Download Lincoln: A Photobiography

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Lincoln: A Photobiography
By Russell Freedman
Make sure you read all the picture captions and the quotes. You can learn a lot from them.
Chapter 1: The Mysterious Mr. Lincoln
How tall was Abraham Lincoln?
repose
reticent
countenance
tyrant
Why does Lincoln look so stiff in pictures?
Who are the people surrounding Lincoln in the picture on page 3?
How did Lincoln become wealthy?
I won’t ever call him Abe again. Why?
Why was Lincoln known as the Great Emancipator?
Chapter 2: A Backwoods Boy
What does Lincoln’s quote on page 7 mean?
folly
bawled
forlorn
luminous
annals
kinfolk
unruly
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. Native Americans and French explorers were the only
people living in Wisconsin at that time. The first settler came to New Richmond in 1855.
Where was Lincoln born?
How did Lincoln’s mother die?
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For how long did Lincoln go to school altogether?
Check out page 15. Doesn’t that look like fun? At 18, Lincoln and a friend traveled down the Ohio River to the
Mississippi River and landed in New Orleans. It was a life-changing experience for him. Why?
On page 19, what does it mean when the author states, “Lincoln was self-conscious about his meagre
education?”
What are some things that Lincoln did to pass the time in New Salem, Illinois?
What are some things Lincoln did as a surveyor?
I think it’s so interesting that Lincoln studied the law for 3 years all by himself before taking the bar exam.
That really tells a lot about his character. He was ambitious, hard-working, dedicated, motivated, and smart.
These are all good qualities for a future president!
Chapter 3: Law and Politics
Who did Abraham Lincoln marry?
I think Lincoln was very funny. The quote on the bottom of page 31 indicates how he feels about his in-laws.
How does he feel about them?
Look at the picture on page 34. Can you see Lincoln and his son? Hint: they’re not the people standing on the
corner. It sounds like he was a really loving and fun dad. Do you agree?
On page 35, it says that Lincoln was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The House of
Representatives and the Senate are the two groups that make up Congress. There were two major issues in
Congress at that time. What were they?
In 1850, tragedy hit the Lincoln household. What happened?
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I love the picture on page 40. His hair is so messy! It sounds like he was a pretty messy guy.
I like the picture on page 42 of Mary, Willie, and Tad. I’m surprised the boys could stand still long enough to
get their picture taken! Why?
Chapter 4: Half Slave and Half Free
I find it incredibly horrible that there was slavery in the United States…that people could treat people so
horrendously. Read the first paragraph on page 45 with the understanding that “manacled” means handcuffed
or chained and remembering that these were innocent people who were kidnapped from their homes.
The second paragraph states that Senator John C. Calhoun from South Carolina considered slavery “a good—
a positive good” for blacks and whites. That’s an example of a paradox. It is illogical and cruel.
Even though the northern states were “free,” it was still difficult for blacks to live there. Why?
(insert map of United States in 1847 so kids can see how many states we had at that time)
Since the U.S. didn’t have 50 states at that time, the North and the South were competing to get new states to
join their side. How did the Missouri Compromise of 1820 help?
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed new states to decide for themselves whether or not they would allow
slavery. What could be the result of that?
Wow. Can you believe what happened in Kansas in 1856 and then what happened in Congress after Senator
Charles Sumner spoke (pp. 52-53)?
Here’s another absurd thing that happened in Congress--the case of Dred Scott in which Congress decided that
slaves weren’t citizens…they were property. What was something good that came from that decision?
erroneous (p. 53)
opposition (p. 53)
allegiance (53)
What was the name of the new political party formed in 1854 to stop the spread of slavery?
When Lincoln ran for Senate in 1858, he made a campaign speech in which he said, “A house divided against
itself cannot stand.” This is a metaphor for the United States because he was comparing the U.S. to a house.
What did he mean?
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Compare and contrast the ideas and appearances of Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln using a double
bubble diagram. I’ll draw the first two bubbles. You draw the rest.
Who won the race for Senate?
Two years later Lincoln ran against Stephen Douglas for President of the United States. Who won that
election?
Eleven-year-old Grace Bedell wrote Lincoln a letter giving him some advice. What was the advice she gave
him and did he take it?
What happened three months before Abraham Lincoln took his oath of office?
Chapter 5: Emancipation
By Lincoln’s Inauguration on March 4, 1861, seven southern states had left the union and four more were about
to leave. These states had decided to become their own nation and call it the Confederate States of America.
Who was declared their president?
Was Stephen Douglas in support of the Union or the Confederacy after the war began?
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On pages 73 and 74, Freedman gives three reasons why many people thought the North would win quickly.
What are they?
What did the South have that was good for battle that the North did not?
The Confederate capital was in Richmond, Virginia. Look at a map and/or find the distance between
Washington, D.C. and Richmond. How far is it?
Can you believe that spectators actually brought picnic baskets and champagne to watch the Battle of Bull
Run? What happened to the Union troops in that battle?
It certainly makes sense that Lincoln would find books about war strategy and study them when he was losing
confidence his military officers.
Another tragedy hit the Lincoln family on February 20, 1862. What happened?
On September 23, 1862, Lincoln released the Emancipation Proclamation to the press. It stated that if the
confederate states didn’t come back to the United States by January 1, 1863, what would happen?
Chapter 6: The Dreadful War
On page 93, Freedman quotes Lincoln as saying, “I’m a slow walker, but I never walk backward.” What is
Lincoln talking about?
After signing the Emancipation Proclamation and in the midst of the Civil War, how did many of the people of
the United States feel about Abraham Lincoln?
This is so sad. After General McClellan was dismissed from his duties in November of 1862, who were the
next two generals and for how many battles did they take command?
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Looking at the pictures on pages 99 and 100 just make me think that war is so crazy. So many soldiers died in
the Civil War. Was there any other way to accomplish the end of slavery and bring the southern states back to
the Union?
When Lincoln gave his speech at Gettysburg, how did most people evaluate it?
No matter what people thought of the Gettysburg Address in 1863, people all over the world have since come to
consider the speech one of the best ever given. It is etched in stone at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington,
D.C. Many people today also consider Lincoln the greatest President of the United States.
One of Lincoln’s jobs as President was to review the court-martials of soldiers who had run away in the face of
battle. He had to decide whether or not to execute (put to death) those soldiers. How did he feel about that part
of his job and how did he actually do that part of his job?
Who was the general that Lincoln could finally count on? (He later became President of the United States.)
In the summer of 1864, Lincoln was having doubts about whether he would be reelected as President. Then
some very good new arrived. What was it?
Lincoln knew his Emancipation Proclamation could get overturned by Congress or another president. What
would make the abolishment of slavery permanent?
What did the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution do?
How long did the Civil War last?
How many lives were lost?
Look at the pictures on pages 116 and 117. Isn’t it amazing how much Lincoln aged in four years?
Chapter 7: Who Is Dead in the White House?
Who shot Lincoln?
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How did Lincoln’s assassin die?
On what day did Lincoln die and how old was he?
Where is Lincoln’s final resting place (where his body is buried)?
Chapter 8: A Lincoln Sampler
It took me a long time to find Lincoln in the picture on page 132.
Which is your favorite Lincoln quote?
I have two Lincoln quotes that I see every day. One is on my book bag. It says, “My best friend is the person
who gives me a book I have not read.” The other quote is on a plaque in my living room. It says, “And in the
end, it’s not the years in your life that matter. It’s the life in your years.
Choose a Lincoln quote to memorize. Write it here.
Rate this book from 1 to 5. (1 is lowest. 5 is highest.)
What genre is this book?
From what point of view is this book written?
After reading this book, what do you want to know more about?
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