Abraham Lincoln: The Man Who Changed History

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE MAN WHO CHANGED HISTORY

I remember that day in Illinois, it was very dark and cold. We moved many times when I was young. This time we were in Macon, Illinois. It was hard for me as boy, my mother died. Now I had a step mom. She was never going to take the place of my mother, but I saw her as my own.

Growing up poor was very hard for me. I wasn't that educated. I couldn't go to a good school because my dad couldn't afford it. In my teenage years I was tall gawky. I had bad manners and I also failed at politics.

The year was 1831, it was time for me to start my life alone. First thing I did was go take a cargo to New Orleans on a flat boat. After that I moved to a small town in Illinois called New Salem. I stated working at a railroad station setting up the rails. I also clerked at a local store.

My first war was the Black Hawk War (1832). I was elected captain of my company in war. After the war I went back to New Salem. I stared my own business in shop keeping. It didn't go very well due to the fact that my partner died.

As a politician I didn't start of on the right foot. I got defeated in the race to become State Legislature. I also served in the lower house after being elected on the Whig Ticket a couple of years later. I quickly started moving up. I stared off as an attorney. I soon got lots of credit for that. I had very successful partners. They were John T. Stuart, Stephen T. Logan, and William Herndon.

In 1842 I married the daughter of a Kentucky banker. Her name was Mary Todd. I guess you can say we had a good marriage. We had four great kids. Theirs a sad part though. Three of my kids died at an early age. Only one reached to be the age of twenty-one.

Even though I was born in Kentucky, witch was a slave state. I've always hated slavery. In a meeting I was one of the only two members who protested against it.

Finally in 1846 I got elected to Congress. People started to like me and respect me. They also started giving me more attention. One of the things they liked is the fact that I spoke my mind, and wasn't afraid. Soon after my term as congress was over. I was sad. I now lived in Springfield, I returned to Springfield to keep going with my profession.

Soon after returning I heard of Stephen A. Douglass' Kansas-Nebraska act. I didn't agree with him. Soon after hearing that I got into politics again. I was also obviously against the Missouri Compromise. I argued saying that what they were doing was very wrong, because slavery is wrong.

The following year I ran for U.S. Senate. Later I saw that I didn't have a chance, so I partnered up with Lyman Trumbull, he too wasn't on Stephen's side. While running against Stephen Douglass I said a short speech " A house divided against itself cannot run". That was my way of saying its either all slave or all free. Even though I did well Douglass still won.

In 1860 the Republicans nominated me for the Presidency. I had tough competition including Douglass and John C. Breckiridge. They were both my rival Democrats. It turned out well. I received both of the votes, and was elected President.

Right after the election six southern states including South Carolina, wanted to secede from the Union. They declared that even though they new what they were doing was against the law, I couldn't do anything about it. President Buchanan instead of doing something himself he just waited on Congress to find a solution. If their solution would work, it all depended on me. They including me failed, and on February of 1861 a new Southern Government was inaugurated.

On March 4th, 1861 I took an ought of office. I was confronted with an angry confederacy. They were telling me that they would expand, and also threatened the remaining forts in the south. In those forts was a very important fort, Fort Sumpter, in South Carolina. I was nervous because I didn't want to offend the upper South,