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Abraham Lincoln
Life
Before the Presidency
Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in a log
cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky. His family
faced many hardships. They struggled to survive
and to learn. The Lincolns moved to Indiana
in 1816, partly because of their opposition
to slavery. Lincoln took every opportunity to
learn while he worked on a farm, split rails
for fences, and tended a store in Illinois.
He
married Mary Todd on November 4, 1842. She was
from Kentucky and came from a more upper class
slave owning family. The couple had four sons:
Robert Todd (1843-1926), Edward Baker (1846-50),
William Wallace (1850-62), and Thomas "Tad"
(1853-71). Only Robert lived to adulthood. He,
in fact, served on General Ulysses S. Grant's
Civil War staff at City Point, Virginia.
In
1846, Lincoln ran for the United States House
of Representatives and won. While in Washington,
he became known for his opposition to the U.S.-Mexican
War (1846-1848). He opposed this war because
he saw it as a way to extend slavery. The War
started when Mexico objected to the Republic
of Texas becoming a U.S. state. This was the
first foreign war for the U.S. and soldiers
from every state served in it, including Robert
E. Lee, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Ulysses
S. Grant, and William T. Sherman. These men
later played an important role in the Civil
War. Lincoln became disappointed with politics
and others' views on slavery and returned home
to practice law.
Lincoln's
interest in politics was renewed by passage
of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. The Act
allowed people in these two territories to decide
for themselves whether or not to allow slavery
within their borders. This led to bloody battles
in Kansas. President Franklin Pierce sent in
Federal troops to end the fighting, but the
slavery debate continued.
Lincoln
reentered politics and ran for the Senate in
1856, but was unsuccessful. Two years later,
he ran against Stephen A. Douglas for a senate
seat. He lost that election, but in a series
of debates with Douglas, he gained a reputation
as a skilled and passionate speaker.
As
he entered the 1860 presidential election, Lincoln
was not favored to win the Republican Presidential
nomination, because of the South's dislike of
him and his views on slavery. He was finally
chosen his party's nominee with Hannibal Hamlin
as his running mate. Abraham Lincoln was elected
the 16th President on November 6, 1860, defeating
Douglas, John Bell, and John C. Breckinridge.
Southern voters split their votes among the
four candidates, with Lincoln ultimately winning
the race.
In
February 1861, Lincoln and his wife, Mary, departed
by train for Washington, D.C. President Lincoln
was sworn in on March 4, 1861.
Learn
more about Abraham Lincoln:
Life
Before the Presidency
Did You Know?
Presidential Accomplishments
A Deadly Premonition
Lincoln's Presidency
Ends
Lincoln's Lasting Legacy
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