U.S. President Barack Obama paid tribute to the ideals of former President Abraham Lincoln Thursday, as a building was dedicated in Mr. Lincoln's honor, Abraham Lincoln Hall at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Obama said the university is a "living legacy" to Mr. Lincoln's ambition for a "just and lasting peace."
The school is under the direction of the top military officer in the U.S. armed forces, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The institution's stated mission is to prepare military and civilian leaders from the U.S. and abroad to evaluate national and international security challenges.
President Obama said the university must play a "critical role" in developing new approaches to keep the nation safe, saying the U.S. cannot continue to push the burden on the military alone.
The president said his administration is committed to renewing diplomacy, engaging the world and enlisting civilians to confront the threats facing the United States.
Last month, President Obama celebrated the 200th anniversary of Mr. Lincoln's birth. He said the nation can get through its current challenges by remembering the spirit of the man who presided over the country during the Civil War in the 1860s.
During that war, Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, ordering the freeing of slaves in southern U.S. states that were in rebellion, eventually leading to the abolition of slavery in all of the United States.
The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, added after Mr. Lincoln's assassination in 1865, abolished all slavery in the U.S.
News
