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Birth
Abraham Lincoln is born in a one-room cabin in the woods near Hodgenville, Kentucky, the son of Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. He is one of three children, but his brother dies as an infant. -
Early education
Lincoln’s mother dies when he is nine years old. His father remarries the next year, and Abraham gets along well with his stepmother. Neither his father nor his stepmother can read much, but his stepmother encourages him to learn. He is rarely able to attend school, but he loves reading. -
First election
Lincoln runs for his first political office, in the Illinois state legislature, and loses. -
Second election
He wins election in his second attempt, in 1834, and then wins reelection three times thereafter. -
His career as a lawyer
Lincoln becomes a lawyer, taking on cases involving everything from small disputes to murder. -
Marriage
At age 33, Lincoln marries 23-year-old Mary Todd after a long courtship and a broken engagement. They go on to have four sons, only one of whom lives to adulthood. -
The vision of ending slavery
Lincoln wins election to the U.S. House of Representatives. During his two-year term, he introduces legislation to end slavery in the District of Columbia. -
Elections of November 6 of 1860
Lincoln wins the presidency on November 6, defeating three other candidates. Alarm spreads through the Southern states. They fear that Lincoln will abolish slavery. They decide to secede from, or leave, the Union. South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union on December 20. -
The American Civil War
The American Civil War rages, claiming as many as 850,000 lives from battle and disease. Although the Union has more people and more soldiers, the Confederates win military victories early in the war. Eventually, the Union prevails. Lincoln earns the nickname “The Great Emancipator” for his role in bringing about the emancipation of the slaves. He also wins reelection in 1864. -
The death of Abraham Lincoln
Pro-slavery advocate John Wilkes Booth shoots Lincoln during a theater performance. Lincoln dies the next morning. “Now he belongs to the ages,” his secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, reportedly says.