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Liliana Camargo
Mrs. Wyatt
HS Success 1-2
13 January 2016
Abraham Lincoln

Presidents have always held a place in history to be some of the greatest men. When it
comes to Abraham Lincoln not only was he a remarkable president, but also a legend. His actions
helped shape our nation and they will always be remembered in the United States.
Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky. He was the middle
child to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. His siblings were Thomas Lincoln and Sarah Lincoln
Grigsby, but unfortunately Thomas died during his infancy. When Abraham reached the age of
nine his mother died to milk sickness. It wasnt until his dad remarried a year later that
Abraham began his education. His step-mother encouraged Abraham to read when she realized
he was naturally intellectual. Abraham became an excellent reader and was always on the search

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for books. He also attended school on an unregularly basis. At times he even walked miles just to
receive his education. It was obvious that Abraham took his studies seriously and it was no
surprise when in a short year he became a well-educated boy. Although Abraham loved school,
his attendance was affected due to his father renting him out to the community for manual labor.
It was in these years when Abraham was introduced to the issue on slavery and he soon had his
own views.

During the Black War Abraham was elected as his areas captain. In this time he made
many political connections and he soon became the Illinois state legislature from 1834-1841.
During his term, Abraham received his attorney license in 1836. He then moved to Springfield to
practice in the John T. Stuart law firm. Abraham lived well as a lawyer for a few years but he
soon came to realize that Springfield, Illinois didnt offer him enough work and cases. He then
followed the court and served a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1847 to
1849. Here, Abraham shared his views of the Mexican-American war. Unfortunately, Abraham
didnt run for a second term and decided to practice law again in Springfield.

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It wasnt until 1854 that Lincoln pursued a political career again. The Kansas-Nebraska
has just passed, allowing the states to decide if they allowed slavery. It awoke Abrahams views
on slavery once again so he joined the Republican Party in 1856. A year later, Lincoln challenged
Stephen Douglas for his seat as U.S. Senator. Both men argued in seven debates but in the end,
the state legislature chose Stephen Douglas. The loss wasnt too big because with the political
exposure Lincoln was able to run a campaign for presidency in 1860. In irony, Lincoln was
running against Stephen Douglas once again but this time in a four-way race with John Bell and
John C. Breckinridge. Lincoln had received 180 out of 303 Electoral votes. Lincoln decided to
choose his rivals for his cabinet and they soon became one of the strongest groups and helped
him in his first term. Then, on April 12, 1861, the Civil War began. Lincoln responded quickly
and spent $2 million for war materials and asked for 75,000 volunteers to serve as soldiers.
Throughout this time, Lincoln received hate everywhere he faced and often fell into
disagreements with his cabinet and generals. On September 22, 1862, Lincoln hoped to relieve
the war by ending slavery. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation and all

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slaves were freed. However, there was rebellion in the North and when Lincoln received great
defeat in war; he had no hopes of running for a second term. In surprise, Lincoln won both
popular and Electoral votes. In this time, the war came to end and all disagreements have ended.
As reconstruction began after the war, Republicans requested allegiance from former
Confederates. Before any action was made, Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865. He was
shot in the head by an actor named John Wilkes. The next day a funeral train took his body to
rest in Springfield, Illinois. The United States lost a great President and the nation grieved. It was
on his death day that Abraham Lincolns legacy began.
Works Cited
https://images.google.com/
http://mrnussbaum.com/childhood/
http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/abraham-lincoln
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/abraham-lincoln-7.php
https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/abrahamlincoln