Today we observe the 150^th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. We’re also at the start of the presidential political season. Over the course of the next year and a half, we will be presented with contrasting visions of America’s future. To help us evaluate these arguments, it is useful to turn to Lincoln’s January 27, 1838 speech before the Young Men’s Lyceum in Springfield, Illinois.

In this portion of the speech, Lincoln reminds young citizens why they should be grateful to find themselves in America and the legacy they are bound to protect. We, too, should take the text of this speech to heart, for it points to the American ideal, the responsibility of preserving these ideals, and a standard from which to judge the present political promises of a better tomorrow: