Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He led the nation through the American Civil War, preserved the Union, and played the central role in the abolition of slavery. Born into poverty on the Kentucky frontier and largely self-educated, Lincoln rose from humble beginnings to become a lawyer, Illinois state legislator, U.S. representative, and ultimately one of the most revered presidents in American history.

Early Life and Family Background

Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky, the second child of Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. His ancestry traced to English settler Samuel Lincoln, who emigrated to Massachusetts in 1638. Thomas Lincoln struggled with insecure land titles in Kentucky and moved the family to Indiana in 1816, where land claims were more reliable. The family lived in the Little Pigeon Creek community, and Thomas worked variously as a farmer, carpenter, and cabinetmaker.
Nancy Lincoln died in 1818 from milk sickness, leaving young Abraham and his sister Sarah to manage the household. Thomas remarried the next year, bringing Sarah Bush Lincoln into the family; Abraham grew deeply attached to his stepmother. His relationship with his father, however, remained strained, and Lincoln later declined to attend Thomas Lincoln’s funeral.

Education and Move to Illinois

Lincoln’s formal schooling totalled less than a year, taught by itinerant teachers. Despite the limited instruction, he was an avid reader, teaching himself grammar, mathematics, and literature. As a young man he worked on the family farm, hired out his labour to neighbours, and undertook a flatboat journey to New Orleans, where he witnessed slavery firsthand, an experience that made a lasting impression.
In 1830 the Lincolns moved to Macon County, Illinois. Soon after, Abraham set out on his own, relocating to New Salem, where he worked as a store clerk, millhand, surveyor, and postmaster. His reputation for honesty, physical strength, and storytelling grew during these years.

Early Career and Militia Service

In 1832 Lincoln ran unsuccessfully for the Illinois House of Representatives but gained local visibility. The same year he served briefly as a captain in the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War, though he saw no combat. After the war he co-owned a general store, which soon failed, leaving him in debt. He repaid his debts over time as he read law independently and, in 1836, gained admission to the bar. He moved to Springfield in 1837 to practice law.

Marriage and Children

Lincoln married Mary Todd of Lexington, Kentucky, on November 4, 1842. Their marriage, though deeply affectionate, was also marked by Mary’s volatile temperament and bouts of emotional instability.
They had four sons:

• Robert Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), the only child to survive to adulthood.
• Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), died young, probably of tuberculosis.
• William Wallace “Willie” Lincoln (1850–1862), died in the White House at age 11.
• Thomas “Tad” Lincoln (1853–1871), died at age 18.

The deaths of Eddie and Willie caused profound grief, and Lincoln is believed by many historians to have suffered from chronic depression.

Political Ascent

Lincoln served four terms in the Illinois House of Representatives (1834–1842), where he became a prominent Whig and ally of Henry Clay’s economic policies. He won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1846. His single term included vocal opposition to the Mexican–American War and support for limited anti-slavery measures, positions that complicated his political future.
The passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act (1854), which allowed the extension of slavery into western territories, drew Lincoln back into national politics. He emerged as a key figure in the newly formed Republican Party, which opposed slavery’s expansion. His speeches, especially during the Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858, earned him national recognition despite losing the Senate race to Stephen A. Douglas.

Election of 1860 and Secession

Lincoln won the presidency in 1860 as the Republican candidate, carrying the Northern states on an anti-slavery platform. Southern states viewed his election as a threat to slavery and began seceding even before his inauguration. By the time he took office in March 1861, seven states had formed the Confederate States of America.
The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter.

Civil War Leadership

Lincoln exercised strong presidential authority to preserve the Union:

• Suspended habeas corpus in 1861 to counter rebellion and maintain public order, a decision contested by Chief Justice Roger Taney.
• Managed a fractious cabinet and party, balancing radical and conservative factions.
• Prevented foreign intervention by handling the Trent Affair diplomatically.
• Directed military strategy, replacing generals until Ulysses S. Grant proved effective.
• Implemented the Anaconda Plan, including a naval blockade of the Confederacy.

Emancipation and the Abolition of Slavery

Lincoln initially focused on preserving the Union but came to see emancipation as both a war measure and a moral imperative. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring enslaved people in rebel states to be free and allowing Black men to enlist in the Union Army.
He championed the Thirteenth Amendment, which permanently abolished slavery nationwide in 1865.

Gettysburg Address and Vision for Reconstruction

On November 19, 1863, Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, redefining the Civil War as a struggle for a “new birth of freedom.” As the war drew to a close, he advocated a moderate approach to Reconstruction, aimed at reconciliation rather than retribution.

Assassination

On April 14, 1865, just days after Confederate surrender, Lincoln was shot by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. He died the next morning, April 15, becoming the first U.S. president to be assassinated.
His death transformed him into a national martyr, and he is consistently ranked by historians and the public as the greatest American president.

Legacy

Lincoln is honoured for:

• Preserving the Union
• Ending slavery
• Defining American democratic ideals
• Exemplifying leadership marked by humility, eloquence, and moral conviction