Abraham Lincoln - Honest Abe
I think it is safe to assume that anyone with even a slight knowledge of American history has at least heard of Abraham Lincoln. He was the 16th President of the USA and one of the most memorable men to occupy The White House.
Early life: Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Kentucky. Raised by parents who were, according to him, “of undistinguished families”, young Lincoln became familiar with hard work at an early age. When he was nine years old, his mother died of Milk Sickness. His father remarried afterward and Abraham became very close with his stepmother. Though his father did not receive any education, Abraham worked hard to not follow his father in that aspect. He was self-educated and was an avid reader (kids who hate studying should see this). He also wrestled as a youngster and was quite good at it. When he later started his working career, he carried on his trend of hard work and excellence. The fact that he studied law all by himself is proof of his determination. But he did not become a lawyer very soon. At first, he ran a small store in Illinois, where he lived. Later, he served as a postmaster and a country surveyor. He took his first steps into politics when he campaigned for Illinois General Assembly. He was a good speaker and that worked to his advantage. In 1840, Abraham met Mary Todd and became engaged to her. After canceling the first date of marriage, they were finally married in November 1842. Together they had four children: Robert, Edward, Willie, and Thomas. Sadly, Robert was their only child to survive until adulthood.
The next part of his life was the beginning of something that would later impact the whole country, and in turn, the whole world. Lincoln strongly disapproved of slavery, which was legal in the Southern part of America at that time. Though he lived in Illinois, a part of the North, where slavery was outlawed, he firmly opposed when attempts were made to make slavery legal again. Soon afterward, he was nominated for the senate, and he delivered his famous quote: ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand’, indicating that slavery is likely to divide the nation into two. On November 6, 1860, he was elected President. He had almost no support from the south, but the north was enough to hand him the victory. On the first day of 1863, he declared all the slaves in the confederate states, which were under his control, to be free.
The real man of steel…
The fight against slavery was not easy for him. The Southern states resisted heavily and refused to cooperate with Lincoln. The effect of this feud instigated the start of America’s civil war. He faced a military crisis at the beginning of the war and took the place of the commander-in-chief himself. Instead of leaving the war to the soldiers, he became involved in it and planned strategies himself. He carefully led the country through the entire crisis, never compromising or wavering from his principles. The South was defeated, at last, keeping the country in one piece, in 1865. It is also to be mentioned that he was re-elected as president in 1864 when many feared the country’s unstable state would cause him to be defeated. But beating the odds, he regained
As he himself said, a man’s character can be understood when he is given power. Lincoln had power and he showed his character. He showed that he truly believed in what he did and could do anything for it. If he compromised his standing against slavery, he could avoid the Civil War and avoid making a lot of enemies, but his passion did not let him do that. Neither did he wait for someone else to step up and do the right thing. He faced all kinds of adversities during his run as president, but he didn’t crumble. At the same time, he wasn’t spiteful or cruel. He forgave his enemies once the war was over and he was even nicknamed “Uncle Abe” for the kindness he displayed in personal life.
Up until he was murdered at a theatre by John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln served his country with undying loyalty and hard-gained wisdom. He was honest and strong throughout his whole life.