unsuccessful, but two years later he won, starting the first of four terms in the state legislature. In 1846 he won a seat in the United States House of Representatives and in 1847 began his single term there. He also ran for the United States Senate in 1858, where he won the popular vote but lost the election.
Finally, in 1861, Abraham Lincoln became the sixteenth president of the United States. During his tenure, he led the nation through a bloody civil war, a conflict that arose largely over the issue of slavery, and with the Emancipation Proclamation, perhaps his best-known act as president, outlawed the property of a person from another. His roles in the Civil War and in defining and defending human rights, coupled with his assassination in 1865, elevated Lincoln’s legacy from historic to near-mythical, one of the most trusted figures of all time. His name is associated with such precious values as honesty, integrity and humility. In the years since his assassination, President Lincoln has become a powerful symbol.
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