Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, encountered numerous obstacles on his way to his eventual presidency. His childhood wasn’t exactly a happy one and his education was less than what was expected of an American president, yet his days as the President remain as historic and significant as his life.
Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in a small log cabin in Kentucky. His parents were Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. At the time of his birth, Abraham’s father owned extensive farm land and Abraham was able to attend basic education courses.
When Abraham was seven, the family moved to Indiana, where the family had a much better life. The prevalence of the milk sickness in the area, however, was the beginning of Lincoln’s difficult life. His family was greatly affected by the illness as it took several family members to the grave, including his mother.
The household chores were distributed between Abraham and Sarah, his sister. Some people said that Abraham seemed lazy at this time, refusing to participate in household chores but, later, he learned and contributed greatly to the work around the house and to the family’s earnings. Because of this circumstance, Abraham had to stay home to help rather than attend school.
He had attended only a year’s worth of lessons and his yearning to learn was fresh and alive. He had no choice but to remain at home, though, so he started to study on his own. He was basically self-taught the rest of his life. Even his law degree was a result of intensive self-study.
Abraham’s father remarried a widow with three children. Missing his relationship with his real mother, Abraham instantly bonded with his stepmother and would later even refer to her as “mother.” They moved several more times until Abraham was old enough to go about his own life. He opted to leave his family and travel to New Salem, Illinois. New Salem played a part in the development of his skills in speaking and persuasion. He worked at a store there and, thus, came into contact with different personalities every day.
He was motivated to learn everything he could about the practice of law. He borrowed books from people he knew as he could not afford to buy his own, but he studied rigorously and later used this knowledge as an avenue to public office. Abraham Lincoln’s path to the Presidency was tedious.
He served as a captain of a troop of the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War. Soon after this, he started to venture into public office. Although his first try as a candidate of the Illinois Legislature failed, he was re-elected thereafter and served four full terms in office. During this time, he perfected his law studies. Attempting to advance his own position failed, however, as he was unsuccessful in his bid for the Congress.
He resorted to building a strong foundation for his law practice. He spent more or less fifteen years in the business representing everyone who needed a lawyer. The cases he handled ranged from transportation issues to monetary disputes and even murder charges. The challenges in Lincoln’s life were not exclusive to his political career alone. His romantic and family life proved to be a trying department, too.
Abraham was engaged to be married to Ann Rutledge in 1835 when she died of Typhoid fever. He ended up marrying Mary Todd who was from a prominent family in Lexington, Kentucky. Their first scheduled wedding was broken off by the couple after having decided they actually didn’t want to get into the marriage, but two years later, they ended up marrying each other after all.
Abraham Lincoln had four sons and he managed to outlive three of them. The first-born, Edward, died of tuberculosis at age 3, while the second child, William, died when he was only 11. The fourth son, Thomas, died when he was 18 due to heart failure. Only the third son, Robert Todd, lived to see adulthood and ultimately died at 82.
The times proved difficult for the couple. Mary struggled emotionally and psychologically and was admitted to a mental institution later in her life. Abraham also suffered from depression, so severe that he spent six months confined at home. The reactivated issues on slavery in the United States had encouraged Lincoln to try to capture another position in public office. His popularity grew as he openly expressed his disagreement with the acquisition and trading of slaves in the country. The birth of the Republican Party further strengthened Lincoln’s chances in making it to the Senate. He envisioned a world wherein everyone was equal and in which the government favored no specific race. Lincoln’s aspirations captured the hearts of the people and, although he was not elected to become a senator, he was as popular as ever and his name was brought up whenever there was talk about the Presidency.
As Lincoln assumed his duties as the 16th President of the United States, many opposed his liberal idea of abolishing slavery. His thoughts seemed so radical that seven states immediately ceded and decided to produce their own country, the Confederate States of America. His term was defined by the advent of the Civil War. At the peak of the war, a total of seven states united against his leadership and its ideals.
The circumstances in Abraham Lincoln’s life led to great leadership during the Civil War. As he had always done, he studied military tactics and operations independently to better lead his army. Furthermore, he still insisted on the concept of equality among all men and, later during his term, he finalized the decree that all slaves be freed. With his skill in military operations and his knowledge in political manipulation, the United States won over the Confederate States.
His successfully bringing an end to the Civil War earned Abraham Lincoln a second term as President. He addressed his fellow Americans and said that it was time to build up the nation, as one of freedom. He, however, did not live to see the day. Shortly after the end of the war, Lincoln was assassinated while watching a stage play with his wife. Despite the premature end of the political leader’s life, the results of his battles are evidently well lived today.
America is now the land of the free where gender and race are no longer measures of social status. Most importantly, and as Abraham Lincoln wished, the United States built a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
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