Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in a log cabin in Hardin Kentucky. His father Thomas Lincoln was a carpenter and farmer who was always very poor. Both of his parents were members of a Baptist congregation which had split from another church because of its views against slavery. This is where Abe first developed his own opposition to slavery. When Abe was nine the family moved to Spencer, Indiana, and his mother Nancy died from milk sickness. Milk sickness was a disease acquired by drinking the milk of cows which had grazed on poisonous white snakeroot. Soon after, Thomas married Sarah Bush Johnston who treated Abe like her own son. Abe had no formal schooling as a child so he ended up teaching himself. Abe loved to read so he spent most of his days out in the fields reading books. In 1831, Abe settled in the village of New Salem, Illinois. He began working in a mill and managing a store where he became popular amongst the members of the community. He impressed residents with his character and earned the nickname "Honest Abe." In 1832 he was chosen captain of a volunteer company gathered for the Black Hawk War, but the company never saw battle. After, he returned to New Salem and became a partner in a grocery store that later failed. This left Abe in debt and forced him to work various jobs such as the village postmaster and rail splitting.

Lincoln's early political career began in 1834 when he was elected to the state legislature where he served four consecutive years. During this time he became a member of the Whig party. In 1836, he received his attorney license and soon became law partners with John T. Stuart. Lincoln's career in law steadily increased because of his great ability to debate and his articulacy of speech.

In 1842 he married Mary Todd. Over the next eleven years they had four children: Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas. In 1847 he ran for the House of Representatives and won. While in Congress he became known for his opposition to the Mexican War and slavery. He worked hard for the 1848 Whig candidate Zachary Taylor. Lincoln hoped that this hard work would help him get the position of Commissioner of the General Land Office, but it never happened. So Lincoln decided to drop politics and return to practicing law.

In 1854, Lincoln got caught back up in politics in the debates of slavery. He opposed the views of Stephan A. Douglas, and in particular, the Kansas-Nebraska act. In a speech in Springfield, he attacked the compromises about slavery and the democratic views contained in the Declaration of Independence. He tried and failed to become a Senator in 1855, but he received some support for the Republican Vice-Presidential nomination in 1856.

He soon found himself moving away from the Whig party, and moving towards the newly formed Republican Party. In 1856, he finally became a Republican. He quickly came to the front of this party as an opponent of slavery who could win both the abolitionists and the conservative free-staters. In 1856 at the Republican national convention, he became a possible vice president candidate. He opposed the Dred Scott in 1857 and gave his famous "House Divided" Speech in 1858. Also in 1858 he was nominated by the Republican Party to run against Douglas in the Illinois senatorial race. He accepted the position and gave a strong declaration that showed his support of the Union. He challenged Douglas to several debates where he delivered strong arguments in favor of the Union and against the democratic idea. Lincoln himself was not an abolitionist, but he despised the idea of slavery and its expansion.

Douglas ended up winning the election, but Lincoln had gotten his point across through his debates and he was now a potential presidential candidate. He gained large popularity in the anti-slave states, but his nomination for President by the Republican Party in 1860 was due mostly to his opposition to William H. Seward. The Democratic Party split during the election and Lincoln won with a minority of the popular vote.

Lincoln's election was signal for secession in the South. By the time Lincoln was inaugurated into office, seven states had seceded because of their fear of Republican control in the government. Lincoln had faced the greatest internal crisis of any President. He was determined to preserve the Union no matter what it took, but would not use force in doing so. However, he did end up ordering the provisioning of Fort Sumter in order to save the Union. The South took this as an act of war, and this was the beginning of the Civil War. During the war, Lincoln attacked problems with a great deal of skill, and this helped him to extend his executive powers. But Lincoln also made some bad military decisions that cost the North to fall behind at first. This decisions cost the Union defeats at several battles. One of the famous defeats was the Battle of Bull Run. However, the Union victory at Antietam gave him a possession of strength from which he ordered the Emancipation Proclamation. Restoration and preservation remained Lincoln's main focus throughout the war, and the sorrow affected him greatly. He gave on of the most famous speeches of all time, The Gettysburg Address, dedicated to the soldiers after the battle.

Lincoln favored the Homestead Act which allowed poor people in the East to obtain land in the West. He also signed the National Banking Act which established a national currency and created a network of national banks. In addition, he signed a bill that