The House is holding its Lincoln Day program this morning, with its usual calendar of bills to debate delayed for about a half-hour for the ceremony. Here, Scott Yenor, chairman of the Department of Political Science, addresses the House on, “The 13^thAmendment and Constitutional Liberty.”

“The removal of slavery would help to complete the American political order by bringing its practice in line with its promise,” he told the House. He noted that the 13^thAmendment, which ended slavery, still needed the 14^th, addressing equal protection and applying the Bill of Rights to the states.  “The federal form of the 13^thand the 14^thamendment has much to recommend it today,” he said. “Lincoln’s new birth of freedom was an extension of the old.”

The ceremony also included the showing of the trailer to Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” movie in the House chamber; and several musical presentations, including singing by Rep. Kelly Packer, R-McCammon.