The Life of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was born in a log cabin on the Sinking Spring Farm in Hardin County, Kentucky. He was the second child of Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln and 16th President of the United States from 1861 to April of 1865.
In his log cabin without electricity, Lincoln spent many hours reading. He was mostly self-educated and only went to school for less than a year; most of the things he learned were from his books.
Soon, Lincoln discovered his interest in politics. When he was hired to transport goods by flatboat from New Salem to New Orleans, he witnessed slavery for the first time, which grounded his beliefs that slavery was a moral injustice.
Lincoln successfully ran for the Illinois House of Representatives as a Whig where he served for four consecutive terms. Later, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served one two-year term. He supported Zachary Taylor for the Whig nomination in the 1848 presidential election, but when Justin Butterfield was appointed Commissioner of the General Land Office, a position that Lincoln wanted, he returned to Springfield to practice law.
Lincoln remained in Springfield for 16 years until he returned to politics to oppose the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, a pro-slavery law which he strongly disapproved of. Soon, Lincoln was campaigning against Senator Stephen Douglas, John Breckinridge, and John Belle for the presidency in 1860, which he won.
As president, Lincoln fiercely fought the Confederates, who had seceded from America because they opposed the North on a number of issues. One of the main conflicts was slavery, something that most northerners were against. The South felt that the North would be taking away their rights by banning slavery. Lincoln himself was against slavery, but he was willing to compromise if it meant the Union would stay together.
Abraham Lincoln ended up leading the Union to victory, and stands in history for his courage, wisdom, and discipline as one of the greatest presidents the U.S. has ever had.
Bibliography
"Abraham Lincoln." Wikipedia. 30 March 2015. Web. 1 April 2015.
Kalman, Maira. Looking at Lincoln. New York: Nancy Paulsen, 2012. Print.
Winters, Kay, and Nancy Carpenter. Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2003. Print.
In his log cabin without electricity, Lincoln spent many hours reading. He was mostly self-educated and only went to school for less than a year; most of the things he learned were from his books.
Soon, Lincoln discovered his interest in politics. When he was hired to transport goods by flatboat from New Salem to New Orleans, he witnessed slavery for the first time, which grounded his beliefs that slavery was a moral injustice.
Lincoln successfully ran for the Illinois House of Representatives as a Whig where he served for four consecutive terms. Later, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served one two-year term. He supported Zachary Taylor for the Whig nomination in the 1848 presidential election, but when Justin Butterfield was appointed Commissioner of the General Land Office, a position that Lincoln wanted, he returned to Springfield to practice law.
Lincoln remained in Springfield for 16 years until he returned to politics to oppose the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, a pro-slavery law which he strongly disapproved of. Soon, Lincoln was campaigning against Senator Stephen Douglas, John Breckinridge, and John Belle for the presidency in 1860, which he won.
As president, Lincoln fiercely fought the Confederates, who had seceded from America because they opposed the North on a number of issues. One of the main conflicts was slavery, something that most northerners were against. The South felt that the North would be taking away their rights by banning slavery. Lincoln himself was against slavery, but he was willing to compromise if it meant the Union would stay together.
Abraham Lincoln ended up leading the Union to victory, and stands in history for his courage, wisdom, and discipline as one of the greatest presidents the U.S. has ever had.
Bibliography
"Abraham Lincoln." Wikipedia. 30 March 2015. Web. 1 April 2015.
Kalman, Maira. Looking at Lincoln. New York: Nancy Paulsen, 2012. Print.
Winters, Kay, and Nancy Carpenter. Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2003. Print.