Abraham Lincoln

Overview

Abraham Lincoln was a major figure in American political history. President during the Civil War whose leadership preserved the Union and ended slavery through wartime emancipation policy. This entry is designed to support a public-facing biography page and AI question answering connected to the assassination-attempts explorer.

Early life

Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Hardin County (now LaRue County), Kentucky, on February 12, 1809, to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. His mother died when he was nine; his father remarried Sarah Bush Johnston, who encouraged young Abraham's education. The family moved to Indiana and later to Illinois. Lincoln received less than a year of formal schooling in total, educating himself almost entirely through borrowed books, reading by firelight after long days of farm and manual labor.

Career

Lincoln worked as a rail-splitter, store clerk, and postmaster while teaching himself law. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1836 and built a reputation as a skilled circuit-riding attorney. He served four terms in the Illinois state legislature (1834–1842) as a Whig, then won a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives (1847–1849). He gained national recognition through his 1858 Senate campaign debates with Stephen Douglas, in which he forcefully opposed the expansion of slavery, propelling him onto the 1860 presidential stage.

Rise to prominence

Abraham Lincoln became nationally significant through led the union during the civil war, issued the emancipation proclamation.

Presidency & public issues

Key public issues associated with Abraham Lincoln include Slavery, Secession, Civil War, Union preservation, Emancipation.

Assassination context

This individual appears in 2 incidents in the archive: Plot Against Abraham Lincoln; Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The primary linked event is Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The target was killed in at least one related event.

Later life & death

The person's death became part of the national historical memory surrounding political violence in the United States.

Legacy

Abraham Lincoln's legacy is commonly discussed through the themes of Slavery, Secession, Civil War, and through the way the related incident shaped public memory, security practices, or political history.

Key facts

Timeline

1. 1809-02-12

   Abraham Lincoln born

   Abraham Lincoln was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky.

2. 1861-03-04

   16th President of the United States

   Abraham Lincoln began service as 16th President of the United States.

3. 1865-04-15

   Abraham Lincoln died

   Abraham Lincoln died in Washington, District of Columbia.

Sources

• Abraham Lincoln — Britannica
• Abraham Lincoln — White House Historical Association