The identity of Lincoln's grandmother Bathsheba Herring, though without certainty, is the consensus of multiple Lincoln biographers. Older sources use six. His allies, the War Democrats and the Radical Republicans, demanded harsh treatment of the Southern Confederates. [41] Rutledge died on August 25, 1835, most likely of typhoid fever; saying that he couldn't bear the idea of rain falling on Ann's grave, Lincoln sunk into a serious episode of depression, and this gave rise to speculation that he had been in love with her. As Reagan made the transition from actor to public speaker to politician, he used the skills hed developed to craft a unique persona and way of addressing his audience (and later voters) to twice win election as governor of California. Their scheme was to hold the corpse for a ransom of $200,000 and obtain the release of the gangs best counterfeiter from prison. Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus where needed for the security of troops trying to reach Washington. We want to bridge divides to reach everyone. [11] In 1816, the family moved to Indiana where the land surveys and titles were more reliable. Only those generals who gain successes can set up dictators. [344] Diggins notes, "Lincoln presented Americans a theory of history that offers a profound contribution to the theory and destiny of republicanism itself" in the 1860 Cooper Union speech. All rights reserved, Weird But True Know-It-All: U.S. Presidents, NICKNAMES: Honest Abe, the Great Emancipator, BORN: February 12, 1809, near Hodgenville, Kentucky. Lincoln suffered from "melancholy", a condition now thought to be clinical depression. He soon became a leader of the new Republican Party. Despite the controversies surrounding his election, Hayes proved a competent, though cautious president, and easily won re-election in 1880. After being aboard a steamboat that ran aground on low shoals and had to unload its cargo, Lincoln, who loved tinkering with machines, designed a method for keeping vessels afloat when traversing shallow waters through the use of empty metal air chambers attached to their sides. But young Lincoln ingeniously shifted the cargo, bored a hole in the bow of the craft, letting the water run out, then plugged the hole -- thus saving the trip. [375] Dirck stated that few Civil War scholars take Bennett seriously, pointing to his "narrow political agenda and faulty research". Upon his return to Illinois he settled in New Salem, a village of about 25 families on the Sangamon River. Already having taught himself grammar and mathematics, he began to study law books. On August 16, 1837, he wrote Owens a letter saying he would not blame her if she ended the relationship, and she never replied. "[50] In 1844, the couple bought a house in Springfield near his law office. 1. He emphasized defeat of the Confederate armies over destruction (which was considerable) for its own sake. He reached a national audience in the 1858 Senate campaign debates against Stephen A. Douglas. His victories, including the climactic Battle of New Orleans in 1815 made him a national hero, and his supporters capitalized on his fame, pushing him as a candidate for president. Lincoln's guest, Major Henry Rathbone, momentarily grappled with Booth, but Booth stabbed him and escaped. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [154] The Republican Party's production of campaign literature dwarfed the combined opposition; a Chicago Tribune writer produced a pamphlet that detailed Lincoln's life and sold 100,000200,000 copies. Sherman's capture of Atlanta in September and David Farragut's capture of Mobile ended defeatism. The nicknames given to Americas commanders in chief have been as varied as the people themselves. The left-leaning Douglas was accused of having communist ties (no small fear at the height of the Red Scare), and her Democratic primary opponent had dubbed her the Pink Lady. Nixon capitalized on the accusations, but also made sure he covered his political bases. 6'4" (6' 11" with his top hat). [101] In his 1852 eulogy for Clay, Lincoln highlighted the latter's support for gradual emancipation and opposition to "both extremes" on the slavery issue. As States sent Union regiments south, on April 19, Baltimore mobs in control of the rail links attacked Union troops who were changing trains. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. Every night Abe and his family slept on a hard dirt floor. The Confederate government evacuated Richmond and Lincoln visited the conquered capital. Suddenly, a hand reached out and pulled the presidents son to safety by the coat collar. His main goal was to keep the union together, so he proceeded by focusing not on whom to blame, but on how to rebuild the nation as one. [91] He later represented a bridge company against a riverboat company in Hurd v. Rock Island Bridge Company, a landmark case involving a canal boat that sank after hitting a bridge. Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States in 1860. This call forced states to choose sides. [90] Lincoln handled transportation cases in the midst of the nation's western expansion, particularly river barge conflicts under the many new railroad bridges. On election day New York Democrat Samuel Tilden won a plurality of the popular vote. Meet our Contributing Editors And some of the Jacksonian spirit resided inside the Lincoln White House. Grant then assumed command of Meade's army. [379], Barry Schwartz wrote in 2009 that Lincoln's image suffered "erosion, fading prestige, benign ridicule" in the late 20th century. 9 Questions About the American Civil War Answered, Match the Quote to the Speaker: American Speeches, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abraham-Lincoln, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Abraham Lincoln, The White House - Biography of Abraham Lincoln, American National Biography - Biography of Abraham Lincoln, American Battlefields Trust - Biography of Abraham Lincoln, Indian Child - Biography of Abraham Lincoln, The Ohio State University - ehistory - Abraham Lincoln, Social Studies for Kids - Biography of Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Abraham Lincoln - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), presidency of the United States of America (1861-1865), Abraham Lincoln: statue at the Lincoln Memorial. [51], Lincoln was an affectionate husband and father of four sons, though his work regularly kept him away from home. [151] A group of former Whigs and Know Nothings formed the Constitutional Union Party and nominated John Bell of Tennessee. As a flatboatman, he made a voyage down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, Louisiana. [254] On November 8, Lincoln carried all but three states, including 78 percent of Union soldiers.[255]. But he eventually abandoned the diet, and by the time he was elected in 1908, he tipped the scales at more than 350 pounds. With the coming of the Black Hawk War (1832), he enlisted as a volunteer and was elected captain of his company. His relevance endures and grows especially because of his eloquence as a spokesman for democracy. At the moment of death some observers said his face seemed to relax into a smile. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. [88], In his Springfield practice, Lincoln handled "every kind of business that could come before a prairie lawyer". One possibility is that other members of the family, including Dennis Hanks, may not have matched Thomas's stability and steady income. google_ad_width = 120; Confederate Vice President Stephens led a group meeting with Lincoln, Seward, and others at Hampton Roads. It wasnt until the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania during July 1863 that the war turned in favor of the Union. Just months after the war formally ended in 1848, he was elected president, but he served just 16 months before dying of gastroenteritis. Most were log dwellings -- not to be confused with log cabins, which settlers used only until they could erect log houses, which were chinked and tightly sealed with a mud-and-wheat straw cement daubing. Born. [45] Late in 1836, Lincoln agreed to a match with Owens if she returned to New Salem. It was a time of great unease in American politics. Lincoln believed that slavery would be rendered obsolete if its expansion into new territories were prevented, because these territories would be admitted to the Union as free states, and free states would come to outnumber slave states. Abraham Lincoln, a 1909 bronze statue by Adolph Weinman, sits before a historic church in Hodgenville, Kentucky. [293], Lincoln is largely responsible for the Thanksgiving holiday. February 10, 1987 Republican speakers focused first on the party platform, and second on Lincoln's life story, emphasizing his childhood poverty. He said "A majority held in restraint by constitutional checks and limitations, and always changing easily with deliberate changes of popular opinions and sentiments, is the only true sovereign of a free people. How did Honest Abe get his nickname? [109] Lincoln held out hope for rejuvenating the Whigs, though he lamented his party's growing closeness with the nativist Know Nothing movement. [102] As the slavery debate in the Nebraska and Kansas territories became particularly acrimonious, Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas proposed popular sovereignty as a compromise; the measure would allow the electorate of each territory to decide the status of slavery. [188] On August 6, 1861, Lincoln signed the Confiscation Act that authorized judicial proceedings to confiscate and free slaves who were used to support the Confederates. Lincoln instructed his backers to vote for Lyman Trumbull. In the late 1970s, The New York Times noted that Reagan was a great communicator, and the apt phrase stuck, as Reagan mastered mass media as a new political tool. These included Parson Weemss Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington (with its story of the little hatchet and the cherry tree), Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe, John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress, and Aesops Fables. More than one historian has noted that, were the still-rough Lincoln to have gone north to Chicago to study law, he would surely have been swallowed -- made anonymous -- by the crowds and currents of that big town. Trumbull was an antislavery Democrat, and had received few votes in the earlier ballots; his supporters, also antislavery Democrats, had vowed not to support any Whig. People recognized his integrity and were soon asking him to act as judge or mediator in various contests, fights, and arguments. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union [] I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free. He once said that, as a boy, he had gone to school by littlesa little now and a little thenand his entire schooling amounted to no more than one years attendance. [348], As a Whig activist, Lincoln was a spokesman for business interests, favoring high tariffs, banks, infrastructure improvements, and railroads, in opposition to Jacksonian democrats. Many in the party felt that a former Whig should be nominated in 1858, and Lincoln's 1856 campaigning and support of Trumbull had earned him a favor. [244] Lincoln authorized Grant to target infrastructureplantations, railroads, and bridgeshoping to weaken the South's morale and fighting ability. [32] He was an active wrestler during his youth and trained in the rough catch-as-catch-can style (also known as catch wrestling). Indeed, the most ample evidence to the contrary has all the while existed, and been open to their inspection. [99] Harrison was charged with the murder of Greek Crafton who, as he lay dying of his wounds, confessed to Cartwright that he had provoked Harrison. His nicknames were "Honest Abe"and "Illinois Rail- Splitter". Election of 1860: Lincoln Won at Time of National Crisis - ThoughtCo The president's death at the end of the Civil War unsettled the fragile nation. It was not until 1901, after the killing of two other presidents, that the Secret Service was formally assigned to protect the commander-in-chief. [26] His formal schooling was from itinerant teachers. [85] Taylor won and Lincoln hoped in vain to be appointed Commissioner of the General Land Office. Abraham Lincoln's strong spiritual sense became one of his defining characteristics, and his obvious lack of false piety led to his tremendous appeal to his constituency. Into the second group went forty. According to Carl Sandburgs biography of Lincoln, Honest Abe once challenged an entire crowd of onlookers after dispatching an opponent: Im the big buck of this lick. The area was also good soil for Lincoln's own development. "[124] The speech created a stark image of the danger of disunion. When he became president, Lincoln allowed the enslavement of people to continue in southern states but he outlawed its spread to other existing states and states that might later join the Union. God alone can claim it. [313], The late President lay in state, first in the East Room of the White House, and then in the Capitol Rotunda from April 19 through April 21. [52][f] Lincoln "was remarkably fond of children"[54] and the Lincolns were not considered to be strict with their own. When a general asked Lincoln how the defeated Confederates were to be treated, Lincoln replied, "Let 'em up easy. [156], On November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected the 16th president. [302], On April 14, 1865, hours before he was assassinated, Lincoln signed legislation establishing the United States Secret Service,[303] and, at 10:15 in the evening, Booth entered the back of Lincoln's theater box, crept up from behind, and fired at the back of Lincoln's head, mortally wounding him. Whither it is tending seems plain. [5] His children, including eight-year-old Thomas, Abraham's father, witnessed the attack. But just a month after being sworn in, Harrison was dead, after contracting a cold-turned-pneumonia while delivering a long inaugural speech in a cold rain.