Darwin and Lincoln - Two Peas in a Pod?
Abraham Lincoln, 1860 Charles Darwin, 1840 Today in History by Laurie Sheldon Both Charles Darwin and Abe Lincoln were born today, February 12, in 1809. Darwin's influence on the study of the natural world is widely known, but Lincoln's is not. Sure, he successfully led our country through Civil War, preserved the Union and ended slavery, but he also made a lasting impact on the green front. Here's how: Justin Smith Morrill, a Congressional Representative from Vermont, was an outspoken advocate for the democratic ideal that a college education should be available, at low cost, to all who desired one. The issue was dear to his heart, having been the son of a blacksmith who had to go to work at 15 years old because his family did not have the means to provide him with a higher education. At any rate, Morrill proposed a plan that called for the establishment of state agricultural colleges through the ...