Abraham Lincoln was an American statesman and self-taught lawyer, a legislator, and a vocal opponent of slavery who is well known for serving as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 to 1865(shortly before the outbreak of the American Civil War). Under his presidency, he succeeded in preserving the Union(the North/United States), abolishing slavery, bolstering the federal government, and modernizing the U.S. economy at the time of the American Civil War.
Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War(18661-1865), during which he also had delivered a speech called “The Gettysburg Address” on November 19, 1863, which became one of the most famous pieces of oratory and a historic clarion call for nationalism, republicanism, equal rights, liberty, and democracy. With his strategy and tactics, he sought to heal the war-torn nation through reconciliation.
Born in poverty, Lincoln self-taught himself to become a lawyer, a Whig Party leader, Illinois state legislator, U.S. Congressman, and also proved to be a shrewd military strategist and a savvy leader. He also had served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois’s 7th district in 1847 till 1849 and also as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from Sangamon County from 1834 till 1842. He served as a politician in three different political parties: National Union, Republican, and Whig.
However, on April 14, 1865, just days after the war’s end and his second term inauguration as president, Lincoln was assassinated while he was attending Ford’s Theatre along with his wife, Mary Lincoln by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. His sudden assassination had Lincoln remembered to be a martyr hero of the US.
Even though he is remembered every year, on Sunday night of October 11, 2020, Portland prosecutors toppled the statues of Lincoln along with Theodore Roosevelt. The protest occurred the evening of an “Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage” where people were dressed entirely in black, with masks, body armor, and helmets, and were carrying shields.
What was Abraham Lincoln Famous for?
- Famous as the 16th president of the US and one of the greatest presidents in American history.
- Known for being a shrewd military strategist and a savvy leader during the American Civil War.
Source: @wikipedia
Where was Abraham Lincoln Born?
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Sinking Spring Farm, Kentucky, United States. His birth name was Abraham Lincoln. His nationality was American. Lincoln belonged to ethnicity while Aquarius was his zodiac sign.
Abraham was born as the second child to his poor family: Thomas Lincoln(father) and Nancy Hanks Lincoln(mother). His father, Thomas was a farmer and carpenter while his mother, Nancy was just a homemaker. Her mother gave birth to him in a one-room log cabin on Sinking Spring Farm near Hodgenville, Kentucky.
His parents were members of a Separate Baptists church, who got married on June 12, 1806, in Washington County, and later moved to Elizabethtown, Kentucky where Thomas worked as a farmer but had to lose all but 200 acres of his land in court disputes back then. The family then moved to Indiana in the account of slavery where his father worked as a farmer, cabinetmaker, and carpenter.
Abraham had two siblings: an elder sister, Sarah Lincoln who took care of him, and a younger brother, Thomas who died an infant. His mother succumbed to milk sickness in 1818 after which his 11 years old sister took care of him along with Nancy’s 19-year-old orphan cousin, Dennis Hanks. A year later in 1819, his father married Sarah Bush Johnston(step-mother) with 3 children of her own, however, Abraham was really close to his stepmother.
Just 10 years later, Sarah also died leaving Lincoln behind devastated.
Abraham always had an interest in reading, scribbling, writing, ciphering, writing poetry rather than physical labor since his childhood. He persisted as an avid reader and retained a lifelong interest in learning while he self-educated himself and also was taught by some itinerant teachers. By the time he was a teenager, he had started to take responsibility for chores and used to give his father all earnings from work outside the home until he was 21.
After another milk sickness outbreak in 1830, he became distant from his father and made his home in New Salem, Illinois for six years until moving with some of his friend to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was first exposed to slavery
Abraham Lincoln’s President
- Abraham Lincoln started his career initially serving as a captain in the Illinois Militia during the 1832 Black Hawk War.
- Lincoln entered politics running for the Illinois General Assembly in 1832 when he was just 23.
- On March 9, 1932, he made a first-known published political announcement.
- After an unsuccessful run for the Illinois Legislature, he was appointed the postmaster of New Salem, Illinois on May 7, 1833, and served until the office closed May 30, 1836.
- On August 4, 1834, he won election to the first term in the Illinois House of Representatives.
- Two years later winning election to its second term on August 1, 1836.
- On January 11, 1837, he gave his first published speech in the Illinois legislature.
- On March 3, 1837, he made the first public declaration against slavery.
- On January 27, 1838, he delivered a speech on “Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions”.
- On August 6, 1838, he won election to the third term in the Illinois House of Representatives. But he lost a bid for Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives in December.
- On October 7, 1839, he attended the first Whig Party state convention.
- In a time interval of two years, he won election to the fourth term in the Illinois House of Representatives on August 3, 1840.
- On behalf of Henry Clay, Lincoln spoke in Illinois and Indiana from October 25 till November 6, 1844.
- On August 3, 1846, he won election to Congress as Whig Party representative.
- On December 6, 1847, he took a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- Just 12 days later, on December 22, he presented “Spot Resolutions” in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- On January 10, 1849, he proposed an amendment to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia.
- On March 4, 1849, his first and only term in the U.S. House of Representatives ended.
- On October 16, 1854, he delivered a famous anti-Nebraska Act speech in Peoria, Illinois.
- On November 7, 1854, he finally won the election to Illinois House of Representatives.
- On May 29, 1856, he delivered a stirring “lost speech” as a Republican in Bloomington, Illinois.
- On June 19, 1856, he was considered for vice president at the first Republican National Convention.
- On June 26, 1857, he spoke against the Dred Scott court decision in Springfield, Illinois.
- On June 16, 1858, he got chosen as a U.S. Senate candidate by Illinois Republican Convention but lost to Douglas.
- On February 27, 1860, he gave the famous Cooper Union speech in New York City
Source: @wikipedia
Presidential Reign
- On November 6, 1860, Lincoln won the election as the first Republican president in a four-way race.
- On March 4, 1861, he was inaugurated as the first Republican president and took the oath of office as 16th president of the U.S.
- On April 19, 1861, he proclaimed a blockade of ports in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas.
- On August 3, 1861, he hosted a White House dinner for Prince Napoleon of France.
- On May 15, 1862, he approved the establishment of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- On July 2, 1862, he signed the Pacific Railroad Act and Morrill Land Act.
- On August 22, 1862, he wrote a famous letter about emancipation to Horace Greeley.
- On January 1, 1863, he signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in certain Southern jurisdictions.
- On February 25, 1863, he approved the National Currency Act thus creating a national banking system.
- On July 4, 1863, he announced the battlefield victory at Gettysburg; Vicksburg surrenders to General Grant.
- On September 3, 1864, he ordered a celebration for victorieinat Atlanta, Georgia, and Mobile, Alabama.
- On November 8, 1864, he won re-election as president, defeating Democrat George McClellan.
- On February 1, 1865, he approved the resolution submitting the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery.
- On March 4, 1865, he was inaugurated as president for a second term.
- On April 11, 1865, he gave his last public address to a crowd on the White House lawn.
- On April 15, 1865, he died as an assassination victim ending presidential term.
Source: @wikipedia
Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination
Abraham Lincoln died after he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, at Ford’s Theatre, Washinton D.C. His assassination was planned by Booth, a stage actor and a Confederate spy after he attended Lincoln’s speech about voting rights for blacks on April 11, 1865. He came to know about the schedule of Lincoln attending a play at Ford’s Theatre on April 14. Lincoln attended the play titled “Our American Cousin” along with his wife, Mary, and his guest Major Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris, just five days after the Union victory at the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse.
Booth at sharp 10:14 pm entered the place and crept up from behind and fired mortally at the back of Lincoln’s head. He easily got escaped from the scene while Lincoln was left extremely wounded.
Lincoln was immediately taken across the street to Petersen House and after remaining in a coma for eight hours, Lincoln died at 7:22 am on April 15. His dead body covered with the American flag was then escorted in the rain to the White House by bareheaded Union officers. His dead body along with his son Willie’s dead body was kept in caskets traveling for three weeks on the Lincoln Special funeral train. His death was mourned by all Americans also a song titled “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” was composed by Poet Walt Whitman in his memory and grief.
He was just 56 years old at the time. The next morning of his death President Andrew Johnson was sworn.
Abraham Lincoln’s Health
Abraham Lincoln suffered a lot throughout his lifetime mentally, physically, and emotionally countless times. Lincoln was also believed to have had depression, smallpox, and malaria for which he took blue mass pills. He also suffered from mercury poisoning. The death of his two younger sons also left a negative impact on him as Lincoln suffered from “melancholy”, a condition now thought to be clinical depression.
It was also reported that before his assassination, his health was declining as he had started to lose much of his muscles wasting and wight a few months before his death. It is also said that he might have had a rare genetic disease such as Marfan syndrome or Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B. But none of them were confirmed.
Source: @history
Abraham Lincoln’s Wife and Children
Abraham Lincoln got married just once throughout his life until his death. However, it wasn’t Lincoln’s only love as his first-ever love was Ann Rutledge, whom he met for the first time while he moved to New Salem. Ann and Abraham were in a romantic relationship by 1835 but weren’t formally engaged. However, the same year, on August 25, Ann died of typhoid fever which ended up their relationship.
Later, he met the second love of his life, Mary Owens while he was in Kentucky. Lincoln waited for her to start a new life if she returned to New Salem in 1836 but they both had second thoughts. A year later, on August 16, 1837, he wrote Owens a letter explaining there will be no fault of her she ended their relationship for which she never replied.
Two times heartbroken Lincoln met his soulmate, Mary Todd in Springfield, Ilinois in 1839. Mary was the daughter of Robert Smith Todd, a wealthy lawyer, and businessman in Lexington, Kentucky, whom he fell in love with and decided to get married and even set up a wedding on January 1, 1841, but it was canceled at Lincoln’s request. Later, they reconciled and tied the knot on November 4, 1842, in the Springfield mansion of Mary’s sister.
Just two years later, in 1844, the couple bought a house in Springfield near his law office and settled down. They have been blessed with four children and Lincoln himself was an affectionate husband and father though he spent most of the time away from home. They welcomed their first son named Robert Todd Lincoln in 1843 who was the only child of their to live to maturity. Robert later became a passionate lawyer, businessman, and politician leading the same path as his father. Their second son named Edward Baker Lincoln(Eddie), born in 1846, unfortunately, died on February 1, 1850, at age of 4 because of tuberculosis. This was followed by the death of their third son, “Willie” Lincoln, born on December 21, 1850, and died at age of 12 of a fever at the White House on February 20, 1862. Their fourth and youngest son named Thomas “Tad” Lincoln born in 1853 also died at age of 18 on July 16, 1871, due to heart failure.
The deaths of their sons, Eddie and Willie, had profound effects on both parents that Lincoln suffered from “melancholy”, a condition now thought to be clinical depression. However, according to Lincoln’s law partner William H. Herndon, Lincoln was remarkably fond of children and loved his children and did not note what his children were doing or had done.
Source: @newberrylibrary
Abraham Lincoln’s Net Worth
Abraham Lincoln had quite a healthy earnings from his professional career as a lawyer and mostly from his position as the president of the US. Even though he served the highly reputed position of president, he hadn’t much million worth fortune and properties. He is also enlisted among one of the poor residents of the US with less than one million net worth.
He had a $25k yearly salary as president which had 49 warrants. Lincoln’s holdings in government obligations totaled $54k, and he brought along a bag of gold amounting to $883.
Abraham Lincoln’s Height
Abraham Lincoln was a tall guy with thin stature, beard, and top hat with a thin build body physique. He had heavy eyebrows, a defined nose, high cheekbones, and thick lips making him one of the most recognizable faces of all U.S. presidents. Lincoln had an astounding height of 6ft. 4inches., a height that was exceptionally tall in his time in the 1800s. However, he weighed only 180 pounds throughout his life.
His unique posture and style made him aesthetically iconic in American history. Known for his very characteristic and recognizable appearance, dressing up as Lincoln is a popular costume for costume events.
Some of Abraham Lincoln’s Quotes
- The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.
- The ballot is stronger than the bullet.
- Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
- Nothing valuable can be lost by taking the time.
- You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
- This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
- Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
- I want it said of me by those who knew me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.
- I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.
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