Lincoln, Abraham

About the Author

Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky in 1809. During his childhood, the Lincoln family moved several times, first to Indiana and then to Illinois. In 1832, Lincoln ran unsuccessfully for elected office in the Illinois state legislature, however he won the seat two years later and was a fixture of the Whig party in the General Assembly for the next eight years. Lincoln married Mary Todd in 1842 and had four sons together, two of whom would die as children. In 1846, Lincoln was elected to U.S. Congress, and moved to Washington.  While there, he spoke out against the Mexican War and attempted to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia. In 1860, Lincoln ran successfully for the Republican nomination for president.  After his victory, secession of the southern states started with South Carolina and brought about the establishment of the Confederate States of America.  Lincoln attempted to reinforce Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, when Confederate forces opened fire and started the Civil War. Many believe that Lincoln’s most significant action as president was his Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, which led to the eventual abolishment of slavery.  Lincoln was re-elected in 1864 and as the war drew to a close he began planning for reconstruction of the Union.  A week after the Confederates surrendered, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford Theater in Washington, D. C.
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