Abraham Lincoln's Childhood

1104 Words3 Pages

More than anyone else, Abraham Lincoln is the most influential person in his time because he is eligibly responsible for the freeing of the slaves, he was one the best presidents there ever were, and he was known for his famous speeches.
Abraham Lincoln’s childhood was very rough to grow up in. His family always moved from place to place because they did not like slavery and slavery kept progressing everywhere they went. He was born on Sunday February 12, 1809 in a log cabin near Hodgenville, KY (DiLorenzo 1). When he was two years old the family moved to another farm on “Knob Creek about seven miles northeast of Hodgenville”. On this farm of 230 acres, Abraham lived for five years, helped his parents with chores, and learned his ABCs by
These trips widened his horizons and, by tradition, shocked him with the sight of men and women being bought and sold in the slave markets of New Orleans. After helping his father clear land, Abraham hired out to split rails for other farmers, and he kept his earnings. In the summer of 1831 he settled in New Salem. Lincoln's six years in New Salem were a formative period.(Abraham Lincoln’s Childhood 11). He drifted from jobs such as a “store clerk, mill hand, partner in a general” store that failed, postmaster, and a surveyor. In 1832 Abraham Lincoln went to Illinois where the BlackHawks were so he could volunteer for the militia. He was accepted and was elected captain of his company. Although he saw no action he later recalled being elected as captain as the most gratifying honor of his life (Lincecum
Lincoln joined a debating society, and he acquired a lifelong love of William Shakespeare and Robert Burns. He also acquired a passion for politics and in 1832 announced his candidacy for the legislature (Abraham Lincoln’s Childhood 7). Abraham Lincoln won reelection to the legislature in 1836, 1838, and 1840 for the Springfield legislature, he also he the became floor leader of the Whigs and a prominent member of the "Long Nine". After retiring from the legislature in 1841, Lincoln devoted most of his time to his law practice. He then formed a partnership with Stephen T. Logan who helped him become more thorough in preparing his cases. After he felt he passed Stephen in Law he then dissolved their partnership and formed a new one with “26-year-old William H. Herndon, to whom Lincoln became” a mentor. After being a lawyer for a year Abraham wanted to become a part of congress. In 1846 Lincoln became a congressman, his congressional term lasted from 1847-1849. (Lincecum 16).
In 1858 Abraham Lincoln gave the house divided speech at the Illinois Republican convention in Springfield. The house divided speech was a warning to the U.S that they were about to become divided. The issue dividing the nation was slavery’s place in the growing western territories and the extent of federal power over individual states’ rights (Neely 3). Abraham didn’t expect the speech to dissolve the Union or to end slavery but to at

Open Document