Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809. He was born in Hardin County, Kentucky. He became a tall, slender man (6’ 4”)that weighed 180 lbs., and wore size 14 shoes.
Lincoln said that his parents were just regular people. His mother died when he was 10. When he was eight years old his father moved to Indiana. Lincoln said, “It was a wild region with bears and other wild animals still in the woods. There I grew up. Of course when I came of age I did not know much. Still somehow, I could read, write, and cipher… but that was all.”
Lincoln tried hard to learn all he could. To do this he would borrow books so he could read them. He was so dedicated and committed in his learning that he taught himself to become a lawyer. When he was working he would put down the ax or stop at the end of a row and sit down and read. One time he borrowed a book that got wet and damaged. The owner of the book had Lincoln work for him to pay for the book.
He lived on a farm in those early years and did the work that needs to be done on a farm. One of the things he did was split rails. Splitting rails means to split logs or trees. The split pieces were then used to make fences. Because of this work he became known as a rail splitter. Doing the work on the farm made Lincoln strong. It became known that he worked hard. At age 16 he could work faster and do more work than most men. His father struggled to make a living and would hire out Abraham to other farmers. Money that was earned was kept by his father. Lincoln’s father was strict and controlling with his son.
When Lincoln turned 21 he moved out and never returned to see his father. Abraham Lincoln did not invite his father to his wedding and never took his family to see his father. When his father died Lincoln did not go to the funeral.
Abraham Lincoln was good at sports and wrestling. He told interesting stories too. He even wrote some poetry.
Another thing he did was tend store. This means that he took care of things in a store where people shopped. One time while he was tending the store, a man paid four cents too much for something. Lincoln wanted to return the money and felt it was the right thing to do. That night after work he walked four miles to return the extra money to the man. Because of this example and others like it, he earned the nick name, ‘Honest Abe.’
Lincoln did many interesting things. For a time he was a captain in the Black Hawk War. Then for a period of eight years he served as a representative for the state legislature of Illinois. Lincoln really enjoyed serving in public office. He also became a lawyer and worked as one for a number of years. He practiced law in the circuit courts. This means that he would travel from town to town and city to city to practice law, or do his work as a lawyer.
Lincoln married Mary Todd, and they had four boys. Three of the boys died when they were still young.
There were some things that bothered Mary about Mr. Lincoln. She felt that he did not always act like she thought he should at home. When people would come to visit he would come to the door in stocking feet. This was something that was not acceptable to her. He also would lie on the floor in the hall and read the newspaper out loud. She came from a wealthy family and felt the president should act more dignified.
Before becoming the president Lincoln had some important debates that were called the Lincoln-Douglas debates. These debates were held because Mr. Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas both wanted to become one of the U.S. senators for the state of Illinois. Douglas was the other person running. Seven debates were planned to take place across the state. The debates were used to try and get people to vote for them. Many people attended these debates because they wanted to hear what Lincoln and Douglas had to say. The debates were so popular that tens of thousands of people came. Many even came from out of state. They came by train, canal boats, on foot, by horse and by buggy.
In the end, Lincoln lost the election, but something good came out of it for him. Many people heard about Lincoln through the debates and remembered him when he ran for President.
Two years after the debates, Lincoln ran for president. Douglas also decided to run. Douglas was already well known at the national level. Because of the debates, Lincoln had also become well known across the country. Many people liked what they heard Lincoln say. This time Lincoln won.
One of the things Lincoln believed was that the country should not be divided. He talked about this idea in his speeches and debates. The country was becoming divided over slavery and the rights of states. Some wanted to keep slavery, and others wanted to get rid of it. Lincoln thought that the country would have to all go with slavery or have none at all. He wanted the country to be united one way or the other.
There were times in his life when Abraham Lincoln saw slaves and how they were treated. This did not happen often but he did see it and knew about it. On a trip by flat boat to take goods to New Orleans he saw it first-hand. Another time he saw chained slaves while on a steamboat on the Ohio River. He had strong feelings about slavery, and it troubled him deeply.
When Lincoln was elected, the Civil War started. The South was afraid that Lincoln would be bad for them. Southern states did not want to stay with the rest of the country. They split off on their own. The Civil War began when the South attacked Fort Sumter.
Lincoln gave the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War (January 1863). This was a statement that all slaves in the Confederate states were free. This was a happy day for the slaves and most people from the north. It was a sad day for many of the white southerners who were against that idea.
Lincoln is well known for his Gettysburg Address. Gettysburg is a place in Pennsylvania where there was a big Civil War battle. Many soldiers died there. Lincoln visited the spot where the battle took place to honor those who died there. In his address or talk Lincoln said the world should not forget what happened at that battlefield and in the Civil War. He asked for a healing of the nation. He talked about a nation of freedom. He said it should be a nation that protects the freedoms of the people.
An interesting thing Lincoln did was to start the Thanksgiving Day Holiday. He made the holiday official as a national holiday. It would take place on the fourth Thursday of November each year. This holiday was put into place after the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln wanted to do this to show thanks for an important victory for the Union forces.
A fun thing to know about Lincoln is that he liked to wear a top hat. He would often wear one when out in public. He would even keep important papers inside his hats. Some people felt that his hats looked worn out. Mrs. Lincoln was known to have said that she had reminded him often to get a new hat.
When the Civil War ended, Lincoln was kind to the South. He asked Southerners to lay down their guns and re-join the Union. He wanted the North to be kind to the South as they came back. He said, “With malice toward none; with charity for all, with firmness in the right.” This means that all should deal kindly with each other. All should do what is right for the country. The country should peacefully re-unite.
On April 14, 1865 Lincoln was killed. He was shot while watching a play at Ford’s Theatre. The nation lost a strong leader at that time.