Lecture Notes: The Life and Legacy of Abraham Lincoln

Early Life

• Birth and Family
  • Born in a log cabin in Kentucky to Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln.
  • Had an older sister, Sarah, and a younger brother, Thomas Jr., who died in infancy.
• Move to Indiana
  • Family moved to southern Indiana; initially lived in temporary shelter.
  • Built a log cabin the following year.
  • Helped father on the farm; disliked hunting and fishing.
• Mother's Death and New Stepmother
  • Mother died of milk sickness when Lincoln was nine.
  • Father remarried Sarah Bush Johnston, who encouraged Lincoln's education.

Education and Early Career

• Self-Education
  • Limited formal schooling; largely self-taught.
  • Passionate reader.
• Move to Illinois
  • At 21, moved to Illinois; explored various jobs.
  • Worked as rail splitter, flat boatman, storekeeper, postman, and surveyor.

Political Career

• Black Hawk War
  • Elected leader of local volunteers; gained political connections.
• Illinois State Legislature
  • Elected as a member of the Whig Party.
  • Advocated for transportation infrastructure projects.
  • Opposed slavery and supported economic expansion.
• Law Career
  • Taught himself law; passed the bar in 1836.
  • Moved to Springfield, Illinois, for better opportunities.
• Congressional Term
  • Elected congressman; served one term before returning to law.

Rise to National Prominence

• Kansas-Nebraska Act Opposition
  • Opposed the act; joined the Republican Party.
  • Gained recognition for anti-slavery views.
• House Divided Speech
  • Delivered in 1858; increased national attention.

Presidency

• Election as 16th President
  • Elected in 1860 as a Republican candidate.
  • Presidency marked by national division over slavery.
• Secession and Civil War
  • Southern states seceded post-election.
  • Civil War began in 1861 with the attack on Fort Sumter.

Civil War Leadership

• Union vs. Confederacy
  • Union (North) led by Lincoln; Confederacy (South) led by Jefferson Davis.
• Leadership and Military Strategy
  • Despite limited military experience, proved effective.
  • Key battles: Antietam, Gettysburg.

Emancipation and Reconstruction

• Emancipation Proclamation
  • Announced post-Antietam; freed slaves in Confederate states.
• 13th Amendment
  • Proposed constitutional amendment to abolish slavery nationwide; passed in 1865.

Assassination and Legacy

• Assassination
  • Shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater on April 14, 1865.
  • Died on April 15, 1865.
• Legacy
  • Remembered for leadership during the Civil War.
  • Honored by memorials and currency; enduring impact on U.S. history.