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Birth
President Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Lincoln was the second child of Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln; their first was his sister, Sarah. At a young age, Lincoln and his family moved around to several locations. When Lincoln was young, his mother died of milk sickness. -
Marriage and Parenthood
On November 4, 1842, President Abraham Lincoln married his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln in the Springfield mansion of Mary's married sister. Abraham and Mary Tood Lincoln had four children; Robert Todd Lincoln (born in 1843 and the only son to survive until adulthood,) Edward Baker Lincoln (born in 1846 and died of most likely tuberculosis in 1850.) William Wallace Lincoln was born in 1850 and died of a fever in 1862, and Thomas "Tad" Lincoln was born in 1853 and died of heart failure in 1871. -
U.S. House of Representatives
In 1846, Lincoln was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served one two-year term. He was the only Whig in the Illinois contingent, but he showed his party loyalty by participating in almost all votes and making speeches. He did not seek re- election in 1848 because he believed in the rotation of the Whig party. -
Election
Abraham Lincoln is elected as 16th President of the United States, and is the first Republican. He receives 180 of 303 possible electoral votes and 40 percent of the popular vote. Lincoln joined the Republican Party in 1856. Through his actions, he would become one of the greatest presidents in American history. -
Commander of the Union
After the Battle of Fort Sumter, Lincoln realized the importance of taking immediate control of the war and making an overall strategy to stop the rebellion. Lincoln encountered an unprecedented political and military crisis, and he responded as commander-in-chief, using unprecedented powers. Lincoln was supported by Congress and the northern public for these actions. -
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The American Civil War
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Changing of Generals
On July 27, 1861, Lincoln appoints George B. McClellan as Commander of the Department of the Potomac. The most well known battle he served in was the Battle of Antietam. Lincoln was frustrated that McClellan had again failed to destroy Lee’s army, sohe officially removed him from command in November 1862. McClellan ran against Lincoln in the 1864 election and lost. -
Department of Agriculture
On May 15, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act of Congress establishing a department of the U.S. government, known as the "Department of Agriculture." The Department of Agriculture is still active till this day. Lincoln also signed the Homestead Act of 1862 on May 20, 1862. This act encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of the Civil War. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states are and henceforward shall be free. The Emancipation Proclamation broadened the goals of the ongoing Civil War. -
National Banking Act of 1863
In 1863, the National Banking Act was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln. It created the United States National Banking System providing a strong financial network to the country. It also established a national currency. This act is stll active to this day. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address was a speech delievered by President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The intent for one of the most famous speechs in American history was in dedication for the bloody battle of Battle of Gettysburg. In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln invoked the principles of human equality contained within the Declaration of Independence and linked the sacrifices of the Civil War with the desire for “a new freedom.” -
Changing of Generals: Round 2
General Ulysses S. Grant replaced General George G. Meade in the spring of 1864. He later became the 18th president of the U.S. Grant was the commander of all federal troops until the war ended. -
Re - election
Abraham Lincoln is re-elected as President, defeating Democrat George B. McClellan. Lincoln gets 212 of 233 electoral votes and 55 percent of the popular vote. On March 4, 1865, Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address. -
Reconstruction
On April 11, 1865, President Lincoln makes his last public speech which focuses on the problems of reconstruction. Lincoln's perspectitve of his reconstruction plan was never fully seen by him. It was carried out by President Andrew Johnson. -
Death
President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865 by John Wilkes Booth, while attending the play “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre. President Lincoln was then taken to the Petersen House, across the street from Ford's Theatre. He then laid in a bed for nine hours in a coma. At 7:22 am on April 15, 1865; President Lincoln finally succumbed to his wounds and died.
