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Abraham Lincoln: The Life and Death of America’s 16th President
Play Short History Of... Abraham Lincoln
From a log cabin to the White House, Abraham Lincoln's life embodied the American Dream. The 16th President's remarkable journey from poverty to power captivated a nation—until a fateful night in Washington, D.C. turned triumph into tragedy.
Early Life
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. The Lincolns lived in a simple log cabin, and life was tough. Hoping for a better life, the family relocated to Indiana in 1816. As a young man, Lincoln's strong work ethic drove him to take on various jobs, from rail-splitter to store clerk to postmaster.At 23, he first ran for the Illinois state legislature in 1832 but lost. He was elected two years later in 1834, marking the beginning of an extraordinary journey that would ultimately lead Lincoln to the highest office in the land.
Political Rise
Lincoln was a member of the Whig Party, which opposed the Democratic Party led by President Andrew Jackson. In 1846, Lincoln was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving one term. During this time, he spoke out against the Mexican-American War and introduced a bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia, though it didn't pass. When the Whig Party dissolved in the 1850s, Lincoln joined the newly formed Republican Party in 1856. Founded primarily to combat the expansion of slavery into new territories, Lincoln quickly became one of its leading voices.
Lincoln catapulted to national prominence in 1858 during his campaign for Illinois' U.S. Senate seat. Though he ultimately lost to Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, the series of debates between Lincoln and Douglas showcased his eloquence and moral conviction—attributes that would help him earn his nickname ‘Honest Abe.’ The debates centred around the issue of slavery, with Lincoln famously stating, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
The debates are reported everywhere, and they become a phenomenon. To a great degree, they lift Lincoln to the presidency.
David S Reynolds, professor at the City University of New York, and author of Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times.
Presidency and Civil War
Lincoln secured the Republican nomination for president in 1860 and won the election in November of that year. However, by the time Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4th, 1861, seven Southern states had left the Union. Four more seceded soon after, with eleven states going on to form the Confederate States of America, a breakaway country with its own Constitution and President.
The Civil War began with a Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, on April 12th, 1861. The secessionist Southern states were determined to preserve their independence and the institution of slavery, while Lincoln's primary goal was to preserve the Union. However, his army suffered severe losses at the hands of the Confederates, expertly marshalled by General Robert E. Lee.
Critics circled, saying the Union soldiers were fighting without a cause to believe in. On New Year’s Day, 1863, Lincoln gave them one when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, a presidential order that changed history. The 3.5 million enslaved people of the Confederate states, it said, were to be made free. He knew that his order would prompt new bloodshed. But he was undaunted, saying: “I never in my life felt more certain that I was doing right than I do in signing this paper. If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.”
The proclamation altered the course of the war. The Union forces, under the leadership of Ulysses S. Grant, were now on a moral crusade to free the slaves. With the North’s fortunes turning, Lincoln gave a series of rousing speeches. One of these, perhaps one of the most famous speeches in history, became known as the Gettysburg Address. At just 271 words, it delivered a powerful, succinct message—that all men were equal.
In 1864, Lincoln won a second term as President. Soon after, on April 9th 1865, the Confederate army surrendered at the Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the Civil War. In the days that followed, Lincoln spoke about his hopes of ‘binding up the nation’s wounds’.
Sadly, Lincoln would not live to see his promise through.
Assassination
On April 14th, 1865, Lincoln arrived at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC, to watch a comedy called Our American Cousin. Not long after the show started, the door of his private box opened, and a man slipped in. It was John Wilkes Booth, a popular actor of his day and known Confederate sympathiser. In his hand was a pistol, which he raised to the back of Lincoln’s head and fired. In the unfolding chaos, Booth escaped on horseback. He would be tracked down twelve days later by Union soldiers and shot.
Abraham Lincoln died on the morning of April 15th, becoming the first President of the United States to be assassinated. Strangely, Lincoln’s death unified the nation as people grieved. In the weeks following his funeral, the Confederate forces signed their final surrenders, and the Civil War officially drew to a close. Congress passed the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution on January 31st, 1865, abolishing slavery for good.
Abraham Lincoln would not be forgotten. In 1922, the Lincoln Memorial—a beautiful temple built in the neoclassical style—was opened as a tribute to the former President. Inside, a towering statue of Lincoln sits, with inscriptions of his most memorable speeches etched on the walls. The monument in Washington, D.C., receives over seven million visitors each year—a fitting tribute to an honourable man.
He certainly guided the nation very intelligently and very tactfully through its greatest crisis. He did it with firmness and with a sense of principle. When push came to shove, he shaped the nation.
David S Reynolds, professor at the City University of New York, and author of Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times.