Lincoln's worldview

"Born in a backwoods cabin 3 miles (5 km) south of Hodgenville, Kentucky, Lincoln was two years old when he was taken to a farm in the neighbouring valley of Knob Creek. His earliest memories were of this home and, in particular, of a flash flood that once washed away the corn and pumpkin seeds he had helped his father plant. His father, Thomas Lincoln, was the descendant of a weaver's apprentice who had migrated from England to Massachusetts in 1637. Though much less prosperous than some of his Lincoln forebears, Thomas was a sturdy pioneer. On June 12, 1806, he married Nancy Hanks. The Hanks genealogy is difficult to trace, but Nancy appears to have been of illegitimate birth. She has been described as “stoop-shouldered, thin-breasted, sad,” and fervently religious. Thomas and Nancy Lincoln had three children: Sarah, Abraham, and Thomas, who died in infancy."(source)

"Lincoln had less than a year of schooling. Books were scarce and so was paper. He worked his arithmetic problems on a board and cleaned the board with a knife so he could use it again.The family owned a Bible and he spent many hours reading it. He would copy parts of it in order to memorize it. Sometimes he would walk for miles to borrow a book. One of his favorite books was 'The Life of George Washington'.By the time he was 17, he knew he wanted to be a lawyer. He would walk 17 miles to the county courthouse in order to watch the lawyers work. He sat in the back of the courtroom and watched them as they shook their fists and became red in the face. Then he would go home and think about what he had seen."(source)

"The one term congressman who became president in 1861 was about to face the most difficult and agonizing choices any president has encountered. He was keenly aware of his responsibility. When he left his home in Springfield for Washington, D.C., Lincoln compared his own task to that of the country's first president calling it 'greater than that which rested upon Washington'"(source)

"As president, Lincoln had no one way of making the difficult decision that arose.He listened a great deal, often did not offer his opinion to those advising him, and took his time deciding. This often gave the appearance of indecision and weakness. In reality, Lincoln withstood a series of crisis that would shattered a weaker man. Others considered Lincoln stubborned tyrannical. But he met decisions with humility, courage, independence, and gentleness-if not always with success." (source)

"In February 1860, Lincoln made his first major political appearance in the Northeast when he addressed a rally at the Cooper Union in New York. He was now sufficiently well known to be a presidential candidate. At the Republican national convention in Chicago in May, William H. Seward was the leading candidate. Seward, however, had qualities that made him undesirable in the critical states the Republicans had lost in 1856: Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, and New Jersey. As a result Lincoln won the nomination by being the second choice of the majority. By the time of Lincoln's inauguration in March 1861, seven states had seceded from the Union. His conciliatory inaugural address had no effect on the South, and, against the advice of a majority of his cabinet, Lincoln decided to send provisions to Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor. The fort was a symbol of federal authority--conspicuous in the state that had led secession, South Carolina--and it would soon have had to be evacuated for lack of supplies. On Apr. 12, 1861, South Carolina fired on the fort, and the Civil War began."(source1, source2)

On the night of April 14,1865 Mary and Abraham Lincoln attended a showing at Ford's Theater. During the show Lincoln had been shot in the back of the head. While he was unconscience, men had carried him across the street to the Peterson House and into the room of a war department clerk. Though doctors did all that they could, it was not enough. Lincoln died on April 15, 1865at 7:22 a.m.(source)


Book 1
Book 2