Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky. He became the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln led the United States through its political crisis and the bloodiest Civil War in its history. His motive was to abolish slavery and strengthen the federal government. He took responsibility to modernize economy through banks, canals, railroads and tariffs to encourage construction of new factories.

He posted army throughout US to protect escaped slaves, encouraged the border states to outlaw slavery, and passed the “Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution”, which permanently outlawed slavery.

Childhood

Abraham Lincoln was born to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Lincoln, in a Sinking Spring Farm in Hardin County, Kentucky. The family moved to Ohio, a slave free nation and started a new life.

Education with Work

In 1832, when Abraham Lincoln was 23, he and a partner bought a small general store on credit in New Salem, Illinois, but struggled to grow the business. He sold his share and began his political career with his first campaign for the Illinois General Assembly.

While working, Lincoln made sure he attain proper education too. He then decided to become a lawyer and began learning by himself through various law books. In 1834, he successfully won election to the state legislature.

In 1836, he moved to Illinois and began practicing law where he started spreading his stance of “free slave” nation and the need to abolition. He soon became a reputed lawyer, and he began participating actively in party’s work for this union cause. In 1846, Lincoln was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

Because of his active debates over the issues of slavery he was able to gain national reputation and was elected as the President of the United States in 1860. As President, he built the Republican Party as a strong national organization. On January 1, 1863, he issued the “Emancipation Proclamation” that declared those slaves within the Confederacy as ‘forever free’. Lincoln was re-elected in 1864, as Union military triumphs heralded an end to the Civil War. He encouraged the whites of South to speedily join the peace reunion.

At the End

On 11th April 1865, Abraham Lincoln took a noble step when he announced and promoted voting rights for blacks. This became the reason for his assassination on 15th April 1865 at Ford’s Theatre while watching a performance.