Biography
Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of
the United States.He is famous for Anti-Slavery Action & Statesman for
Democracey.
Turn the pages of
America’s political history, and you are sure to find one man who clearly
outshines all others and manages to attract the attention and interest of all,
till date, - Abraham Lincoln! Nicknamed ‘Honest Abe’ or ‘Father Abraham’,
Lincoln was, by far, one of the most powerful and greatest Presidents’ that
America has ever witnessed. Rising from a modest and humble beginning, it was
his sheer determination and honest effort that led him to the nation’s highest
office. An astute politician and proficient lawyer, he played a vital role in
unification of the states and led from the front for the cause of abolishing
slavery from the country, eventually giving people equal rights, irrespective
of caste, color or creed. He not only envisioned but actually brought to the
forefront a truly democratic government which was led by the concept of ‘by the
people, of the people and for the people’. What’s more, Lincoln led the country
when it faced its greatest constitutional, military and moral crises. He not
only turned up victorious but also was effective in strengthening the national
government and modernizing the economy. He was a saviour of the Union and an
emancipator for the slaves. However, just as astonishing was his rise to the
top-notch position and his eventual governance, his death was equally
bewildering as he became the first U.S President ever to be assassinated.
Though in his life Abraham Lincoln has been felicitated with no awards and
honors, as there did not exist any awards then, he has till date retained a
spot in the Top Three Presidents since 1940s. As for the presidential ranking
polls conducted since 1948, Lincoln has been rated at the very top in the
majority of polls.
“ Government of
the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.” …… Abraham Lincoln
“ Important
principles may, and must, be inflexible.” …Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Linkon
Childhood & Early Life
· Born to Thomas
Lincoln and Nancy Lincoln, in a log-cabin in Hardin County Kentucky, Abraham
Lincoln was the second of the three children of the couple. He had an elder sister
Sarah and a younger brother Thomas who died in infancy.
· Senior Lincoln was a
hardworking man. Through his relentless efforts, he became one the richest men
in the country. He was respected and honoured by one and all. However, the
blissfulness did not last long as Thomas Lincoln lost all what he had, which
led to the family shifting base to the present Spencer County, Indiana.
· Religiously, the
Lincolns attended Separate Baptists church and had opposing views regarding
alcohol, dancing and slavery. They completely believed in restrictive moral
standards.
· In 1818, tragedy
struck the family as Nancy Lincoln left for the heavenly abode, after suffering
from milk sickness. The death of his mother had devastating effect on young
Lincoln who grew alienated from his father. However, the gap was abridged by
his stepmother, Sarah Bush Johnston whom he grew close to.
· Billed as lazy and
indolent by most due to his dislike for the hard labor associated with frontier
life, Lincoln wronged all as he grew up to be responsible and dedicated. He
completed all the chores expected of a boy from a household and became an adept
axe-man in his work, building rail fences. He also dutifully submitted all his
earning to his father.
· As far as his
education is concerned, Lincoln made extraordinary efforts to attain knowledge.
Though both his parents were illiterate and unschooled, they encouraged Lincoln
to read and write, especially his stepmom Sarah. It is estimated that all
through his life Lincoln did not have not more than 18 months of formal
education.
· Since there was not
much scope of formal education in the Indiana wilderness, he walked for miles
at stretch to borrow a book. He was an avid reader and had read all the then
popular books several times, including the Bible. Thus, the knowledge and
wisdom that Lincoln possessed was mostly self-taught.
· The family shifted
base to Coles County, Illinois in 1831, after fearing milk sickness. At the age
of 22, Lincoln set off on his own. His first stop was in a village of New Salem
in Sangamon County, where he took up a job of transferring goods by flatboat
from New Salem to New Orleans via the Sangamon, Illinois, and Mississippi
rivers
· Abraham Lincolns
mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, died of milk disease on October 5, 1818. She was
buried in a grave which was located just behind the family cabin.
Formative Years
· In 1832, Lincoln
shifted to New Orleans, where, along with a friend, he bought a small general
store. However, since the venture did not turn out to be profitable, he sold
his shares and instead, tried his hand at politics. He started campaigning for
a seat at the Illinois General Assembly.
· Though Lincoln had
gained popularity through his skilled storytelling ability, his lack of proper
formal education, money and powerful friends lead to his loss. Meanwhile, while
taking part in the assembly, Lincoln also served in the Black Hawk War as a
captain in the Illinois Militia.
· After working as a
postmaster and county surveyor, Lincoln’s gave in to his wish to become a
lawyer. He started reading law books to equip himself with the knowledge
required in the field. Lincoln’s social skills and antics at story-telling were
honed during this phase of life.
· In 1834, his second
campaign turned out to be successful as he won election to the state
legislature and ran as a Whig.
· In 1836, Lincoln
moved to Springfield Illinois where he enrolled himself to the bar and started
practicing law under John T. Stuart.
· Lincoln’s reputation
as an able and efficient lawyer grew up leaps and bounds. He began known for
his tough and challenging cross-examinations and closing arguments. Over the
years, Lincoln worked with a number of professional lawyers including Stephen
T. Logan and William Herndon.
· Lincoln’s political
career was progressing steadily as well. In his four years of successive term
at the Illinois House of Representatives as a Whig representative, he was known
for voicing against the perils of slavery and abolitionism. He regularly spoke
for economic modernization in various sectors including banking.
· Rising popularity
and great work earned Lincoln a seat at the U.S. House of Representative in
1846, where he served a two-year term. A true Whig supporter, he stood for his
party beliefs and participated in all votes. He even made speeches that
stressed on abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia.
· As far as foreign
and military policies are concerned, Lincoln was heavily against
Mexican-American War and President Polk and instead supported the Wilmot
Proviso. His stand against the President earned him negative publicity as
Lincoln lost political support from not only his district, but even earned the
nickname ‘spotty Lincoln’.
· In the 1848
presidential elections, Lincoln changed his preference as he shifted to the
General Zachary Taylor camp for the Whig nomination. Though Taylor won the
elections, Lincoln lost to Justin Butterfield for the office of the
Commissioner of the General Land Office. Instead, he was offered a position of
a secretary or governor of the Oregon Territory. He refused the same to resume
his law practice.
· Lincoln’s career as
a lawyer was steadily growing as was his reputation and status. He even
appeared before the Supreme Court of the United States. Out of his 175
appearances at the Illinois Supreme Court, 51 times he stood as a sole
counsellor out of which he won on 31 occasions. His client list included big
names from the country.
Work on Anti-Slavery
· While the northern
states of US had banned slavery and were against suppression of people
belonging to the lower class or caste, the southern states and the newer
territories in the West still did not think of same as morally unethical. As
such, to cast a similar influence, Lincoln switched back to his political
career by the 1850s and strongly opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
· According to the
Act, Douglas had permitted the settlers to determine whether or not they wanted
to allow slavery in the new territory. He even argued that the national Congress
had no role to play in the matter that he adjudged as only locally important.
· Lincoln’s stand
against slavery was prominently visible in his ‘Peoria speech’ which he gave on
October 16, 1854. According to it, he strongly hated slavery due to the
monstrous injustice that it represented and also the deprival of equality of
rights among men.
· Lincoln ran for the
seat at the US Senate from Illinois in 1854. Though he was comfortably leading
ahead of others in the first six rounds, it was his strong opposition for the
Kansas–Nebraska Act that lead to his downfall as there was a split amongst the
Whigs.
· It was his take on
anti-slavery along with an appeal for ‘Free Soil’, ‘Liberty’ that shaped the
new Republican Party. At the 1856 Republican National Convention, Lincoln was
second in the contest to become the party's candidate for vice president.
· In 1858, Lincoln won
the state Republic party’s vote which nominated him for the U.S Senate. With
this started the series of Lincoln-Douglas debates, which have earned the
reputation of being the most popular debates in American history.
· Lincoln and Douglas
were tangent apart from each other in terms of their political outlook and
physical appearance. While Lincoln professed the seizure of slavery, Douglas
promoted his ‘Freeport Doctrine’ according to which local people of a state
were free to decide whether or not slavery should be practiced in their state.
· Lincoln’s Republican
Party won great many votes, but the Democratic Party bagged a number of seats
thus re-electing Douglas to the Senate. Despite the loss, Lincoln was committed
towards eradicating slavery from the nation and insisted that the moral
foundation of Republic required opposition to slavery.
Campaign for
Presidency
· In 1860, a campaign
was organized by the political operatives in Illinois which ran in support of
Lincoln for the presidency. Interestingly, he surpassed well known candidates
such as William Seward of New York and Salmon P. Chase of Ohio at the
Republican National Convention in Chicago.
· It was Lincoln’s
moderate take on slavery, his support for national infrastructure and the
protective tariff which won him the nomination and the subsequent popularity.
He beat Southern Democrat Douglas, John C. Breckinridge of the Northern
Democrats and John Bell of the Constitution Party to pave his way to the most
coveted political position, garnering a total of 180 electoral votes of the
303.
· Eventually, on
November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United
States.
· On March 4, 1861, he
assumed the office and became the first ever President from the Republican
Party. He selected a strong cabinet, which consisted of many of his political
rivals such as William Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates and Edwin Stanton.
Tenure as a President - Succession & Civil War
· Lincoln’s succession
into the White House was mostly due to his attaining maximum support from North
and West. However, the South was enraged about the result and decided to
withdraw itself from the Union and form a separate nation by the name,
Confederate States of America.
· The states included
in the Confederate States of America were South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi,
Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Led by Jefferson Davis, these states
considered themselves as independent and sovereign.
· Lincoln, however, in
his inaugural address in March the following year refused to recognize the
Confederacy, declaring secession illegal. Though there were attempt to come to
a compromise and settlement, Lincoln admonished all such offers and stood by
his stand for free-soil and slave-free states.
· As much as Lincoln
hated war, he had to live with the same as secessionists were enraged by
Lincoln’s orders and instead announced war. What turned worse was that other
southern states like North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Arkansas also joined
the Confederate. They took hold of the Fort Sumter and with this started what
is termed as America’s costliest and most deadly conflict.
· Lincoln appointed
troops to head towards Washington and protect the capital. He withdrew $2
million from the Treasury for war material, called for 75,000 volunteers into
military service and suspended the writ of habeas corpus, eventually arresting
and imprisoning suspected Confederate sympathizers without a warrant. He also
developed strong ties with the border slave states and worked towards keeping
the war from being an international conflict.
· Lincoln met dead end
at all sides. Crushing the opponent seemed difficult and losing to them
impossible. As for his stand, while the Copperheads felt that Lincoln was too
stubborn on his stand for anti-slavery, Radical Republicans criticized him for
moving slowly in abolishing slavery. To add to the woes, Lincoln faced defiance
and vilification from generals, his Cabinet, his party, and a majority of the
American people.
· Lincoln kept a close
eye on the progress of the war and was aware of every minute detailing. He
regularly consulted with the governors, selected generals and checked military
effort. His main priorities with the war were based on two things – Washington
should be well defended and an aggressive war should be conducted that would
satisfy the demand in the North for prompt, decisive victory.
· General McClellan
was appointed as the general-in-chief of all the Union armies. Though the first
year and a half was difficult due to the defeats and dropping morale and
support for re-unification of the nation, the victory at the Antietam gave
Lincoln some sort of relief and the idea to reshape the war from ‘uniting the
nation’ to ‘abolishing slavery’.
· Meanwhile, midterm
elections in 1862 brought bad news for the Lincoln-led government as the public
had questioned the ability of the administration and its failure to bring a
speedy end to the war. Other factors that acted otherwise for the government
was rising inflation, new high taxes, rumors of corruption, suspension of
habeas corpus, the military draft law, and fears that freed slaves would
undermine the labor market.
· As for the war,
Lincoln had understood that the end of the war could be near if a string of
victories was put together. They were able to register success at the Charleston
harbour and the Battle of Gettsyburg.
Abraham Linkoln’s Centre
, USA
Emancipation Proclamation
· Lincoln’s idea for a
slave-free nation was not just undermined by the South but by the Constitution
as well, which committed the issue to individual states. As such, efforts taken
by the Federal government alone could not resolve the issue.
· To put an end to
slavery, Lincoln offered the states compensated emancipation in return for
their prohibition of slavery. He believed that this method would help curtail
slavery from within the roots.
· Thus, the Second
Confiscation Act was passed on July 1862 according to which the slaves were
guaranteed freedom. The main purpose behind this act was to weaken the
rebellious war that the opponents had raised. Though Congress was not
successful in permanently dissolving slavery, it did show Congress’ support for
liberating slaves owned by slave owners.
· Same time, Lincoln
came with the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation according to which
he stated that all persons held as slaves in the Confederate states will be
free and liberated.
· The Emancipation
Proclamation was official issued on September 22, 1862 and came into practice
since January 1, 1863. It declared the slaves in the 10 states not present in
the Union as free.
· The next few months
were spent preparing the army and the country for emancipation.
· Abolition of slavery
became a military objective and to fulfil the same, the Union armies proved
tough. The more they advanced towards South, the more slaves were being free
and liberated and thus, the objective was nearing accomplishment. In a short
time, all the slaves, the number counting up to three million were freed from
Confederate territory.
· Once free, the
slaves were absorbed by the military as more and more black recruitments seemed
to occur. This was the original policy that the government promised to act upon
after the issuance of Emancipation Proclamation.
· In 1863, Lincoln and
the rest of the Republican and other supporters attained partial victory.
Emancipation of slaves had become a national war effort and a democratic
government which was of the people, by the people and for the people had
evolved. Lincoln commented that the war was an effort to bring in liberty and
equality for all.
Re-Election &
Re-Construction
· With America’s most
deadly conflict, the Civil War, and the unstable economic conditions, Lincoln’s
re-election as a President seemed to be doubtful and uncertain. Nevertheless, a
master politician that he was, he worked hard to build the strength of the
party, fetched support for his policy and fend efforts by Radicals to drop him
in the 1864 elections.
· What resulted was a
magnanimous win of Lincoln, where he gained support from all states, excepting
three, and receiving almost 78% of the Union soldier’s vote. He had managed to
bag 212 out of the 233 electoral votes. On March 4, 1865, Lincoln was official
sworn in as the President and gave his second inaugural address.
· Post the re-election,
Lincoln made reintegration of the Southern states and re-unification of the
nation as the number one agenda on his list of to-dos. The administration of
the Southern states was re-formed.
· While Tennessee was
under the guidance of General Andrew Johnson, General Frederick Steele was the
military governor for Arkanas. General Nathaniel P. Banks upheld the plans of
restoring the statehood in Louisiana.
· Radical Republican, Salmon
P. Chase filled up the chair of the Chief Justice in the Supreme Court. He was
chosen, as Lincoln believed that he would uphold the emancipation which until
then was applicable to selected states.
· Lincoln increased
pressure on the Congress to abolish slavery for good throughout the nation and
not in certain states only with the help of a constitutional amendment.
· The proposed
constitutional amendment that would pave way for the exit door for slavery was
brought before Congress but failed to pass in its first attempt. Later, it
became part of the Republican/Unionist platform and eventually was passed in
the second meeting. The passed bill was next sent to the state legislatures for
ratification, with it becoming the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States
Constitution on December 6, 1865.
· The surrender of Lee
at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia, in April 1865, official brought an
end to the Civil War. His surrender brought forth the surrender of several
other rebel armies and leaders.
· The unification of
the states eventually led to the consequence for the name of the country ‘United
States’. Though the Civil War was the most implacable of the conflicts in
America, it did led to the dominance of a singular name, United States for the
country by large.
· Lincoln was largely
responsible for harbouring the sails of the American political system towards
republicanism. At a time when the world focussed on the sanctity of the
constitution, Lincoln believed that majority rule had to be restrained with the
constitutional checks and limitations.
· Other than this,
Lincoln during his term of presidency vetoed four bills, the most important one
being the Wade-Davis Bill with its harsh program of Reconstruction which the
Radicals had passed. He also was behind the creation of the first U.S. income
tax on incomes greater than $800. He was also responsible for the creation of
system of national banks by the National Banking Act.
Abraham Linklon
His Assassination
· John Wilkes Booth,
the assassinator of Lincoln, had contact with the Confederate secret service.
It is believed that Booth initially planned to abduct Lincoln in exchange for
the release of Confederate prisoners. However, enraged by Lincolns speech of
giving blacks voting rights and thus equal status in the society, Booth
resolved to assassinate him.
· The tragic incident
occurred during the screening of the play, Our American Cousin at the Ford
theatre, which Lincoln went to watch along with First Lady, Henry Rathbone and
Clara Harris. His main bodyguard, Ward Hill Lamon was not present and John
Parker took to the temporary vacant position.
· Joining the driver
for drinks at the interval, Parker left Lincoln unguarded, a setting which
Booth capitalized on. He shot Lincoln at point-blank range on his head mortally
wounding him. He then stabbed Major Henry Rathbone and escaped.
· Although Lincoln was
provided medical help by an Army surgeon, Doctor Charles Leale, who was sitting
nearby at the theatre, lack of breath and dropping pulse rate worsened the
condition. Lincoln was taken to Peterson House, where he was in coma for nine
hours before succumbing to death on April 15, 1865.
· Meanwhile, Booth was
tracked down 10 days later on a farm in Virginia, some 70 miles south of
Washington, D.C. He put up a brief fight, finally losing out to Sergeant Boston
Corbett who killed him.
· Lincoln’s body was
wrapped in the flag and escorted to the White House by Union officers. His
coffin was first laid in the East Room and later in the Capitol Rotunda from
April 19 through April 21.
· He made his final
journey alongside his son in the executive coach for three weeks from the White
House to Springfield, Illinois, stopping at various cities across the North for
large-scale memorials. People gathered in huge numbers paid their tributes to
the great politician ever, through bands, bonfires, hymn singing or silent
reverence.
· Lincoln was interred
in the Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, U.S. His tomb is called the
Lincoln's Tomb. Posthumously, Lincoln was honoured by the United States and a
memorial was constructed in Washington D. C with the name Lincoln Memorial. It
is by far the most famous and visited memorials.
Falderal
· He was the first
President to be born out of the thirteen states. Additionally, he was the first
president born in Kentucky and the first to wear a beard.
· He was the first US
President to be assassinated.
· He is the only
president to have a patent to his name. The patent was for a device which
assisted in freeing the ships that would get aground in shallow waters.
· Interestingly,
unlike other presidents’, he would keep all his important papers, mail,
bankbook and so on in his stovepipe hat. Probably, this is the reason why it
was called his ‘desk and memorandum book’ and sometimes his ‘filing cabinet’.
· He is responsible
for the institution of Thanksgiving Day in United States of America. Until
then, the day was celebrated sporadically and on irregular dates. He declared
the final Thursday in the month of November as Thanksgiving Day.
· A man with
outstanding capability, he earned quite a few nicknames in his life, some of
which are ‘Honest Abe’, ‘The Rail Splitter’, ‘The Great Emancipator’, and
‘Father Abraham’.
Quick Facts
FAMOUS AS
American
President.
NATIONALITY
POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
Republican
(1854–1865), National Union (1864–1865)
BORN ON
12
February 1809 AD
BIRTHDAY
CENTURY
DIED AT AGE
56
SUN SIGN
Aquarius
Aquarius Men
BORN IN
Hodgenville,
Kentucky, U.S.
DIED ON
15
April 1865 AD
PLACE OF DEATH
Petersen
House, Washington, D.C., U.S.
CAUSE OF DEATH
Assassinated
FATHER
Thomas
Lincoln
MOTHER
Nancy
Lincoln
SIBLINGS
Sarah
Lincoln Grigsby, Thomas
SPOUSE/PARTNER:
Mary
Todd
CHILDREN
Robert Todd Lincoln, Edward Baker
Abraham Lincoln is
regarded as one of America's greatest heroes due to both his incredible impact
on the nation and his unique appeal. His is a remarkable story of the rise from
humble beginnings to achieve the highest office in the land; then,a sudden and
tragic death at a time when his country needed him most to complete the great
task remaining before the nation. Lincoln's distinctively human and humane
personality and historical role as savior of the Union and emancipator of the
slaves creates a legacy that endures. His eloquence of democracy and his
insistence that the Union was worth saving embody the ideals of self-government
that all nations strive to achieve.