Abraham Lincoln

Lore & Background

Born in a one-room log cabin in Kentucky on February 12, 1809, Lincoln was raised on the frontier. He was self-educated and became a lawyer, Illinois state legislator, and U.S. representative. He led the United States through the American Civil War, defeating the Confederacy and playing a major role in the abolition of slavery. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. He promoted the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished chattel slavery in 1865. On April 14, 1865, five days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, Lincoln was fatally shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., becoming the first U.S. president to be assassinated.

Reader's Guide

Lincoln led the United States through the American Civil War, defeating the Confederacy and playing a major role in the abolition of slavery. Born on the frontier, he was largely self-educated and became a lawyer, state legislator, and U.S. representative. The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854, which opened territories to slavery, angered him and propelled him to leadership in the new Republican Party. He gained national attention during the 1858 Senate campaign debates against Stephen A. Douglas. His 1860 presidential victory prompted most slave states to secede and form the Confederate States. As a moderate Republican, he navigated conflicting political opinions during the war. He closely supervised Union strategy, including general selection and a naval blockade of Southern ports. He suspended habeas corpus in April 1861, an action Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled only Congress could take, and averted war with Britain by defusing the Trent Affair. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring slaves in rebellious states free. He delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863, and promoted the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished chattel slavery in 1865. After re-election in 1864, he sought to heal the nation through Reconstruction. Five days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, he was fatally shot by John Wilkes Booth, becoming the first U.S. president assassinated. He is remembered as a martyr and national hero for preserving the Union and abolishing slavery, consistently ranked among the greatest presidents.

Did You Know?

• Lincoln was the first U.S. president to be assassinated.
• He issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.
• He delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863.
• He promoted the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished chattel slavery in 1865.

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