Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln
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Name	Abraham Lincoln
Caption	Portrait by Alexander Gardner, 1863
Order	16th
Office	President of the United States
Vicepresident	Hannibal Hamlin (1861–1865), Andrew Johnson (1865)
Term start	March 4, 1861
Term end	April 15, 1865
Predecessor	James Buchanan
Successor	Andrew Johnson
Office2	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 7th congressional district
Term start2	March 4, 1847
Term end2	March 3, 1849
Predecessor2	John Henry
Successor2	Thomas L. Harris
Birth date	February 12, 1809
Birth place	Sinking Spring Farm, Kentucky, U.S.
Death date	April 15, 1865 (aged 56)
Death place	Petersen House, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Party	Whig (1834–1854), Republican (1854–1865), National Union (1864–1865)
Spouse	Mary Todd, November 4, 1842
Children	Robert, Edward, Willie, Tad
Occupation	Lawyer, Politician

Abraham Lincoln. The 16th President of the United States, he led the nation through its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis, the American Civil War. He preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the U.S. economy. Lincoln is consistently ranked among the greatest U.S. presidents in both scholarly and public opinion polls.

Early life and education

He was born in a one-room log cabin on Sinking Spring Farm in Hardin County, Kentucky, to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. His family moved to the Northwest Territory, settling in Indiana on what became the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial. His formal education was sporadic, totaling less than a year, but he was an avid reader of works like the Bible, Aesop's Fables, and The Pilgrim's Progress. Following his mother's death, his father married Sarah Bush Lincoln, who encouraged his learning. The family later relocated to Macon County, Illinois.

Early career and militia service

As a young man, he worked on a flatboat transporting goods to New Orleans via the Mississippi River, where he witnessed the horrors of slavery. He settled in the village of New Salem, where he worked as a postmaster, surveyor, and store owner. During the Black Hawk War of 1832, he was elected captain of the Illinois Militia in a company from Sangamon County, though he saw no combat. His first foray into politics was an unsuccessful campaign for the Illinois General Assembly in 1832.

Illinois legislature and U.S. House of Representatives

He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1834 as a member of the Whig Party and served four terms, advocating for internal improvements like canals and railroads. During this period, he moved to Springfield, taught himself law, and was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1836. He served a single term in the United States House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849, where he opposed the Mexican–American War as an unjust territorial grab, a stance unpopular in his district. He returned to Springfield and built a successful legal practice, often arguing cases before the Illinois Supreme Court.

Presidency

His election in the 1860 election as the first Republican president prompted the secession of seven Southern states, forming the Confederate States of America. The American Civil War began with the Battle of Fort Sumter in April 1861. His leadership was defined by the selection of generals like Ulysses S. Grant and his issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which redefined the war's purpose. He delivered the Gettysburg Address later that year, articulating the principles of human equality and national rebirth. He was re-elected in the 1864 election on the National Union ticket, defeating George B. McClellan. He championed the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which permanently abolished slavery.

Assassination and legacy

He was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, while attending a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865. He died the following morning at the Petersen House across the street. His funeral train traveled through numerous cities on its way to his final resting place at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. Lincoln is memorialized in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and his face is carved into Mount Rushmore. His life and works are central to the American historical narrative, symbolizing unity, liberty, and the enduring struggle for equality.

Category:Presidents of the United States Category:American lawyers Category:People of the American Civil War