Abraham Lincoln Biography

Handout #1:
Abraham Lincoln Biography

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. Born in 1809 in a small log cabin in Kentucky, he grew up helping on his family’s 348 acre farm. His parents were of low social standing and had little education. Still, Lincoln learned to read and write, and ultimately became a lawyer, passing the bar exam in 1837.

 Lincoln married Mary Todd in 1842. They had four sons, but three died at a young age. In 1846, Lincoln was elected to U.S. Congress, and moved to Washington to serve out his term, where he spoke out against the Mexican War and unsuccessfully attempted to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia.

A combination of luck, manipulation, and talent won Lincoln the Republican nomination, and he was elected president in 1860. There were four major candidates running for president, and despite the fact that he won less than 40% of the popular vote, Lincoln was elected president. Because some states believed that Lincoln would eventually abolish slavery, which would have a negative impact on farm production, several southern states began to consider the prospect of secession —breaking away from the rest of the country.

An initial wave of secession led by South Carolina brought about the establishment of the “Confederate States of America,” a self-declared independent nation apart from the United States of America. When Confederate forces from the South opened fire on the Union soldiers from the North at Fort Sumter, the Civil War3 began. After Lincoln called for a sizeable militia to quash the rebellion, several more states, led by Virginia, also seceded.

Although he was heavily criticized by both the Confederate and Union supporters during his first term, Lincoln was able to gather enough votes to win re-election for a second term in 1864. As the war drew to a close, Lincoln made preparations to unify the nation once again. Less than one week after the Confederate Army surrendered, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while attending a Washington theater.

Today, many view Lincoln’s most significant action as president to be his Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, which paved the way for the Thirteenth Amendment and the abolishment of slavery in the United States. He is also remembered for his gifted way with words, giving such memorable speeches as the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural.