This Day in History: February 23rd

Here’s a brief look back in time on this day, February 23rd

In 1861, recently-elected 16th U.S. president Abraham Lincoln arrives in Washington, D.C. However, he wasn’t welcomed with the bombastic fanfare that some may have initially thought. In fact, he was wearing a disguise in an attempt to avoid just that. Draped in an overcoat, he sneaked into the nation’s capital in the early morning hours via train. He was accompanied with the Pinkerton Detective Agency, who believed to have uncovered an assassination plot on Lincoln’s life, hence the secrecy. This was during a time when several states had already dissociated with the Union: a factor that led to the American Civil War a couple months later.

In 1940, Woody Guthrie writes his great American folk song “This Land is Your Land”. The song serves as a love letter to America itself, celebrating various symbols and landmarks synonymous to its beautiful landscapes. It also promoted the idea of America belonging to the common folk as opposed to the rich and powerful; it would serve as a popular rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement due to that notion a couple decades later.