Abraham Lincoln was
born on February 12, 1809 in a log cabin in Kentucky. His
father was a farmer. When Abe was two years old, the family
moved to a new farm where he later attended school, walking two
miles to the schoolhouse.
More people started
moving to the wilderness and Lincoln spent a lot of time at
the general store owned by James Gentry. He and Gentry's
son, Allen, took a flatboat down the Ohio and Mississippi
Rivers to New Orleans. This was the first time, Lincoln had
been in a big city.
He bought another
store with a friend but it failed. Then he became a
postmaster and surveyor. In 1834, he ran again and won a
seat in the Illinois Legislature. Lincoln began the study of
law. He studied hard and passed the law exams in
1836.
During this time,
Lincoln married Mary Todd. They went on to have four sons.
He was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1846. Two years
later, after fighting with the people he represented Lincoln
could not win reelection, so he went back to practicing law.
For the next 12 years, he practiced law in
Springfield.
Two years later,
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865 at Ford's
Theater in Washington, D.C. The war soon ended and all men
became free.
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