Abraham Lincoln :: essays research papers

Abraham LincolnLincoln, Abraham (1809-65), 16th president of the United States (1861-65), whosteered the Union to victory in the American Civil War and abolished slavery.Early LifeLincoln was born(p) on February 12, 1809, near Hodgenville, Kentucky, the son ofNancy Hanks and Thomas Lincoln, pioneer farmers. At the age of two he was takenby his parents to nearby Knob Creek and at eight to Spencer County, Indiana. Thefollowing year his mother died. In 1819 his father conjoin Sarah Bush Johnston,a kindly widow, who soon gained the boys affection. Lincoln grew up a tall, lanky youth, who could hold his own in personal contests and also showedgreat intellectual promise, although he had little formal education. In 1831,after moving with his family to Macon County, Illinois, he struck out on his own,taking cargo on a flatboat to New Orleans, Louisiana. He then returned toIllinois and settled in New Salem, a short-lived community on the Sangamon River,where he split rails and clerked in a store. He gained the respect of his fellowtownspeople, including the so-called Clary Grove boys, who had challenged him tophysical combat, and was elected captain of his company in the Black Hawk War(1832). Returning from the war, he began an unsuccessful venture in shopkeepingthat ended when his partner died. In 1833 he was appointed postmaster but had tosupplement his income with surveying and various other jobs. At the same time hebegan to study law. That he gradually pay off his and his deceased partnersdebts firmly established his reputation for honesty. The story of his romancewith Ann Rutledge, a local young woman whom he knew briefly before her inopportunedeath, is unsubstantiated.Illinois Politician and LawyerDefeated in 1832 in a race for the state legislature, Lincoln was elected on theWhig ticket two years by and by and served in the lower house from 1834 to 1841. Hequickly emerged as one of the leaders of the party and was one of the authors ofthe removal of the ca pital to Springfield, where he settled in 1837. After hisadmission to the bar (1836), he entered into successive partnerships with John T.Stuart, Stephen T. Logan, and William Herndon, and soon won recognition as aneffective and resourceful attorney. In 1842 Lincoln married Mary Todd, thedaughter of a prominent Kentucky banker, and despite her somewhat difficultdisposition, the marriage seems to have been reasonably successful. The Lincolnshad four children, only one of whom reached adulthood. His birth in a slavestate notwithstanding, Lincoln had long opposed slavery.