Much of what we know about Abraham Lincoln is centered around his younger life – about him growing up in a one-room cabin, teaching himself to read and then becoming a lawyer. He was called Honest Abe because he always stood for what was right. He was the 16th president of the United States. Abe Lincoln is probably the most famous and well-known historical figure here in America. Not only was he a great president and honest, he was kind and patient as well.

We have learned that Abraham Lincoln taught himself to read but that is only a small part of the story. Neither of his parents were educated. His dad was a carpenter and a farmer and thought that reading was a waste of time. He would get very mad at Abe for wanting to read when he should be doing chores. When Abe was 9 his mother died and his father remarried. Abe’s stepmother Sarah helped him get his education.. Even though Abe and his dad fought about a lot of things, the one thing they agreed on was that slavery was wrong.

Abe Lincoln was elected as President of the United States at the age of 52 in 1860. He was the first Republican president. There were many fights going on in the country at that time about slavery and we know him for the Civil War but he accomplished much more than that. The first transcontinental telegraph was sent from the east coast to California. He signed the homestead act in 1862 which helped move settlers west. Arizona and Montana became territories and during all this his son Willie died of Typhoid Fever. He also signed the National Banking Act and all that time the Civil war raged on.

The bloodiest battle between the North and South happened at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in the first three days of July. It was an especially hot summer and the battle lasted for three days. When the smoke cleared more than 7,000 soldiers were dead and more than 45,000 lay wounded. The following November Abraham Lincoln was at Gettysburg to dedicate the battlefield as a veteran's cemetery. The speech is now known as the Gettysburg Address. It was only 2 minutes long but touched the hearts of many people. The most famous line of the speech is, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” 

Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1965 while he watched a play at Ford’s Theater. His assassin was a man named John Wilkes Booth. Booth was later killed. To this day Abraham Lincoln is remembered as the American President that ended slavery but did you know he also fought for women’s rights? He is remembered in stories and with his face on the American penny and the five dollar bill. If you go to Washington D.C. one of the most popular memorials is the Lincoln Memorial. Inside is a statue of the president that is 19 feet tall. The memorial is operated by the National Parks System and does participate in the Jr. Ranger Program.