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Essay about the life of Abraham Lincoln
History of Abraham Lincoln and his achievements
Brief biography of Abraham Lincoln
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Have you ever wondered about Abraham Lincoln early life. I have, and I thought today I would tell you about that. This man was born in February 12, 1809. He lived in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. Abraham’s father, Thomas Lincoln, was a migratory carpenter and farmer. Thomas was almost always very very poor. His mother Nancy Hanks died in 1818. A few years after Nancy's death Thomas Lincoln married a widow, named Sarah Bush Johansen. She was a very caring, loving and affectionate mother to Abraham, their son. Abraham Lincoln basically never attended school back in Kentucky and Indiana. He was a self taught reader, how he did is he kept reading and rereading the small amount of books that he had.
Abraham finally got a look at the wider world when he took a voyage down river to New Orleans on a float boat in 1828. Little is known about this journey. In 1830 the Lincoln’s it's moved once more to Macon County, Illinois. Another voyage to visit New Orleans, the young Lincoln settle down in a village of new Salem Illinois in 1831, this is not far from Springfield. There he began to work. He worked in a store and managed a mill. Milling is basically carving.
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Abraham was already 6'4" tall he was rawboned, young and he won much popularity among the inhabitants of the frontier town by his great strength and his flair for story telling, but most of all by his strength of character. His sincerity and capability won respect that was strengthened by his ability to hold his own in the roughest society. He was chosen the captain of the volunteer company gathered for the Black Hawk war (1832), but the company did not see battle. In new salem Abraham, made many friends. He also mastered grammar and gave himself the reputation as master story—teller. In August of 1832, he decided to become a candidate for one of four representatives of Sangamon County in the Illinois Legislature, despite being a resident in the county for only nine months. His campaign platform centered on improvements to the navigation of the Sangamon River he would initiate. During this time, however, Lincoln was made captain of a company of men from New Salem to volunteer their service in the Black Hawk War. The company would become the Fourth Illinois Mounted Volunteers. Lincoln himself served for about three months in the frontier of Illinois, but was never engaged in any real combat. When he returned to New Salem, it was election time. By this time, however, there were thirteen candidates, and he finished eighth on the ballot (though over 90% of the residents of New Salem voted for him). Discouraged, Abe decided to enter a partnership to purchase the store he clerked at on credit. Thinking that New Salem was an up and coming town, Lincoln believed the purchase would earn him great profits. Unfortunately, his partner abandoned him, subsequent attempts to sell the store were unsuccessful, and Lincoln was saddled with a debt that would take him seventeen years to pay off. On May 7, 1833, Abe was appointed postmaster of New Salem.
As the population of New Salem got smaller over the next few years, it became too small for a post office. Unfortunately Abe was out of the job. That same year, Lincoln was hired to survey new lands bought by Sangamon County, despite the fact he had no training as a surveyor. According to legend, it took Abe only six weeks to learn the trade and from that point on was considered an excellent surveyor. In 1834, Abe would campaign again for representative in the Illinois state legislature. Now that he was well-known in a larger portion of Sangamon County, Abe traveled from village to village giving speeches, attending shooting matches, horse races and other community events. Again, there were thirteen candidates, but this time Abe
won. Abe became an influential force of the Whig party in the Illinois legislature and was reelected in 1836, 1838, and 1840. During this time, the problem of slavery became more and more contentious in Illinois and many other states. In 1837, Lincoln first spoke publicly to the legislature concerning his views on slavery when it passed a set of resolutions against abolitionist (anti-slavery) groups. Although Illinois was a free state at the time, it had many people who supported slavery, especially in its southern portions. During telling the legislature, Abe opposed the resolutions and asserted that he believed slavery was an evil institution. Despite his feelings against slavery, Lincoln admitted he did not think the time was right to free all of the slaves. In 1836, Lincoln tried hard to study law. By the end of 1836, he was admitted to the Illinois state bar and obtained his license to practice. The next year, he moved to Springfield, where he was already popular with the people who lived in the city for his efforts to get the state capital moved there from Vandalia. Despite the fact he had become a lawyer, Abe was still in debt, had no money, and had no place to live. Sometime shortly after arriving in Springfield, Abe took up residence in the upstairs room above a store owned by Joshua Speed. Abe could not afford to pay the price for his own room so Joshua offered to share his room. Abe, who was carrying all of his possessions in two saddlebags when he inquired about the price for a room, remarked “Well, Speed, I am moved!” after setting his saddlebags on the floor of the room. Abe and Joshua quickly became unable to be separated and got themselves a lifelong friendship. Abe soon became a respected lawyer, known for his honesty, wit, oratory and hard work. In the 1830’s, lawyers and lawmakers were expected to travel to circuit courts throughout the state, often times covering great distances. Abe was assigned to what was called the eighth judicial circuit. As a politician and lawyer, Abe would travel to such courts to explain to the people the meanings of the laws created in the legislatures that were being applied to the local cases. Abe endeared himself to the people with the anecdotes and stories he used to explain the difficult concepts to people in terms they could understand. Often times, such educational “sessions” were held in the village tavern or meetinghouse, would include meals, and would last well into the night. It was at these “sessions” where Abe’s legend was born and grew; where his stories, speeches, and explanations became legendary. Though poor, Abe was beginning to make a name for himself beyond the confines of New Salem or even Springfield.
At the time, Abraham Lincoln was a captain of Virginia militia living in Rockingham County. Working as a farmer on a 210-acre farm deeded from his father, John Lincoln. In that same year, Abraham Lincoln took many Cherokee tribes in marches and fights. It was a time of fighting for the red and white men. To the north and east were the white men and to the south and west were the red men. Amos Lincoln went on a British ship and dumped a cargo of tea overboard to show their dominance. Now Abraham Lincoln had married a woman named Bathsheba Herring. She had three sons; Mordecai, Josiah, and Thomas and two daughters; Mary and Nancy. In the year 1782, Abraham and his family moved to
Thomas J. DiLorenzo is an economics professor at Loyola College. He has written eleven books, and is very widely published in many magazines and journals. In his book, The Real Lincoln, a twist is placed on the traditional picture of Abraham Lincoln. One of the most famous men in American History, Lincoln was regarded as being many great things, but were these things an accurate depiction of who he really was? As DiLorenzo states, “In the eyes of many Americans, Lincoln remains the most important American political figure in history because the war between the states so fundamentally transformed the nature of American government” (2). Lincoln helped begin a transformation from a small national government to a larger, more centralized one. Perhaps one of the largest misconceptions about Lincoln was his stance on slavery. DiLorenzo goes in depth about this saying, “He (Lincoln) could have ended slavery just as dozens of other countries in the world did during the first sixty years of the nineteenth century, through compensated emancipation, but he never seriously attempted to do so” (9). These two major topics, along with many more, are examined from a different perspective in discovering the man Abraham Lincoln really was.
Abraham Lincoln was born in February 12, 1809 three miles south of Hodgenville, Kentucky. Born of humble origins in a farmer family, he lost his mother at a young age and received minimum education during his younger years. Nevertheless, according to stories from his family and friends he loved to read and spent long periods of time reading. His cousin, Denis Hanks onc...
Abraham Lincoln was an intricate yet prosperous person, shown through his movement from poverty to politics. Lincoln was born to poverty in Kentucky in 1809 and settled in Illinois at the age fifteen. He was captain of the militia in Illinois during the Black Hawk War of 1832 and served four terms as a Whig in the state legislature and in Congress, from 1847 to 1849. Lincoln strayed away from politics for a little while to return to law but his interest rekindled as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act .
On Feburary the 12th 1809 was Abraham Lincoln born in Hodgenville, Kenucky. He grew up in poor circumstances. His parents Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks were little farmers later “Abe” had to work in the farm. For his school education wasn't much time. In December 1816 the Lincolns moved, to the newly admitted state of Indiana. The Lincolns lived in a small, three-sided shelter on Pigeon Creek, sixteen miles north of the Ohio River. There “Abe” learned the use of axe and plow when he had to help his father. Together they built a shelter and a farm out of the hardwood forest. When his mother died in 1818, his father Thomas went back to Kentucky and remarried. His new wife's name was Sarah "Sally" Bush Johnston, a widow from Kentucky. His stepmother bothered for Abrahams school education and took the decision, that Abraham does also something for his school education during his work on the farm. She also gave him on his birthday some books to learn reading. But his father wanted, that Abraham work as a farmer. 1830 he moved out from his family and went to New Salam and worked there as a business person and continued his private study.
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th, 1809, in a small county in Kentucky called Hardin which is now known as Larue County. His father, Thomas Lincoln, “was a migratory carpenter and farmer, nearly always poverty-stricken” . His mother, Nancy Hanks, did not play a large role in his life as she passed away when he was nine years old. Thomas Lincoln remarried a woman named Sarah Johnston Bush, who “was a kind and affectionate stepmother to the boy” . During his younger years, Lincoln did not spend much time in school. Overall, “the scattered weeks of school attendance in Kentucky and Indiana amounted to less than a year” . Although he did not attend school, Lincoln was self-educated through books and other sources available to him. Soon after his self-education, Lin...
Abraham Lincoln is perhaps one of the most interesting characters to have ever graced the American political arena and presidency. He is most noteworthy, obviously, for his role in saving the United States from its own destruction and the eradication of the vile Southern tradition of slavery. However, upon deeper inspection, one finds there was much more to Lincoln than his political achievements. Throughout his years as a politician, there's a noticeable shift in terms of his character, and political persona. He seems to go from ambitious and boisterous to being more solemn and reserved. Also, it should be noted that some remark that Lincoln was, quite ironically, both America’s most democratic and autocratic President to have ever held office. However, it seems that though there is abundant evidence for his democratic values, there are little to suggest his autocratic intentions. As though some lines revealing such intent can be found, many are also directly rebutted by powerful democratic rhetoric. All of this can be found in Lincoln’s four main speeches; “A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand”, his Inaugural Addresses and the Gettysburg Address. Basically, in order to properly analyze Lincoln it may be best to look at Lincoln’s personal and political changes within the terms of his antebellum and Civil War “personalities”, as well as to examine his democratic and autocratic leanings; all through scrutinizing Lincoln’s major speeches.
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Harden Country, Kentucky. From an early age he was known as Abe. Lincoln later moved to Kentucky with his parents. Lincoln always wanted to be a lawyer even against his dad convictions who wanted him to be a farmer. He continued this so that he in life became a great lawyer, which may have helped him in the fooling of a whole race.
Young Abraham was born February 12, 1809 in Hodgenville Kentucky, a child of the frontier. He was prominently self-educated, he is a very intellectual individual despite the formal education he received as a young adolescent, but even then he seemingly stood out for being more mature or wise for lack of a better word than some would say most children are at that young age. As Lincoln matured into a young adult, he decided to take a dive into a career of being a lawyer, even though he didn’t go to be a lawyer till the end
A love for knowledge helped Abraham to become a well spoken, intelligent, and popular young man as he work odd jobs in Illinois. After a term in the Illinois state legislature, Lincoln decided to teach himself law. He passed the bar in 1837 and moved to Springfield, Illinois where Little did he know that he would do both and change the United States forever. Through his efforts to put the Union back together and fight for equal rights for African Americans in the 1860’s, Abraham Lincoln helped to restore the Union and get equal rights for all citizens.
Abe Lincoln was born February 12, 1809 in Hodgenville, Kentucky U.S. as the second child in his family. About two years after Abraham was born his family moved to a farm on Knob Creek. It was difficult for him on a school day because he had to walk about two miles to get there and back. Five years later, Lincoln's dad sold their land and they eventually moved to a place in Indiana. In 1818 when Abraham was only 9 years old his mom Nancy died of a dreaded disease called the milk sickness. After his mom died, his dad married another lady
Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky. He went to school there for only a few weeks (Leland, pg.20), but had to move to Illinois because his father had a problem with the owner of the land. Lincolns mother died when he was only 9 years old in 1818, her maiden name was Nancy hanks (Leland, pg.9). She died from the ‘’Miller Fever’’ which is what the common sickness was called in Western America. Before the age of 20 he had lost his mother, older sister and infant brother (Guelzo pg.123). Lincoln distinguished himself as a writer, after he realized that he made spelling his favorite subject. He was then at the height of about six foot six inches and was only at the age of 16 (Leland, pg.21). Lincoln worked as a ferry-man for a person named James Taylor in 1825, aside from that he was also a farmer, cooked for his mistress and would study mostly till midnight (Leland, pg.25-26).
You know Abraham Lincoln as our sixteenth president, but do you actually know him? Although Lincoln was born in Kentucky, most of his life revolves around Springfield. For instance, Springfield is the place where his family started to grow; Springfield is the birthplace of all four of his sons. The city also has many exhibits such as Lincoln’s Home, the Old and New Capital, and Lincoln’s Tomb. Springfield, Illinois is one of the most visited cities, that has many historical exhibits that explain the period from Lincoln’s childhood, to his presidency.
Also, earlier on, before moving to America town, his parents had relocated to the Indiana, and there broke out the Black Hawk war. Black Hawk was the chief of the Sac Indians who had felt offended by the whites. The governor by then called soldiers and there Lincoln volunteered as part of the team. This was later followed by the election of a captain where Lincoln was an eligible candidate. Through this time he tried to fight for democracy, he was against the racial discrimination, and to him everyone was equal, and slavery was one form of discrimination. His public interest and his passion to settle for any kind of work offered saw his opportunities. Lincoln was later appointed as a postmaster at New Salem which was an opportunity for him to read newspapers. His subscription was mostly comprised of Louisville journals, was a well-known editor of the paper. His duties were light and gave him an ample time to read. This office was later closed that foresaw his
It was a cold morning on February 12, 1809, deep in the woods of Kentucky, on a cabin’s bearskin covered bed when Abraham Lincoln arrived in the world (Stone 8). He was named after his grandfather who was killed by Indians in 1786 (Stone 8). The twenty-foot long, eighteen-foot wide, one room log cabin where Abraham was born had a stone fireplace and a dirt floor (Phillips 3). Abraham Lincoln went from being an uneducated, dirt-poor farm boy to being one of the greatest leaders this country has ever had.