It was President’s Day. Mr. Wong’s class celebrated the holiday with a costume parade. The students dressed up as presidents and vice presidents.

Miranda was Kamala Harris. Caden was George Washington. Everyone knew who Abe was. Abe Lincoln of course!

In addition to sharing a name, Abe and Lincoln shared a birthday. They were both born on February 12th. They also both liked to read. But Lincoln was born in a log cabin. Abe was born in the hospital.

The most important part of Abe’s costume was the tall, black hat. Lincoln was famous for wearing it. He was 6 foot 4 inches. That was already pretty tall. But his hat made him stand out even more.

Lincoln’s hat was eight inches high. It made him taller than everyone in a crowd. One time it even protected him. He was riding home on a horse and someone shot at him. The bullet went right through his hat!

Lincoln’s hat had a black band around the bottom. Lincoln added it to his hat when his son died. He was never without his hat. He even wore it to the theater on the night that he was killed.

Lincoln’s hat wasn’t just about fashion. It was also useful. He often stored papers in his hat. When he needed them, he’d take the hat off his head and pull them out.

Abe admired Lincoln for many reasons. He was a strong president who held the country together during the Civil War. He called for the end of the enslavement of African Americans in the United States.

Abe knew that it didn’t really matter what Lincoln wore on his head. But as he marched in the parade he wore his hat proudly. He was glad to share a name, a birthday, and a hat, with such an important president.