Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln once said “That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it is well.” That’s exactly what he did. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He grew up in log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. He was born to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Thomas was a strong and determined pioneer who found a moderate level of success and was well respected in the community. The couple had two other children Abraham’s older sister Sarah, and younger brother Thomas, who died in infancy. He was the 16th president of the United States and is regarded as one of America’s greatest heroes due to his role as hero of the Union and emancipator of the slaves. His rise from humble beginnings to achieving the highest office in the land is a remarkable story.
He was suddenly and tragically assassinated at a time when his country needed him to complete the great task remaining before the nation. His flow of democracy and urging that the Union was worth saving embody the ideals of self-government that all nations strive to achieve. Lincoln’s plain human and helpful personality and incredible impact on the nation has endowed him with an enduring legacy. (Biography) Early life Abe’s mother was killed by poisoned milk when he was 9 years old. Although Lincoln developed a close relationship with his stepmother, his relationship with his father was strained. Thomas Lincoln brought home from Kentucky a new wife for himself, a new mother for the children. Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln, a widow with two girls and a boy of her own, had energy and affection to spare. She ran the household with an even hand, treating both sets of children as if she had endured them all; but she became especially fond of Abraham, he was very liked fond of her too. (Picture of Abe as a teen above)(Library of Congress)
Even though Lincoln had very little formal education he loved to read and neighbors remembered how he would walk for miles to borrow a book. Some of his favorite books included “Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington, Robinson Crusoe, Pilgrim’s Progress, and Aesop’s Fables”.(Library of Congress) When he was a kid he had many chores. One of his chores was chopping wood. One year later in 1830 he moved with his father for the last time when they travelled to Illinois. A year later, he set out on his own. His father continued farming in Coles County, Illinois until his death in 1851. He was buried in the Shiloh Cemetery, near his Illinois farm.
Adult Life Another Quote(Above)(Brainyquote). In 1842, Abraham Lincoln married Mary Anne Todd, a Kentucky native, at her sister’s home in Springfield, Illinois.(History) During their marriage, a devoted Lincoln watched apprehensively as his dear wife developed illnesses and erratic behaviors, most likely in response to the death of their 11-year-old son Willie in 1862. She also suffered a head injury during a carriage accident in 1863 and thereafter complained of migraine headaches. Biographers and scholars have suggested that she suffered from severe depression and anxiety.(History) His kids were Robert Todd Lincoln, William Wallace Lincoln, Edward Baker Lincoln, Tad Lincoln.
He failed in business in 1831, and was defeated in state legislator in 1832 and tried again at business in 1833. It failed. And his fiancee died in 1835, in 1836 he had a nervous breakdown with depression, in 1843 he ran for congress and was defeated, tried again at congress and was defeated in 1848 and in 1855 he tried running for the Senate. He lost. In 1856 tried running for vice president and lost. In 1859 he ran for the senate and was defeated. Finally in 1860 Abraham Lincoln got elected the 16th President of the United States of America. 6 weeks into his first term attack on fort sumter began starting the civil war.
The Civil War was a 4 year battle between Confederates.(below) and Union.(Right) It was all over slavery. Slavery was the law of the land until the early 19th century. It was concentrated in the southern states, where slaves were used as farm laborers and formed the backbone of the southern economy. In the northern states, where industry drove the economy, many people believed that slavery was immoral and wrong. Southerners felt threatened by these northern “abolitionists” and claimed that the common government had no power to end slavery against the wishes of the states. Eventually, southerners became convinced that the common government would attempt to abolish slavery nationwide.
Eleven states left the United States in the following order and formed the Confederate States of America: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee.(Battlefields) The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest war and that is why we don’t have slavery. During The Battle of Gettysburg, Abe gave the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves. In 1864, “Northern voters overwhelmingly endorse the leadership and policies of President Abraham Lincoln when they elect him to a second term”. … “And many Northerners had never been happy with Lincoln’s 1862 Emancipation Proclamation, which converted the war from one of reunion to a crusade to destroy slavery”. (History) . And when he was attending a play at Ford’s Theatre he was killed by John Wilkes booth in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865. … “He shot Lincoln once in the back of the head, and the President died the next morning”. He was rushed immediately to the hospital. His wife was there when he went to. She was devastated.
