Presidents Day 2026: Honoring Influential Figures Like Abraham Lincoln in Shaping U.S. History

CHICAGO (WLS) — Presidents Day serves as a poignant moment to honor the leaders who have significantly influenced the American narrative, with Abraham Lincoln standing out as a notable figure.

Lincoln’s deep connections to Illinois and Chicago anchor his historical legacy in the region. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, historians highlight Lincoln’s presidency as a prime example of effective leadership during a national crisis.

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“Abraham Lincoln was our 16th president, but I would argue he is one of the most consequential figures in American history,” stated Erin Carlson Mast, the president and CEO of the Lincoln Presidential Foundation.

Lincoln assumed the presidency in 1861, stepping into office as tensions between the Union and the Confederacy escalated, teetering on the edge of the Civil War.

“The vice president of the Confederacy openly expressed concerns that Lincoln would disrupt the institution of slavery in states where it was established. Their intention was to form a new nation that upheld the power of slavery,” Carlson Mast explained.

The Confederacy lost that battle, in part due to a war-time measure and executive order called the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring more than three million enslaved Africans Americans free.

“The nation had never been through a Civil War before. In some cases, Lincoln had to color outside the lines, if you will, test the limits of his executive power, because there was no blueprint,” Carlson Mast said.

His Gettysburg Address remains one of the most quoted speeches in American history, capturing the principles of unity, equality and self-government.

“Well, Lincoln’s approach is notable because certainly, you know, political rhetoric, including in more recent years, has become much more divisive. And that’s certainly the antithesis of what Lincoln was attempting to do with his speeches,” Carlson Mast said.

Lincoln also pushed forward major infrastructure policy, supporting the transcontinental railroad with the Pacific Railway Act, eventually giving the U.S. the Union Pacific Railroad and land-grant colleges like the University of Illinois. That helped establish Chicago as a national rail and commercial center.

“Lincoln saw rail as the future. He was very interested in investing in things that helped people,” Carlson Mast said.

He frequently spoke about the dignity of labor and economic opportunity: ideas that later echoed through labor movements that grew strong in Chicago.

“Being trapped as a wage laborer because of incredibly unfair working conditions that those were antithetical to, really the ideals of this country,” Carlson Mast said.

Lincoln was also a supporter of immigration.

“It’s during his presidency that Congress passes an act to encourage immigration, which Lincoln signs on July 4, 1864. Not only did he want the United States to be this beacon of hope for freedom-seeking people everywhere, but he understood that a way for this nation to grow was to attract immigrants,” Carlson Mast said.

Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, but scholars say his legacy remains central to understanding presidential leadership in times of division and growth.