Abraham Lincoln
Biography:
Abraham Lincoln was born in one-room log cabin in Kentucky on February 12, 1809. His family moved from Kentucky to the backwoods of Indiana when he was eight. When he was nine, his mother died. As a young man, Lincoln did not have much formal schooling, but when he wasn’t plowing and planting, he was reading borrowed books and weekly newspapers.
Lincoln settled in New Salem, Illinois where he worked and lived for a while in a general store. During this time he was honing his skills as a debater. When the Black Hawk War broke out in 1832, Lincoln enlisted and was chosen a captain. At the age of 24, Lincoln was elected to the Illinois Legislature. At this time, he began studying law. In 1837, Lincoln moved to Springfield and began a career in law first with John Stuart, later with Stephen Logan, and in 1844, he established the firm of Lincoln and Herndon.
In 1842, Lincoln married Mary Todd, and they had four boys, Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas. In 1858, Lincoln ran against Stephen A. Douglas for Senator. He lost the election, but in debating with Douglas he gained a national reputation that won him the Republican nomination for President in 1860.
In November of 1860, Lincoln was elected the sixteenth President. Even before he was inaugurated in March of 1861, Lincoln’s Presidency was marked by the secession of the southern states and Lincoln’s duty-bound efforts to preserve the Union. It resulted in four years of bloody battle on American soil.
In 1864, Lincoln won reelection, as Union military triumphs heralded an end to the war. In his planning for peace, the President was flexible and generous, encouraging Southerners to lay down their arms and join speedily in reunion. His Second Inaugural Address, delivered on March 5, 1865, promised victory for the North and assured charity to the South. "With malice toward none; with charity for all... "
On Good Friday, April 14, 1865, five days after Lee surrendered at Appomattox, with plans for reconstruction under way, Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington. He died the following day.