Biography of Abraham Lincoln

1514 Words4 Pages

Abraham Lincoln led America through its bloodiest war. His actions changed the nation forever, and his legacy lives on today. Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States. Throughout the Civil War, Lincoln’s political strategies aided the Union victory. Lincoln set the Reconstruction of America into motion, and abolished slavery. In what follows, I will be discussing the life of one of the nation’s greatest presidents. Before his famous political career, Lincoln was a self educated lawyer. In debates across his life, he opposed slavery. During his time in Congress and in the Senate, Lincoln passed many laws, some that locally abolished slavery before the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He was the second child of Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. It is commonly believed that he was born in Illinois, but in fact he was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky. As Lincoln grew up, he moved to Illinois, where he spent most of his childhood as well as some of his adulthood. Lincoln lost his mother at age nine, due to milk sickness. This tragic loss led to Lincoln’s sister, Sarah, to care for him. Lincoln was often considered lazy by his neighbors. At age twenty-two, Lincoln canoed down the Sangamon River. He arrived in New Salem, where his career began. He then traveled to New Orleans, where he first witnessed slavery. He then traveled back to New Salem. There, he bought a General Store, which he later sold. He then attempted to start his political career with the Illinois General Assembly. His popularity grew, but he lacked connections and money, and lost. On April 21, 1832, Lincoln joined the Illinois Militia to serve in the Black Hawk War. Three months later, he was discharged. He then launched yet ano... ... middle of paper ... ...xhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/ (accessed March 10, 2014). Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005. Holzer, Harold, Craig L. Symonds, and Bill Clinton. The New York Times Complete Civil War, 1861-1865. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc. :, 2010. Lincoln, Abraham, Don E. Fehrenbacher, and Roy P. Basler. Speeches and Writings, 1859-1865: Speeches, Letters, and Miscellaneous Writings, Presidential Messages and Proclamations. New York, N.Y.: Literary Classics of the United States :, 1989. Thomas, Benjamin Platt. Abraham Lincoln: A Biography. [1st ed. New York: Knopf, 1952. Ward, Geoffrey C., Ken Burns, and Ric Burns. The Civil War: An Illustrated History. New York: Knopf, 1990. Weber, Karl. Lincoln: A President For The Ages. New York: Public Affairs, 2012.

Open Document