ABRAHAM LINCOLN BIOGRAPHY
Turn
the pages of America’s political history, and you are sure to find one man who
clearly outshines all others and
manages to attract the attention and interest of all, till date, - Abraham
Lincoln! Nicknamed ‘Honest Abe’ or ‘Father Abraham’, Lincoln was, by far, one of
the most powerful and greatest Presidents’ that America has ever witnessed.
Rising from a modest and humble beginning, it was his sheer determination and
honest effort that led him to the nation’s highest office. An astute politician
and proficient lawyer, he played a vital role in unification of the states and
led from the front for the cause of
abolishing slavery from the country, eventually giving people equal rights,
irrespective of caste, color or creed. He not only envisioned but actually
brought to the forefront a truly democratic government which was led by the
concept of ‘by the people, of the people and for the people’. What’s more,
Lincoln led the country when it faced its greatest constitutional, military and
moral crises. He not only turned up victorious but also was effective in
strengthening the national government and modernizing the economy. He was a saviour of the Union
and an emancipator for the slaves. However,
just as astonishing was his rise to the top-notch
position and his eventual governance, his death was equally bewildering as he
became the first U.S President ever to be assassinated. Though in his life
Abraham Lincoln has been felicitated with no awards and honors, as there did
not exist any awards then, he has till date retained a spot in the Top Three Presidents since 1940s. As for the presidential ranking
polls conducted since
1948, Lincoln has been rated at the very top in the majority of polls.
Born to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Lincoln, in a
log-cabin in Hardin County Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln was the second of the
three children of the couple. He had an elder sister Sarah and a younger brother Thomas who died in infancy.
Senior Lincoln was a hardworking man.
Through his relentless efforts, he became one the richest men in the country. He was respected and honoured by one and all. However,
the blissfulness did not last long as Thomas Lincoln lost
all what he had, which led to the family shifting base to the present Spencer
County, Indiana.
Religiously, the Lincolns attended
Separate Baptists church and had opposing views regarding alcohol, dancing and
slavery. They completely believed in restrictive moral standards.
In 1818, tragedy struck the family as
Nancy Lincoln left for the heavenly abode, after suffering from milk sickness.
The death of his mother had devastating effect on young Lincoln who grew
alienated from his father. However, the gap was abridged by his stepmother,
Sarah Bush Johnston whom he grew close to.Billed as lazy and indolent by most
due to his dislike for the hard labor associated with frontier life, Lincoln
wronged all as he grew up to be responsible and dedicated. He completed all the
chores expected of a boy from a household and became an adept axe-man in his
work, building rail fences. He also dutifully submitted all his earning to his
father.
As far as his education is concerned,
Lincoln made extraordinary efforts to attain knowledge. Though both his parents
were illiterate and unschooled, they encouraged Lincoln to read and write,
especially his stepmom Sarah. It is estimated that all through his life Lincoln
did not have not more than 18 months of formal education.Since there was not much scope of
formal education in the Indiana wilderness, he walked for miles at stretch to
borrow a book. He was an avid reader and had read all the then popular books
several times, including the Bible. Thus, the knowledge and wisdom that Lincoln
possessed was mostly self-taught.
The family
shifted base to Coles County, Illinois in 1831, after fearing milk sickness. At
the age of 22, Lincoln set off on his own. His first stop was in a village of
New Salem in Sangamon County, where he took up a job of transferring goods by
flatboat from New Salem to New Orleans via the Sangamon, Illinois, and
Mississippi rivers Abraham Lincolns mother, Nancy Hanks
Lincoln, died of milk disease on October 5, 1818. She was buried in a grave
which was located just behind the family cabin.
In 1832, Lincoln shifted to New
Orleans, where, along with a friend, he bought a small general store. However,
since the venture did not turn out to be profitable, he sold his shares and
instead, tried his hand at politics. He started campaigning for a seat at the
Illinois General Assembly.
Though Lincoln had gained popularity
through his skilled storytelling ability, his lack of proper formal education,
money and powerful friends lead to his loss. Meanwhile, while taking part in
the assembly, Lincoln also served in the Black Hawk War as a captain in the
Illinois Militia.
After working as a postmaster and
county surveyor, Lincoln’s gave in to his wish to become a lawyer. He started
reading law books to equip himself with the knowledge required in the field.
Lincoln’s social skills and antics at story-telling were honed during this
phase of life.The unification of the states
eventually led to the consequence for the name of the country ‘United States’.
Though the Civil War was the most implacable of the conflicts in America, it
did led to the dominance of a singular name, United States for the country by
large.
Lincoln was largely responsible for harbouring the sails of the American
political system towards republicanism. At a time when the
world focussed on the sanctity of the constitution, Lincoln believed that
majority rule had to be restrained with the constitutional checks and
limitations.
Other than this, Lincoln during his
term of presidency vetoed four bills, the most important one being the
Wade-Davis Bill with its harsh program of Reconstruction which the Radicals had
passed. He also was behind the creation of the first U.S. income tax on incomes
greater than $800. He was
also responsible for the creation of system of national banks by the National
Banking Act.
John Wilkes Booth, the assassinator of
Lincoln, had contact with the Confederate secret service. It is believed that
Booth initially planned to abduct Lincoln in exchange for the release of
Confederate prisoners. However, enraged by Lincolns speech of giving blacks
voting rights and thus equal status in the society, Booth resolved to
assassinate him.
The tragic incident occurred during
the screening of the play, Our American Cousin at the Ford theatre, which
Lincoln went to watch along with First Lady, Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris.
His main bodyguard, Ward Hill Lamon was not present and John Parker took to the
temporary vacant position.
Joining the driver for drinks at the
interval, Parker left Lincoln unguarded, a setting which Booth capitalized on. He shot Lincoln at point-blank range
on his head mortally wounding
him. He then stabbed Major Henry Rathbone and
escaped.
Although Lincoln was provided medical
help by an Army surgeon, Doctor Charles Leale, who was sitting nearby at the
theatre, lack of breath and dropping pulse rate worsened the condition. Lincoln was taken to Peterson House, where he was in coma for nine hours before succumbing to death on April 15, 1865.Meanwhile, Booth was tracked down 10
days later on a farm in Virginia, some 70 miles south of Washington, D.C. He
put up a brief fight, finally losing out to Sergeant Boston Corbett who killed
him.memorials. People gathered in huge numbers paid their tributes to the great
politician ever,Lincoln’s body was wrapped in the flag
and escorted to the White House by Union officers. His coffin was first laid in
the East Room and later in the Capitol Rotunda from April 19 through April 21.He made his final journey alongside
his son in the executive coach for three weeks from the White House to Springfield,
Illinois, stopping at various cities across the North for large-scale ugh
bands, bonfires, hymn singing or silent reverence.
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