Abraham Lincoln Essay

Abraham Lincoln

There are many names that may come to mind when thinking of important historical figures. One that should come to you quickly is the common topic of Abraham Lincoln. Not only was he the 16th president of the United States, but also a hero to many people whose lives he affected greatly. Lincoln was born in Kentucky on February 12th, 1809. At a young age, he was already a self-taught, avid reader, as well as being skilled with an axe, even though he avoided killing animals. His mother and father, Nancy Hanks and Thomas Lincoln, were two uneducated farmers. Abraham’s mother died of milk sickness at thirty-four years old; therefore, Thomas Lincoln remarried a widow, who Abraham grew very close with. A difficult childhood did not stop him from achieving his high-soaring goals.
A little later in his life, he met a woman, named Mary Todd, which who he was quite fond of. He later married her, despite of what her parents thought of his past, and they had four children: Edward, Willie, Tad, and Robert, the only one who survived until adulthood. Lincoln, in 1830, with the support of his family, served in the Black Hawk War for three months, although he did not battle.
Lincoln was already on his way to success, opening a store in Salem, although it only lasted several months before going out of business. After this occurred, it wasn’t long before Abraham began his political career at the age of twenty-three, with a campaign for the Illinois General Assembly, which turned out unsuccessful. Although this was somewhat of a disappointment to Abraham, he won an election in 1834 to the State Legislature, came across the teachings of laws in England, and soon began to teach himself in the practice of law. He became a successful lawyer, with the help of his sidekick, John T. Stuart. He even had his first protest against slavery, which gave him a popular profile.
Abraham Lincoln kept a steady pace, speaking out against the Mexican-American War. His speeches...