Abraham Lincoln E-Book

50MINUTES

• Herausgeber: 50Minutes.com
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: History
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 35

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Keen to learn but short on time? Get to grips with the life of Abraham Lincoln in next to no time with this concise guide.

50Minutes.com provides a clear and engaging analysis of Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated figures in US history. His time as president is often overshadowed by the fact that it was his election that triggered the American Civil War and the secession of the southern states. But Lincoln did in fact achieve many great, historic things throughout his presidency; most significantly, the abolition of slavery.

In just 50 minutes you will:
   • Learn more about Abraham Lincoln’s life from his election as president to his assassination
   • Understand why he was a controversial figure and how his election led to the secession of the southern states
   • Analyse the actions taken by Lincoln during his time in office and how he dealt with the outbreak of the American Civil War

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Leseprobe

Abraham Lincoln

Key information

Born: 12 February in Harding County (Kentucky)Died: 14 April in WashingtonPolitical party: The Republican PartyDates elected: 6 November 18608 November 1864Time in office: 4 yearsMajor achievements: The Abolition of SlaveryThe Homestead ActUpholding National UnityBuilding the Pacific Railroad

Introduction

Abraham Lincoln, known as “The Great Emancipator” and whose face is carved into Mount Rushmore, is without a doubt one of the most celebrated figures of American history. Though he had a modest upbringing and was largely self-taught, he managed to climb his way to the top of the political ladder and become the 16th President of the United States through his tireless work ethic and unrelenting will. Despite the fact that his election triggered the American Civil War, in just one presidential term he managed to restore national unity and resolve the questions surrounding slavery which had troubled the country since its inception. While the huge scale of the Civil War tends to obscure Lincoln’s other achievements as President, they are nonetheless many; it was under Lincoln that Americans would see their country reconstructed largely thanks to Lincoln’s wartime economy, the regulation of property rights and the construction of the railway system.

Biography

Portrait of Abraham Lincoln, dated 1863.

Youth

Abraham Lincoln was born on 12 February 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky. A child of the frontier, Lincoln grew up in a very modest family. His father Thomas Lincoln (1778-1851) was an illiterate American farmer who left Kentucky to settle in Indiana when his son was just seven years old. Soon after, the young Abraham Lincoln’s mother died; he found his stepmother Sarah Bush Lincoln (1788-1869) to be an unwavering support. As a farm boy, he received no regular schooling and tried his hand at various different lines of work. He worked as a boatman, hired to move goods down the Mississippi river, and made his own barge to transport raw materials all the way to New Orleans. When he settled in New Salem, Illinois in 1831, he went from being a postman to a surveyor to a store clerk. He earned a reputation for himself as a jovial and lively character and was renowned for his services as a scribe for the poorest members of society.

Good to know

As one of the foundations of the American collective imagination, the frontier represents the line between colonised territories and the vast expanse of wild untamed land which lay beyond, existing somewhere between civilization and savagery. It embodies more than a physical border; it was the promise of a new world to conquer, an image of hope as much as fear. The physical frontier was pushed further and further back during the 19th century as the West was colonised. In 1890 the frontier lapsed into non-existence when all the land had finally been claimed. From then on, the frontier no longer signified anything official even though certain areas remained unexplored. This marked the end of an era in which the American territory was conceived of in this light. The frontier took on a mythical quality from then on and is still an endless source of inspiration for literature and cinema.

Lincoln’s debut on the political scene

In 1832, Lincoln signed up as a volunteer in the local militia to help fight in a territorial conflict against Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Native American Chief, 1767-1838). He then made his debut on the political scene by standing as a candidate in the Illinois state House of Representatives election. He was not elected despite the huge majority he received in New Salem. Lincoln did not give up on his political dream however, and began studying law to help him in this quest. He graduated law school and received his law degree in 1837 before moving to Springfield.