The Civil War Part 1 of 2. Focus: President Abraham Lincoln

From log cabin to the White House.
A brief overview of Abraham Lincoln

by Tania Dooley

Updated: May 2, 2021

Abraham Lincoln Memorial 
by Eric Salard
via WikiCommons

     The last quarter in 8th grade history begins with the Civil War and usually lasts several weeks.  One prominent figure during the Civil War is President Abraham Lincoln while other well-known figures are Robert E. Lee, Ulysses Grant, and Jefferson Davis.  Over the weeks we will read biographies and watch short video clips on each of these people who shaped our history during this time.  All of these men have extraordinary stories, but none are more impressive than Abraham Lincoln's.  
     Abraham Lincoln overcame a childhood only few have experienced, and only few can imagine. 

Lincoln's birthplace
Via Library of Congress

Growing up on a farm and the hard work it takes would shape his character, as would losing his mother at the age of nine (some historians say he was ten).  He did not come from a well-known family, and according to Biography.com, "both parents were most likely illiterate" making his rise to the Presidency all the more impressive.  From these humble beginnings he went on to become the 16th President, and one of the most admired and talked about, often considered a hero and emancipator of slaves.  

Emancipation Proclamation 
by E.G. Renesh 
via WikiCommons

     He would preside over one of the most important events in U.S. history, the Civil War, and through his Emancipation Proclamation would abolish slavery that had still been prevalent in the South. 
    On a Good Friday on April 14, 1865 his presidency would prematurely end in assassination (WhiteHouse.gov, 2016).  Undoubtedly, his impact as a president would follow him for generations.

References

Biography.com (2019) https://www.biography.com/us-president/abraham-lincoln

White House.gov (2016). Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/abraham-lincoln/

Lincoln Memorial and Emancipation Proclamation photos via WikiCommons

Post card Lincoln cabin, birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. In this log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky, this great man was born. Kramer Art Co, Cincinnati, Ohio. [Photograph]. retrieved from the Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/resource/lprbscsm.scsm1045/?sp=1.