Abraham Lincoln, nicknamed Honest Abe, was the 16th President of the United States.

Abe steered his country through the American Civil War and ended slavery within the country's boundaries. Coming from humble origins, Lincoln became a successful lawyer.

Historians say they discovered new artifacts and documents regarding the young Abraham Lincoln. See what you think.

Abe was a gifted politician and famous for his speeches. And here you can obtain Selected Speeches and Writings by Abraham Lincoln via Random House Inc. Abe also had the reputation of being respectful and fair.

Although he was against slavery, Abe stated in 1858 in his speech at Charleston, Illinois, “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races.”

EARLY YEARS
Abe Lincoln grew up in Kentucky on the American frontier. For all you whiskey lovers, Abe grew up at the Knob Creek farm. And here you can read Abraham Lincoln's Role in Bourbon History. Great little article. Great little whiskey, too.

Abe's family was poor. They relocated first to Indiana and then to Illinois. He received little formal education but eagerly taught himself. Abe worked a wide variety of jobs, including rail splitting. Hence his nickname The Rail-Splitter. 

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS A RAIL-SPLITTER?
A rail-splitter is a laborer who splits logs to build split-rail fences.


Back to Abe:
Abe enlisted as volunteer for the Black Hawk War, but his company did not see battle.


LAW & POLITICS
Abe began to study law and decided to go into politics. He was elected to a seat in the Illinois State Legislature and served four successive terms. Abe passed the Illinois bar and became a sought-after attorney, representing banks, insurance companies, and the Illinois Central Railroad.

Abe Lincoln served one term in the U.S. Congress. He fought Democrat Stephen Douglas for a seat in the Senate in the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates. Although defeated for senator in January he was nominated for president in May.

After Abe's election but before his inauguration, South Carolina proclaimed its withdrawal from the Union. The Civil War began. The government was divided over questions of strategy and goals in the war, but Abe successfully managed to smooth them over and won re-election.

In his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln proclaimed his motto, "With malice toward none; with charity for all.” This indicated the course he planned to take after the war.

GETTYSBURG ADDRESS - NOVEMBER 19, 1863
One of the most famous modern speeches is Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, in which he promoted “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”

The brief speech was given on the occasion of the dedication of the National Cemetery on the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Read Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Here you can find all things Gettysburg Address. And here you can get your own vintage top hat.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S DEATH
Five days after General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, Lincoln was watching the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., seated with his wife Mary, Major Henry Rathbone, and Clara Harris in Box 7.

Officer John Parker, who was assigned as his bodyguard, became bored and went next door to a saloon to get a drink, leaving Lincoln unprotected.

John Wilkes Booth, one of nine conspirators, stepped into the box behind Lincoln and shot him in the back of the head with a .44 caliber Derringer. He then stabbed Rathbone, jumped onto the stage, and escaped.

Lincoln was carried across the street to the Peterson House, where he died nine hours later. Vice President Andrew Johnson succeeded him.

Thus Honest Abe became the first American president to be assassinated.

Booth was shot and killed by soldiers on April 26, while hiding in a barn near Bowling Green, Virginia.

Check out Assassinations in History.

The theater as well as The House Where Lincoln Died became a National Historic Site, which you are welcome to visit.
 

JOHN WILKES BOOTH
Click on image to enlarge

Here is the Abraham Lincoln page provided by the White House.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN - BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
1809 February 12 - Birth near Hodgenville, Kentucky
1832 Black Hawk War
1834 Elected to state legislature
1836 Lawyer
1846 April - Mexican war (until February 1848)
1847 Serves in Congress (until 1849)
1856 Joins the Republican Party
1861 President of the United States
1863 Emancipation Declaration
1863 Gettysburg Address
1864 Reelected president
1865 April 15 - Death at Washington, D.C. 

Here is an in-depth Lincoln timeline including quite a few Lincoln pictures.

LINCOLN TRIVIA
Check here for an article entitled Lincoln's Humor: An Analysis.

This is Roger Norton's website dedicated to Abe Lincoln. Lots of trivia. Roger is a former teacher of American history.

Everybody's getting ready for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009.

And here is the Abraham Lincoln Timeline

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S NAME
Since 1989 the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is in use. This is the official Navy web site of the USS Abraham Lincoln. It is the second US Navy ship bearing Abe's name. The first one was the submarine Abraham Lincoln. The sub retired in 1981 after twenty years of service.

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