Abraham Lincoln has been called “The Great Emancipator;” praised for his ability to lead a nation into an age without slavery. Today, instead of praising a single man for making the easy decision, we should praise the people of those times for making the decision to cut society’s ties to violations of natural rights. With segregation, equality became the next hurdle for blacks to overcome. In 1953 the first two black graduate students were admitted into the College of Engineering. One student dropped out and the other became the college’s first black graduate in 1957. Integration was even harder than segregation, but to oppress fellow Americans is the worst. To this day, programs such as affirmative action ensure that no American tastes the bitterness of second-class citizenship. America is a nation composed of people who constantly strive for a better living for all. Though Lincoln was, technically, the official who sat behind a desk in the Oval Office and ‘gave the order,’ bills and government require consensus and cooperation. Barack Obama is now president of the United States. In the wake of Lincoln, Obama was chosen by the people to serve the people. Democracy comes full circle. The best leaders follow the people. Fools attempt and fail at ‘leading people.’  Without our 16th president, we would still have a 44th president. It turns out, the best pick is black. Lincoln and contemporary Americans were going to come to their senses sooner or later. Race is a negligible attribute just as height or weight. Pressure from foreigners aided in the emancipation of slavery. There were other factors at work. Though Lincoln signed a bill that passed in legislature; the bill would mean nothing if American citizens had not complied with the decision to free a race of enslaved people. Americans should not praise Abe for making the right decision. Americans should praise Abe and all of his contemporaries for overcoming dependence on exploitation of a race of people. Lincoln gets too much credit at times because he was not solely devoted to freeing slaves. Slaves were an important part to the civil war effort and not all men were immediately granted freedom or equality due to Lincoln. There is more to history than the propaganda in your standard public school book. Students can get the scoop on Abe Lincoln at “Lincoln’s 200th Birthday: A Commemorative Panel,” sponsored by the Department of Political Science and the Department of History. The panel discussion starts today at 4:00 p.m. in Caldwell Hall Lounge.  This event’s guests include Professor Sanford Kessler, from the Department of Political Science, discussing “Lincoln and the Crisis of the House Divided;” Professor Susanna Lee, from the Department of History, discussing “Lincoln: The Great Emancipator?;” Professor Anthony Solari, from the Department of Political Science speaking on ” Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: Reinventing Government in the Time of Crisis;”  and Professor David Anderson, from the Department of  English, speaking on “Whitman’s Lincoln: The Sweetest, Wisest Soul.”