WASHINGTON (CNN) -- From Capitol Hill to Springfield, Illinois, President Obama and Congress paid tribute Thursday to Abraham Lincoln on the bicentennial of his birth. Visitors greet an Abraham Lincoln impersonator in Washington on Thursday. "It is an honor to be here: a place where Lincoln served, was inaugurated, and where the nation he saved bid him a last farewell," Obama said at the Capitol on Thursday. "As we mark the bicentennial of our 16th president's birth, I cannot claim to know as much about his life and works as many who are also speaking today, but I can say that I feel a special gratitude to this singular figure who in so many ways made my own story possible -- and who in so many ways made America's story possible."
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Obama says Lincoln "in so many ways made my own story possible"
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President Obama, Congress salute the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth
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Library of Congress also opens an exhibit showcasing original items
Other, more lighthearted artifacts are also on display, including an 1860 letter from a girl urging presidential candidate @placeholder to grow a beard to help his prospects with voters.