“Congress finds the following:“(1) Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, was one of the Nation’s greatest leaders, demonstrating true courage during the Civil War, one of the greatest crises in the Nation’s history.
“(2) Born of humble roots in Hardin County (present-day LaRue County), Kentucky, on February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln rose to the Presidency through a combination of honesty, integrity, intelligence, and commitment to the United States.
“(3) With the belief that all men are created equal, Abraham Lincoln led the effort to free all slaves in the United States.
“(4) Abraham Lincoln had a generous heart, with malice toward none, and with charity for all.
“(5) Abraham Lincoln gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country he loved, dying from an assassin’s bullet on April 15, 1865.
“(6) All Americans could benefit from studying the life of Abraham Lincoln, for Lincoln’s life is a model for accomplishing the ‘American dream’ through honesty, integrity, loyalty, and a lifetime of education.
“(7) The year 2009 will be the bicentennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.
“(8) Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, grew to adulthood in Indiana, achieved fame in Illinois, and led the nation in Washington, D.C.
“(9) The so-called ‘Lincoln cent’ was introduced in 1909 on the 100th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, making the obverse design the most enduring on the nation’s coinage.
“(10) President Theodore Roosevelt was so impressed by the talent of Victor David Brenner that the sculptor was chosen to design the likeness of President Lincoln for the coin, adapting a design from a plaque Brenner had prepared earlier.
“(11) In the nearly 100 years of production of the ‘Lincoln cent’, there have been only 2 designs on the reverse: the original, featuring 2 wheat-heads in memorial style enclosing mottoes, and the current representation of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
“(12) On the occasion of the bicentennial of President Lincoln’s birth and the 100th anniversary of the production of the Lincoln cent, it is entirely fitting to issue a series of 1-cent coins with designs on the reverse that are emblematic of the 4 major periods of President Lincoln’s life.