Hidden Corners of History The Life of Lincoln

The Life of Lincoln

Jarrod E. Stephens

If you were to ask someone to name their favorite US President or one who was the most impactful while in office, a majority of the time the name Abraham Lincoln would rise to the top. Honest Abe left his mark on history not only for his leadership through the American Civil War but also with his hardworking spirit and honesty.

Being a lifelong resident of Kentucky, I have always had an interest in Lincoln and how that he is the only US President to have been born in our state. His life began in a cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky on a farm that was called Sinking Springs. As early settlers, the Lincolns worked to secure the deed to the land but continual conflicts with the neighbors led them to move to another farm at Knob Creek.

Lincoln’s earliest memories come from this farm, and it was the first place that he saw enslaved people. The roadway near the farm was heavily traversed and young Abe remembered seeing slaves being taken to auction and never got over the sight. The untimely death of his mother also left a dark mark on his memories of Knob Creek. The Lincolns then moved to Indiana and eventually settled in Illinois where Abraham would live for many years.

Despite having only received a few years of formal education, Abraham pursued learning every day. There are a few legends about Lincoln tells of how he received the nickname “Honest Abe.” One such legend tells that Abraham borrowed some books from a neighbor and rain leaked through the roof and ruined the books. Abe supposedly worked for the neighbor to pay for the cost of the books. The other story tells that Lincoln accidentally overcharged a customer at a shop that he worked at and walked several miles to return their money.

Abraham worked his way through college and became a respected lawyer. While common matters of law consumed much of his time, the issue of slavery never left his mind. His career as a lawyer gave him exposure to the larger issues of life and made him quite famous in some areas. This perhaps led to his decision to run for the office of Illinois House of Representatives where he served from 1834-1842. He was then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1847. Abraham kept reaching higher but failed to be elected to the U.S. Senate in both 1855 and 1858. For Abe the losses only set him up for greater things since so many people had now heard his name and a huge number held his views on states rights and slavery.

As America began to seriously fracture over the issue of slavery, in 1860 Abraham Lincoln ran a campaign for the U.S. Presidency and won. He became the 16^th President of the United States, and all the while America had become a powder keg that was about to ignite. Only a few months after his inauguration, the first battle of the Civil War occurred on April 12, 1861. Fort Sumter became the physical starting point for a conflict that would devastate our nation and test Lincoln’s mettle.

The southern states where slavery was most common felt that states had the right to make their own decisions about slavery and when they began to secede from the Union, Lincoln made his famous statement regarding, “a house divided can not stand.” Over the following four years hundreds of thousands of men and boys died in conflicts across the nation.

In spite of pressure from many individuals and entities, Lincoln did not waver on his views of the vileness of slavery. He did not believe that humans should be viewed as property and this viewpoint made him very unpopular in the south. On January 1, 1863, Lincoln signed the document that defined his Presidency.

The Emancipation Proclamation stated that all slaves “are and henceforth shall be free.” This only kindled the hatred for Lincoln but reaffirmed his dedication to ending slavery. The Civil War waged on until Robert E. Lee finally surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia on April 9, 1865

On April 14, 1865, Abraham and his wife were attending a play entitled “My American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater. The assassin, John Wilkes Booth, entered the balcony behind Lincoln and shot him in the head at near point-blank range. Although he initially survived the shot, he died the next day bringing an end to the life of perhaps the most famous Kentuckian ever to live.

When studying history, we should look for moments and individuals that can be templates for our own existence. The selfless and sincere acts of Lincoln can still inspire us to make the world a better place to live. The assassin’s bullet may have ended the physical life of Abraham Lincoln, but his legacy of honesty and compassion are forever etched in the halls of history.