Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States. He served from 1861 until his death in 1865. He led the country during a big war called the American Civil War. He helped end a very wrong practice called slavery.

Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin in Kentucky. He grew up in a place where few people lived, called the frontier. He taught himself many things and became a lawyer. He worked as a legislator in Illinois and later as a U.S. representative. He became a leader of the Republican Party and was elected president in 1860. This made some states very upset, and they left the United States. This led to the Civil War when fighting began at a place called Fort Sumter.

During the war, Lincoln made important decisions to help end slavery. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which said slaves should be free. He also gave a famous speech called the Gettysburg Address. He worked hard to change the rules of the country to end slavery forever. This change is called the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Lincoln was re-elected in 1864 and started working to bring the country back together after the war. This work is called Reconstruction.

Lincoln is remembered as a hero for keeping the country united and for working to end slavery. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest presidents in American history.

Family and childhood

Main article: Early life and career of Abraham Lincoln

Further information: Lincoln family

Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin in Kentucky on February 12, 1809. He was the second child of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. His family moved to Indiana in 1816, where they lived on a farm. Lincoln’s father worked as a farmer and carpenter.

Lincoln did not go to school much, but he loved to read and learn by himself. As a teenager, he helped his father on the farm and worked for others to earn money. Later, he moved to Illinois and lived in New Salem. He worked in a store, served as a postmaster, and studied law by himself. He eventually became a lawyer.

Further information: Lincoln family, Health of Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln married Mary Todd in 1842. They had four sons, but only the oldest, Robert Todd Lincoln, lived to adulthood. The family felt sad because their other children passed away, and this affected Lincoln deeply.

Early political offices and prairie lawyer

Lincoln started his political career by being elected to the Illinois state legislature. He served four terms and worked on important projects like building the Illinois and Michigan Canal. He also helped move the state capital to Springfield.

Later, Lincoln was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he spoke against the Mexican–American War and supported ideas to limit slavery. After his time in Congress, Lincoln became a lawyer in Springfield. He handled many different kinds of cases, including disputes about rivers and bridges. One famous case was when he helped prove a man was not guilty of a serious crime by showing the moon was not bright enough for the witness to see clearly.

Republican politics (1854–1860)

Main article: Political career of Abraham Lincoln (1849–1861)

Tensions grew between the Southern states, where slavery was allowed, and the Northern states, where it was not. In 1854, Senator Stephen A. Douglas introduced a law called the Kansas–Nebraska Act. This law let people in new territories decide if they wanted slavery. Many people in the North were upset because they wanted to stop slavery from spreading. Abraham Lincoln spoke out against this law and talked more about stopping slavery from spreading.

Because of these disagreements, the old political party Lincoln belonged to, the Whigs, split apart. A new party formed called the Republican Party, which was against slavery. Lincoln decided to join this new party. In 1858, Lincoln ran for the U.S. Senate against Douglas and talked about how the country could not remain half slave and half free. Though he did not win that election, his speeches made him well known.

In 1860, Lincoln was chosen to be the Republican candidate for president. He was elected in November of that year, becoming the first Republican president. He won in the Northern and Western states, but did not receive any votes in ten Southern states.

Presidency (1861–1865)

Main article: Presidency of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln became the 16th President of the United States in 1861. His time as president was very busy because of the American Civil War. This was a big fight between the Northern states, called the Union, and the Southern states, called the Confederacy. The Southern states wanted to leave the United States.

Lincoln worked hard to keep the country together and to end slavery. He had to make many big decisions during the war. One of his most important actions was the Emancipation Proclamation. He announced this in 1863. It said that slaves in the Southern states were free. Because of this, the war was also about ending slavery, not just keeping the country together. Lincoln’s work helped end the war in 1865.

Assassination

Main article: Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor, decided to harm President Abraham Lincoln after a speech. On the night of April 14, 1865, Booth shot Lincoln while he was watching a play at Ford's Theatre. Lincoln was badly hurt and taken to a house nearby. He stayed unconscious for nine hours and died early the next morning, April 15. Booth tried to escape but was later shot by soldiers.

Funeral and burial

Main article: State funeral of Abraham Lincoln

After Lincoln's death, his body was shown in the White House and then the Capitol rotunda. His casket traveled by a special funeral train for two weeks from Washington D.C. to Springfield, Illinois. Many people came to honor him, and his body was buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, inside the Lincoln Tomb.

Philosophy and views

Lincoln changed how people thought about republicanism in the United States. He believed the Declaration of Independence was very important. It says that all people have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He called it the "sheet anchor" of republicanism, meaning it strongly supported his beliefs.

As a Whig activist, Lincoln supported business interests. He liked high taxes on imports, banks, better roads, and railroads. Even though he admired Andrew Jackson for his strong character, he also believed in the power of ordinary people. Historians note that Lincoln's views included some ideas from Jacksonian democracy.

Religious views

Main article: Religious views of Abraham Lincoln

When Lincoln was young, he did not strongly believe in religion. But he knew the Bible well and often used its words in his speeches, like the House Divided Speech, the Gettysburg Address, and his second inaugural address. After the death of his son Edward in 1850, Lincoln began to talk more about depending on God. He never joined a church, but he and his wife attended services at the First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Illinois, and later at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. People have different ideas about what Lincoln believed about religion.

Health and appearance

Main article: Health of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was known for being very tall. He liked sports when he was young. His clothes were simple because he lived far from towns.

Lincoln was tall, about six feet four inches. He had a high voice. He grew a beard in 1860 after a girl suggested it. Some people thought he didn’t look very handsome, but others liked how he looked. He had some health problems, including smallpox and malaria.

Legacy

Main article: Memorials to Abraham Lincoln

See also: Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is remembered as one of America’s greatest presidents. He led the country during a very hard time. People admire him for helping to end slavery and keeping the United States together as one nation.

Lincoln’s face is seen on many things, like the American penny and the five-dollar bill. He is also on stamps in many countries. You can find memorials for Lincoln in many places, such as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and his carved face on Mount Rushmore. Many cities and towns are named after him, and ships have been named in his honor. Movies and books often show him as a kind and wise leader.