Download Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was born into a poor Kentucky family on February 12, 1809.
He was born in a log cabin. Lincoln's family moved to Indiana in 1812. While
in Indiana, he did not really have the time or money to go to school. He spent
a large amount of time working to support his family. In 1830, Abraham
Lincoln and his family moved to Illinois. He did not even have a proper place
to study at home. He dropped out of school at a young age. However, that
did not prevent him from gaining the knowledge he needed to be successful
in life.
While in Illinois, Lincoln obtained a job on the Mississippi River with a local
freight company. The freight company moved materials and goods between
Illinois in the North and New Orleans in the South. He worked odd jobs
around Illinois. Lincoln eventually won election as a member of the Whig
party. The Whig party was against the spread of slavery to other parts of the
country.
By 1836, Abraham Lincoln had taught himself law and passed the exam to
become a lawyer. He then moved to the new state capital in Springfield,
President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1864)
Illinois. For the next couple of years, Lincoln worked as a lawyer earning the
trust of people around town. He eventually earned the nickname 'Honest Abe.' As his popularity grew, he met and got
married to Mary Todd in 1842. Mary Todd was a fellow Kentuckian.
During the election campaigns to become president, Lincoln ran on the platform of keeping slavery in the South.
Southern leaders did not like the ideas that Lincoln had. They were of the opinion that if he became president, he would
try to eliminate slavery across the United States. Lincoln tried everything that he could to reassure the slaveholding
states that he would not try to end slavery. However, when he was elected president of the Union in 1860, Southern
states quickly followed the lead of South Carolina and eleven other states to secede from the Union. Altogether, the
seceding states created the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis was elected their president.
Abraham Lincoln declared that he would not tolerate a divided United States. He stated that he would do anything
necessary to bring the rebellious states back into the Union. As the Confederate States started seizing federal property,
he ordered is men at Fort Sumter to hold their positions. When he tried to have the Navy resupply soldiers stationed at
Fort Sumter in South Carolina, the Confederates decided to bombard Fort Sumter. Eventually, Fort Sumter was taken by
the Confederacy. This resulted in Lincoln calling for volunteers in the North. The South followed and called for
volunteers as well. The civil war has begun.
Abraham Lincoln led the North through the war as president. On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the
Emancipation Proclamation. This proclamation outlawed slavery in the Confederate States. Lincoln gave his now famous
Gettysburg address on November 19, 1863. The address was made at Gettysburg Pennsylvania. Gettysburg was the
turning point of the Civil War. Many Union and Confederate Soldiers died there. However, the Union came out
victorious. He was again elected president of the United States as the Union Army decimated the South. The war was
officially over when Confederate General, Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1864.
Lincoln did not live to create the new America starting with his proposed Reconstruction. On April 14, 1864, actor and
Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth got into the president’s box at Ford’s Theater in Washington. Wilkes shot
Lincoln in the back of the head. Abram Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, died on April 15, 1864. He
was 54 years old when he died.
Name:________________________________________________ Date:__________________________________
Abraham Lincoln
1. Explain why Abraham Lincoln and his family ended up in Illinois?
2. Why did John Wilkes Booth kill Abraham Lincoln?
3. How did Abraham Lincoln become a lawyer?
4. Why was Lincoln given the name “Honest Abe?”
5. Differentiate between the roles of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis.
6. What was the Emancipation Proclamation?
7. How did the Civil War begin?
8. What were the Confederate States?
9. Why were Southerners against Abraham Lincoln?
10. By using Context Clues, since Mississippi was a slaveholding state, what do you think Lincoln may have
seen when he traveled there for work?
Name:________________________________________________ Date:__________________________________
Abraham Lincoln (Answers)
1. Explain why Abraham Lincoln and his family ended up in Illinois?
Lincoln and his family moved from Kentucky to live a better life. They were very poor where they live.
2. Why did John Wilkes Booth kill Abraham Lincoln?
He was sympathetic towards the South. He was mad that the North won the war.
3. How did Abraham Lincoln become a lawyer?
He taught himself the law.
4. Why was Lincoln given the name “Honest Abe?”
He was trusted by the people who went to him to get help.
5. Differentiate between the roles of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis.
Lincoln was the president of the Union while Jefferson Davis was the leader of the Confederate States.
6. What was the Emancipation Proclamation?
A declaration made by Abraham Lincoln that slaves in rebellious states are free.
7. How did the Civil War begin?
Southern states seceded. After they seceded, they seized federal properties in the South. The North tried to
hold Fort Sumter. However, the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter. Lincoln called for volunteers to fight.
8. What were the Confederate States?
Confederate states were the slaveholding states that seceded from the Union to create their own country.
They fought a bloody conflict against the North. This conflict is called the American Civil War.
9. Why were Southerners against Abraham Lincoln?
They thought that he was against slavery. They were of the opinion that he would try to limit or end
Slavery in the United States. The slaveholding states were of the view that it was their state right to keep
slavery.
10. By using Context Clues, since Mississippi was a slaveholding state, what do you think Lincoln may
have seen when he traveled there for work?
Lincoln may have seen slaves working in the fields or being sold in slave markets in the South.