Abraham Lincoln

From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change

16th President of the United States
Abraham Lincoln

In office March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865
Vice President(s)	Hannibal Hamlin (1861 to 1865); Andrew Johnson (March - April 1865)
Preceded by	James Buchanan
Succeeded by	Andrew Johnson

Born	February 12, 1809 Hardin County, Kentucky (now in LaRue County Kentucky)
Died	April 15, 1865 Washington, D.C.
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Mary Todd Lincoln
Signature

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865) was the 16th President of the United States between 1861 to 1865. In 1865, after the Civil War ended, he was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth.

1 Abraham Lincoln's life
2 Early political career
3 Presidency
4 Death
5 Other websites

[change] Abraham Lincoln's life

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Hardin (now Larue County, Kentucky). His parents were Thomas Lincoln, a farmer, and Nancy Hanks. His family was poor. Abraham had 1 brother and 1 sister. His brother died in childhood. They grew up in a small log cabin, with just one room inside. His father refused to own slaves as a religious Baptist, although Kentucky was then a state where slavery was allowed. When Abraham was 7 years old, his family moved to Indiana. In his childhood he helped his father on the farm, but when he was 22 years old he left his parents and moved to New Salem, in Illinois, to work as a salesman. Later, he said that he had gone to school for just one year, but that was enough to learn how to read, write, and do simple math. In 1842, he married Mary Todd Lincoln. They had four children, but three of them died when they were very young. Abraham Lincoln was sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe and the Great Emancipator, because of his great efforts in 1863 to emancipate (or free) the African-Americans held as slaves by the Confederate States, even though he never actually freed the slaves that were still in the United States. His efforts were rewarded after his death in 1868, when slavery was completely abolished in the United States of America as well.

[change] Early political career

Abraham started his career in 1832 when he ran for the Illinois General Assembly, but he lost the election. He served as captain in the army during the Black Hawk War, a war against a Native American tribe. When he moved to Springfield, he began to work as a lawyer. Soon he became one of the most highly respected lawyers in Illinois. In 1837, he protested for the first time against slavery, yet defended slave owners in Illinois to have their runaway slaves returned. In 1846, Lincoln joined the Whig Party. He was elected to one term in the House of Representatives, but when his term ended, he ignored his political career and turned his energies to being a successful railroad lawyer. Twelve years later, he wanted to become senator; although this was unsuccessful, the debates drew national attention to him. The Republican Party nominated him for the Presidential election of 1860.

[change] Presidency

Lincoln was elected as the 16th president of the United States, because the Northern States had stopped slavery and the Republican Party was against slavery extension.

The Southern States did not support Lincoln, so seven States formed the Confederate States of America, which led to the American Civil War. In his whole period as President, he was forced to rebuild the Union with military force and many bloody battles. Although he was not a supporter of slavery, he was more interested in reuniting America, than in freeing the slaves. On August 22, 1862 he sent a letter to a newspaper called the New York "Tribune":

If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that

—Lincoln

But in 1863, he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves only in the Confederate states while allowing slavery to continue in the northern states of Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri, as well as all captured southern territories at that time. The Proclamation was enacted, in part, to prevent foreign (namely Great Britain and France) powers from helping the Confederate States and ending the war, and possibly incite a slave revolt. Slavery was not abolished by law until the 13th Amendment in 1865.

Lincoln made a famous speech after the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 called the Gettysburg Address.

Lincoln was reelected president in 1864. Lincoln saw the South was going to lose. He proposed laws to make the nation become one again quickly.

[change] Death

While attending a play at Ford Theatre in Washington DC, Lincoln was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth. He was the first American president to be assassinated.