Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, who served from 4 March 1861 to 5 April 1865, and played a major role in the abolition of slavery in the United States and headed the United States in the American Civil War. He was assassinated due to his support for the abolition of slavery and black civil rights. Lincoln is one of the most notable U.S. Presidents to date.

Abraham Lincoln Biography

Early Life and Education

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in LaRue County, Kentucky, U.S., to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. He was the second child of the couple. Both of his parents trace their ancestry to England and were married on June 12, 1806. The family settled in Elizabethtown, Kentucky and had three children, Sarah, Abraham and Thomas.

Lincoln was a farmer who bought many farms in Kentucky, but failed to get clear property titles and lost access to acres of land. Following which the family moved to Indiana, in the Little Pigeon Creek Community. Thomas Lincoln worked as a farmer, cabinetmaker, and carpenter. Through the years, he could get clear titles in Indiana.

Nancy Hanks Lincoln died when Abraham was 9 years old. His father remarried Sarah Bush Johnston, a widow with three children of her own, on December 2, 1819. Abraham shared a close bond with her and called her "mama". Lincoln were educated by itinerant teachers. In Indiana, he attended school and developed an interest in learning. Lincoln often worked on farms for income, like other children of his age. The family later moved to Illinois and settled in Macon County.

He worked as a flatboatman transporting goods on the Mississippi River, and for the first time, he saw slavery firsthand in the South. He was devastated to see slave markets and how black people were treated in those markets, an incident that influenced him to work for black civil rights after becoming the President of the country. He served as the captain in the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War (1832).

Career

Lincoln began studying law on his own by just reading books and became a licensed lawyer in 1836. He practised law in Illinois itself. He became one of the most trusted attorneys and was preferred. He became interested in politics while living in New Salem. In 1832, he ran for the Illinois State Legislature but failed to win. However, he was able to gain support from the local residents who were willing to see him win next time.

In 1834, he was elected to the Illinois State Legislature from the Whig Party and continued to serve 4 terms till 1842. In 1846, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and opposed the Mexican-American War. As a lawyer, he could debate well and benefitted him in arguing his points well. He used his voice to speak against Slavery, war, and economic conditions in the country. In 1858, during the Lincoln–Douglas Debates, though he lost the seat, he raised his voice against the atrocities against the black community.

In 1890, he won the Presidential elections, and he became the 16th President of the United States by defeating several opponents, among them was Stephen A. Douglas from the Democratic Party. He criticized Pro-slavery laws & rulings, and unjust wars that led to his assassination.

Death

Lincoln was shot in the back of the head by John Wilkes Booth in Ford’s Theatre, Washington, D.C., as he watched the play “Our American Cousin.” He remained unconscious through the night and died the next morning at the age of 56. The assassin was a Confederate sympathiser and actor. He was killed just days after the Civil War ended.
He died on April 15, 1865, and he was buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln was killed mainly because of his role in ending slavery and defeating the Confederacy in the American Civil War.

Personal Life 

He married Mary Todd Lincoln on November 4, 1842. She came from a wealthy and powerful family in Kentucky. The couple had four sons, of whom 3 died young and even in the White House. The eldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln, became a lawyer, businessman, and U.S. Secretary of War and was the child who survived till adulthood but did not marry. 

Quotes

• “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.”
• “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
• “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.”
• “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”
• “My best friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.”