Abraham Lincoln Facts - 16th President of USA

The sixteenth president of the united states of America Abraham Lincoln Facts. Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin on Sinking Spring Farm in Hardin County, Kentucky on February 12, 1809.

Abraham Lincoln Biography

Abraham Lincoln Facts - His parents were Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, and they were farmers. His father, Thomas Lincoln, was a well-respected citizen of Kentucky. He was not wealthy, but he did own a few farms. The family was a member of the Separate Baptists Church, which frowned on dancing and alcohol consumption. Many of the members of the church were opposed to slavery. Abraham never joined any church during his lifetime.

When Abraham was nine years old, his 34-year-old mother died from milk sickness. It wasn't long before Lincoln's father married Sarah Bush Johnson. Both were widows. Lincoln and his new stepmom became very close, and he referred to her as "Mother" for his entire life.

As he got older, Abraham began to grow more distant from his father. Lincoln's entire formal education included only about eighteen months of formal schooling. He loved to read and was primarily self-taught. He was a good wrestler too and good with an ax. Lincoln did not enjoy hunting or fishing, so he avoided these two activities, as he did not like killing animals, even for food.

Abraham Lincoln Marriage

Lincoln fell in love with Ann Rutledge, whom he met when he moved to New Salem, and by 1835, they had an understanding, but she died on August 25, likely due to typhoid fever. Lincoln also had a relationship with Mary Owens, but their relationship was broken off.

In 1840, Lincoln was engaged to Mary Todd, who was from a slaveholding family in Kentucky. They met in Springfield. They split temporarily, but they married on November 4, 1842. The couple bought a house in Springfield that was close to Lincoln's law office.

The Lincolns had Robert Todd Lincoln on August 1, 1843, and a son Edward Baker Lincoln in 1846. Abraham loved his children and the parents did not have strict rules when it came to their children.

Robert was the only Lincoln child to survive to become an adult. Edward died in 1850, probably due to tuberculosis. William "Willie" Wallace Lincoln was born eleven months later, but he died from a fever when he was eleven years old during the first term of President Lincoln. Their fourth son, Thomas "Tad" Lincoln was born in 1853, but he died at the age of eighteen.

The deaths of the Lincoln children had negative effects on Abraham and Mary. Mary was unable to handle the stresses of losing her sons and husband. Many people also think she may have had bipolar disorder. Either way, she was involuntarily committed to a mental health asylum by her son, Robert Lincoln in 1875. Throughout his political life, Abraham was described as "melancholy," and many believe that this would now be described as clinical depression.

President Abraham Lincoln Facts

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, from 1861 until 1865 when he was assassinated. He led the country through the Civil War, keeping the country together, and ending slavery. During his presidency, he introduced laws that would abolish slavery, which included the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the promotion of the Thirteenth Amendment.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered in 1863, is considered today one of the greatest speeches ever. He has been ranked by historians today as one of the greatest American presidents.

Abraham Lincoln Assassination

Lincoln was the first American president to be assassinated. The killer was John Wilkes Booth, who was an actor and Confederate spy. He originally had planned to kidnap Lincoln in order to exchange her for a release for Confederate prisoners.

Later he decided to change his plans to assassinate him after he reportedly heard Lincoln giving a speech about promoting voting rights for blacks. When he learned that Lincoln and his wife would be attending Ford's Theatre, he made his plans, which included his co-conspirators assassinating Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State, William H. Seward.

At the theatre, Lincoln had only one bodyguard, and as his bodyguard wandered away from the box, Booth crept up and fired at Lincoln's head at a point-blank range. Henry Rathbone, who tried to control Booth, was cut by his knife. Then Booth leaped off the stage and suffered a broken leg, but escaped. Following the assassination, a manhunt for Booth began, lasting for twelve days until Federal Agents caught up to him, cornered him, and shot him.

Lincoln's wound was mortal. He was taken across the street and lay in a coma for a total of nine hours before he died. There were several physicians who attended to him, but the shot had lodged six inches in his brain. He was the first U.S. President to be assassinated.

Facts about Abraham Lincoln

NICKNAME
Honest Abe

BIRTH
February 12, 1809, Near Hodgenville, Kentucky

MOTHER
Nancy Hanks

FATHER
Thomas Lincoln

SISTER
Sarah

BROTHER
Thomas

MARRIAGE
Mary Todd on November 4, 1842, in Springfield, Illinois

CHILDREN
Robert Todd, Edward Baker, William Wallace, and Thomas (Tad)

HOME
Eighth and Jackson streets, Springfield, Ill.

EDUCATION
Local tutors and self-educated

RELIGION
Attended Presbyterian services in Springfield
and Washington, D.C.

PRE-PRESIDENCY PROFESSION
Lawyer

MILITARY SERVICE
During the Black Hawk War, served in a volunteer company
for three months (1832)

POLITICAL LIFE

Post Master of New Salem, Illinois (1833-1836)
Illinois Legislature(1834-1842)
US Representative (1847-1849) US President two terms

POLITICAL PARTY
Republican (First)

INAUGURATION
March 4, 1861, at the age of 52
Abraham Lincoln - First and Second Term Inaugural Address

Abraham Lincoln Administration

PRESIDENCY
Two terms (March 4, 1861-April 14, 1865)

VICE PRESIDENT
First Term: Hannibal Hamlin (1861-1865)
Second Term: Andrew Johnson (1865)

FIRST LADY
Mary Todd Lincoln (1861-1865)

MORE ABOUT FIRST LADY MARY TODD LINCOLN...
Mary Todd Lincoln Facts
Mary Todd Lincoln Biography
SUPREME COURT APPOINTMENTS
Noah H. Swayne (1862)
Samuel F. Miller (1862)
David Davis (1862)
Stephen J. Field (1863)
Salmon P. Chase (1864)

STATES ADMITTED TO THE UNION
West Virginia (1863)
Nevada (1864)
AMENDMENTS ENACTED
13th Amendment

Abraham Lincoln Cabinet
SECRETARY OF STATE
William H. Seward (1861-1865)
SECRETARY OF TREASURY
Salmon P. Chase (1861-1864)
William P. Fessenden (1864-1865)
Hugh McCullough (1865)
SECRETARY OF WAR
Simon Cameron (1861-1862)
Edwin M. Stanton (1862-1865)
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Edward Bates (1861-1864)
James Speed(1864-1865)
SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
Gideon Welles (1861-1865)
POSTMASTER GENERAL
Montgomery Blair (1861-1864)
William Dennison (1864-1865)
SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
Caleb B. Smith (1861-1862)
John P. Usher (1863-1865)

POST PRESIDENCY LIFE

President Lincoln was assassinated while in office (April 14, 1865)
at Ford's Theater, Washington D.C.

DEATH
April 15, 1865 (7:22 A.M.) Peterson House, Washington D.C.
at the age of 56

BURIAL PLACE
Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield

LANDMARKS
Hodgeville, Ky (birthplace)
Springfield, Ill. (home, grave, and library)
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota