SPRINGFIELD – Nothing brings the image of Abraham Lincoln to mind better than his iconic stovepipe hat. And nothing sums up Lincoln’s beliefs better than a scrap of paper he may have stored in that battered hat. According to the paper, “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”

Now, just in time for Lincoln’s birthday, both the hat and the note on democracy are going on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. They were added to the museum’s Treasures Gallery on Jan. 23 and will remain on display about six months.

The two new items will join a signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s order freeing slaves in rebel states during the Civil War. The proclamation turned 150 years old on Jan. 1.