Sawyer explores the metaphorical meaning of Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait, one of the most recognizable and performed of the Lincoln musical memorials. As such, its use reflects changes in historical memory and in the artistic appropriation of Abraham Lincoln. Through the interactive processes of performances and listening, Lincoln Portrait, a patriotic work tinged with the progressive ideology of its composer, has invited generations of audiences to subjective and personal reflection on Lincoln's identity while prompting social and political discourse on the essence and morality of the nation he sought to preserve. To interpret its metaphorical meaning and appreciate its enduring appeal, it is necessary to explore the circumstances of its commissioning, the character and motivations of the composer himself, and how the Lincoln tradition was claimed in the early part of the twentieth century.