Harper Lee won the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007. President George W. Bush presented the United States’ highest civilian honor to Lee on November 5, 2007, recognizing her contribution to literature and the enduring influence of To Kill a Mockingbird.
The award came nearly five decades after To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960. The novel became an international bestseller, won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and made Lee one of the most influential American authors of the twentieth century.
A common mix-up is confusing this award with Lee’s National Medal of Arts, which President Barack Obama presented to her in 2010. The Presidential Medal of Freedom and National Medal of Arts are separate honors, although both recognize major contributions to American culture.