Abraham Lincoln

Lore & Background

Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin in Kentucky, the second child of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. After his mother died of milk sickness in 1818, his father remarried Sarah Bush Johnston, with whom Abraham became close. Lincoln was largely self-educated, attending school sporadically for less than 12 months by age 15, but he was an avid reader. He worked as a farmer, flatboat hand, and store clerk before entering politics. In 1832, he served as a captain in the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War but saw no combat. He later became a lawyer and served in the Illinois House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Lincoln married Mary Todd in 1842; they had four sons, only one of whom, Robert Todd Lincoln, lived to maturity. The deaths of two sons, Eddie and Willie, had profound effects on both parents. Lincoln suffered from 'melancholy,' now thought to be clinical depression. He gained national attention during the 1858 Senate campaign debates against Stephen A. Douglas. Angered by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854, which opened territories to slavery, he became a leader of the new Republican Party and won the 1860 presidential election, becoming the first Republican president. His victory prompted a majority of slave states to secede and form the Confederacy.

As president, Lincoln closely supervised Union strategy, including the selection of generals and a naval blockade of Southern ports. He suspended the writ of habeas corpus in April 1861, an action Chief Justice Roger Taney found in Ex parte Merryman that only Congress could do. He averted war with Britain by defusing the Trent Affair. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring slaves in rebellious states free. On November 19, 1863, he delivered the Gettysburg Address. He promoted the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished chattel slavery in 1865. Following his re-election in 1864, he sought to heal the nation through Reconstruction. On April 14, 1865, five days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, Lincoln was fatally shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre, becoming the first U.S. president to be assassinated.

Reader's Guide

Abraham Lincoln's significance lies in his leadership during the American Civil War and his role in the abolition of slavery. As the 16th president, he preserved the Union by defeating the Confederacy and issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared slaves in rebellious states free. He promoted the Thirteenth Amendment, which permanently abolished chattel slavery in 1865. His Gettysburg Address became one of the most famous speeches in American history. Lincoln navigated conflicting political opinions from contentious factions during the war, suspended habeas corpus, and averted war with Britain over the Trent Affair. His assassination on April 14, 1865, made him the first U.S. president to be assassinated. He is remembered as a martyr and national hero, consistently ranked among the greatest presidents in American history. His legacy includes the preservation of the Union and the advancement of emancipation, though the article notes that his actions, such as suspending habeas corpus, were controversial and challenged by Chief Justice Taney.

Did You Know?

• Lincoln was the first U.S. president to be assassinated.
• He was largely self-educated, with less than 12 months of formal schooling by age 15.
• He suspended the writ of habeas corpus in April 1861, an action Chief Justice Roger Taney found only Congress could do.
• Lincoln's son Willie died of a fever at the White House in 1862.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves." — Abraham Lincoln "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." — Abraham Lincoln "Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say, for one, that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow-men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem." — Abraham Lincoln "These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert to fleece the people, and now that they have got into a quarrel with themselves, we are called upon to appropriate the people's money to settle the quarrel." — Abraham Lincoln