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Abraham Lincoln Research Paper

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Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Hardin County Kentucky. He was a self-taught Illinois lawyer and legislator that surprised many when he beat several important opponents such as Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats, and John Bell of the new Constitutional Union Party. He won the Republican Party’s nomination for president on November 6, 1860 for the first time in history. At that moment, Lincoln became the 16th president of the United States. He proved to be a clever and intelligent leader during the Civil War which became one of the bloodiest and most crucial conflicts ever fought on American land. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, that granted the freedom all slaves in …show more content…

They recently were forced to move from Kentucky to Perry County, Indiana in 1817, where the family illegally lived on public land to be able to make a living from farming. Though both his parents were most likely illiterate, Abraham was encouraged to read. It was while growing into his late teens, was when he received formal education for about 18 months in local schools. For only a few days or weeks at a time, he would be taught, however, this was limited to the fact that he had to work constantly to support his family. In 1830, his family moved to Macon County in southern Illinois and Lincoln got a job working on a river flatboat. After settling down in Illinois, Lincoln became involved in local politics as a supporter of the Whig Party. It was here that Lincoln, working with the public, acquired social skills and storytelling talent that made him popular in the community. When the Black Hawk War began in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans, the volunteers in the area elected Lincoln to be their captain. During this time, he saw no battle, but was able to make many important political connections to make sure everyone was informed and …show more content…

Lincoln was against the spread of slavery and saw a new way of the expanding United States, with a focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture. With his ideas, he decided to become a lawyer, teaching himself the law by reading William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England. He passed the bar examination in 1836 for the next few years, he worked in the state capitol of Springfield as a lawyer, earning a reputation as “Honest Abe.” In 1846, Lincoln won election to the U.S. House of Representatives and began serving his single term the following year. He showed party loyalty, but found few political allies. He used his term in office to speak out against the Mexican-American War. His criticism of the war made him unpopular in Illinois and he decided to return to Springfield to practice law further. In 1854, Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which repealed the Missouri Compromise, and allowed individual states and territories to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery. This lead to violent opposition in Kansas and Illinois, and it gave rise to the Republican Party. Abraham Lincoln's political views at this point became more in favor of the people. Lincoln joined the Republican Party in 1856 and was chosen to represent the party in the general election for president. Lincoln faced many

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