Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States was born on February 12, 1809, to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, in southeast Hardin County, Kentucky. His father opposed slavery on economic and religious grounds. Though Lincoln did not have much of formal school, he was a voracious reader who believed in self education which helped him become a successful lawyer. Later, on November 4, 1842, Lincoln married Mary Todd on and was blessed with two sons Robert Todd Lincoln, and Edward Baker Lincoln. However, Edward Lincoln died on February 1, 1850 in Springfield, due a brief illness and his agony was lessened by the birth of William Willie Wallace Lincoln on December 21, 1850.

In spite of not having formal schooling, at the age of 23 in March 1832, he entered into a political career by announcing his candidacy for the Illinois General Assembly. In the election, Lincoln stood eighth out of thirteen and managed to secure 277 out of the 300 votes cast in the New Salem. In 1846, Lincoln also served for two years and as a dedicated Whig echoed the party principles and ideas. He was also against the Mexican American War, which was the result of President Polk's military ambition. The 1858 featured the Lincoln Douglas debates, with relation to slavery. According to Lincoln, The Slave Power was threatening the values of republicanism, while Stephen A. Douglas supported the idea of Freeport Doctrine, which emphasized that local settlers should be free to choose whether to allow slavery or not and could overrule the Supreme Courts as in the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford decision. On November 6, 1860, Lincoln, became the 16th President of the United States of America solely on the strength of his support in the North. By the time Lincoln took office, it was sure that the leaders of the Confederacy had no intention of merging with the Union .Even the Peace Conference of 1861 turned into a fiasco and rendered no legislative compromise on the issue of slavery and the integration of states. The Civil War broke out on April 12, 1861.Though the Civil War was a source of stress, he planned out strategies for the Union army to win the war. The Emancipation Proclamation announced on September 22, 1862 ut an end to slavery in the states not under Union control. It also passed the Second Confiscation Act to free the slaves from bondage. The Battle of Gettysburgwitnessed the victory of the Union victory, though it was also the bloodiest battle of the war on the American soil. The Declaration of Independence ushered a new birth of freedom based on the equality of all of its citizens, and the creation of a unified nation where the right of the states are no longer dominant. Lincoln won the Presidency election for the second time and an era of reconstruction followed. On April 14, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth when he was watching the play Our American Cousin.