Abraham Lincoln

Age:  52  years old  Wife:  Mary Todd – 3 Children

Political Party:
Republicans

Term(s) as President:
1861-1865

Home
State:  Born: February 12, 1809, in Hodgenville,

Hardin
County, Kentucky  - lived in Illinois

Notes:    American Icon –

One Nation Indivisible
with Liberty,
and Justice for all.

wanted to preserve the Union
as it was before secession

the Civil War pushes Lincoln
farther and farther to the abolitionist side.

He was not the “Great Emancipator but become
that…”

-
he was either loved or hated

-
had an excellent sense of humor

-
like to be photographed

-
obsessed with military strategy

-
very decisive

had joke or story for every occasion

had period of sadness or despair (depression maybe)

Nicknames:
Honest Abe – Rail Splitter

loved politics

relied on wit rather then good looks

Accused of being 2 Faced, Replied, “if I were two
faced, do you think I would wear this one?”

Had a good cabinet included political rivals

- wanted to halt the expansion of slavery

“If I could preserve the Union
without freeing any slaves, I would do that, or if I could free some and leave
others in bondage, I would do that too…”

Lincoln
believed slavery could be contained and that it would die on its own

Ft.
Sumter – needed
supplies or would be forced to surrender to rebels

Lincoln
chose to send supplies force the Confederacy to fire the 1st shots
of the war.

April 12, 1861 – Jefferson Davis ordered troops to
fire on Ft. Sumter, starting the Civil war.

4 more states secede

Only President defined completely by war.

**** Lincoln
made Thanksgiving a National Holiday.
Pardoned the 1st Thanksgiving Turkey (still a tradition
today) and named him “Jack.”

As the Commander in Chief – Lincoln had no military training

crash training course in military strategy, including
military technology

Problems with Generals:

Lincoln
had difficulty with several of his generals, replace many of them.

General Freemont Emancipated the slaves in Missouri,
Lincoln
reverses the order and relieves Freemont of his command.

Personal Tragedy:
11 year old son Willie dies from Typhoid.

-
Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln heavy with grief –
leave the Executive
Mansion and live in a
wounded soldier’s home.

War Consumed Lincoln
– spent lots of time at the telegraph office receiving war news.

Battle of Shiloh
– 24,000 men killed

the violence of the war forced Lincoln to re-focus the war

slavery becomes a major issue, rather then just preserving
the union

Sept. 22, 1862 – Emancipation Proclamation –
freed slaves in states in rebellion – didn’t really free anyone

-
Called the 2nd Declaration of Independence

Early battles won by south, led by Robert E. Lee.

Gettysburg
– July 1 – 3, 1863: bloody battles changes war, 3 days of fierce
fighting, thousand die

Nov. 19, 1863 – Gettysburg Address – dedication
of National War Cemetery

Lincoln barley wins
re-election in 1864 but the war had started to go in the favor of the Union.

****  9 U.S. Presidents
did not attend College ****

During his term in office, it is believed that Lincoln aged more then
any other president…. Duh!

March 4, 1865 – Lincoln
sworn in for 2nd term

Road map for peace – “Malice toward none,
charity for all…”

April 9, 1865 – Robert E. Lee surrenders

April 14, 1865 – Lincoln
assassinated by John Wilkes both at “Ford’s Theatre” while
watching Our American Cousins.