New Salem, he claims, is ``the most complete and accurate log home village in the country. [76] Lincoln teamed with Joshua R. Giddings on a bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia with compensation for the owners, enforcement to capture fugitive slaves, and a popular vote on the matter. 1. As a young adult, Lincoln worked as a flatboat navigator, storekeeper, soldier, surveyor, and postmaster. He responded to the unprecedented political and military crisis as commander-in-chief by exercising unprecedented authority. Fortunately, before the onset of a second winter, Thomas Lincoln brought home from Kentucky a new wife for himself, a new mother for the children. The law had little practical effect, but it signaled political support for abolishing slavery. In afteryears he recalled the panthers scream, the bears that preyed on the swine, and the poverty of Indiana frontier life, which was pretty pinching at times. The unhappiest period of his boyhood followed the death of his mother in the autumn of 1818. Difference Between Court-Martial and Military Tribunal, Ernesto Gapasin, Military Trial Lawyers, Gapasin Law Group, LLC Blog, 1736 E Sunshine St Suite 713, Springfield, MO., Oct 26, 2015, Neill F. Sanders, " 'When A House Is on Fire': The English Consulates and Lincoln's Patronage Policy. Seven years later, Johnson made a second Senate run, only to be embroiled in another voting scandal during a Democratic primary runoff against popular Texas Governor Coke Stevenson. During 1831 and 1832, Lincoln worked at a general store in New Salem, Illinois. [61], Lincoln served as New Salem's postmaster and later as county surveyor, but continued his voracious reading and decided to become a lawyer. [350] Nevertheless, Lincoln admired Andrew Jackson's steeliness as well as his patriotism. Born. Lincoln began to appreciate the critical need to control strategic points, such as the Mississippi River. [151] A group of former Whigs and Know Nothings formed the Constitutional Union Party and nominated John Bell of Tennessee. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. "[354], The successful reunification of the states had consequences for how people viewed the country. Although the name of the Supreme Court case is. is almost monomaniac on the subject of honesty.". This call forced states to choose sides. It had been sporadically proclaimed by the federal government on irregular dates. [142] Lincoln's followers organized a campaign team led by David Davis, Norman Judd, Leonard Swett, and Jesse DuBois, and Lincoln received his first endorsement. To illustrate this theme within the Lincoln canon, we have pulled together a variety of documents mainly from Lincolns pre-presidential years that focus on his core beliefs and particular challenges to them. [270] During his presidency, his policy toward Indians was based on politics. 2. [262], After implementing the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln increased pressure on Congress to outlaw slavery throughout the nation with a constitutional amendment. In 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared the slaves in the states "in rebellion" to be free. [b] The captain was killed in an Indian raid in 1786. [129] Lincoln's argument assumed a moral tone, as he claimed Douglas represented a conspiracy to promote slavery. Because a license was required to sell customers single beverages, Berry obtained bartending licenses for $7 each for Lincoln and himself, and in 1833 the Lincoln-Berry General Store became a tavern as well. Lincoln was born into poverty in a log cabin in Kentucky and was raised on the frontier, primarily in Indiana. I have heard, in such a way as to believe it, of your recently saying that both the army and the government needed a dictator. [93], Lincoln appeared before the Illinois Supreme Court in 175 cases; he was sole counsel in 51 cases, of which 31 were decided in his favor. 6 No. The Great Emancipator wasnt quite WWE material, but thanks to his long limbs he was an accomplished wrestler as a young man. Jackson lost a closely contested race in 1824, but Old Hickory prevailed in 1828, serving two controversial terms. [35][e] Abraham then became increasingly distant from Thomas, in part due to his father's lack of education. He had long made clear his opposition to the confiscation and redistribution of land. "[367] However, Schwartz also finds that since World War II Lincoln's symbolic power has lost relevance, and this "fading hero is symptomatic of fading confidence in national greatness." From Honest Abe and Tricky Dick to the Great Sphinx," these monikers revealed what the people really thought about these United States leaders. It's hard to imagine that the 6-foot-4 Lincoln, a fine wrestler in his day, could be knocked around by his 5-foot-2 wife (though she was, evidently, much surlier). Thomas and Nancy were members of a Separate Baptists church, which forbade alcohol, dancing, and slavery. [326] With the death of his son Edward in 1850 he more frequently expressed a dependence on God. Good-natured though somewhat moody, talented as a mimic and storyteller, he readily attracted friends. When war broke out with Great Britain in 1812, the ever-ambitious Jackson saw an opportunity. In 1939, as Roosevelt was deciding to run for an unprecedented third presidential term this inscrutability was on full display, leading reporters and political cartoonists to dub him the Great Sphinx, for his refusal to answer their questions. [84], Lincoln had pledged in 1846 to serve only one term in the House. Tips for Multi-Media Projects As a ragged nine-year-old, he saw her buried in the forest, then faced a winter without the warmth of a mothers love. Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States, was born near Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12, 1809. On April 14, 1865, Lincoln signed legislation creating the U.S. Secret Service. Cloud, Minnesota. Lincoln was taller (at six feet four inches) than any other president. When Douglas was told of Lincoln's victory, he unselfishly told his informants: "You have nominated a very able and very honest man.". [i] In his opinion, Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney wrote that black people were not citizens and derived no rights from the Constitution, and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional for infringing upon slave owners' "property" rights. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so. Lincoln would go on to marry Mary Todd and have four boys with her, only one of whom survived into adulthood. The Civil War officially began on April 12, 1861, at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, when troops from the Confederacy attacked the U.S. fort. [241] When Lincoln asked what Grant's plans were, the persistent general replied, "I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer. Lincoln created the Secret Service hours before his assassination. Robert Todd Lincoln immediately recognized his rescuer: famous actor Edwin Booth, brother of John Wilkes. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! [299], John Wilkes Booth was a well-known actor and a Confederate spy from Maryland; though he never joined the Confederate army, he had contacts with the Confederate secret service. [166], Attempts at compromise followed but Lincoln and the Republicans rejected the proposed Crittenden Compromise as contrary to the Party's platform of free-soil in the territories. In an effort to shed the weight, Taft consulted a British dietician who put him on a restricted (for Taft, anyway) diet of high proteins and low carbs and insisted he keep a food diary. The year was 1831. [346], His position on war was founded on a legal argument regarding the Constitution as essentially a contract among the states, and all parties must agree to pull out of the contract. Virginia seceded and was rewarded with the designation of Richmond as the Confederate capital, despite its exposure to Union lines. "The best way to predict the future is to create it." -Abraham Lincoln. Did Lincoln deserve the nickname, Honest Abe? Mary kept house with the help of a hired servant and a relative. [214], Hooker was routed by Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May, then resigned and was replaced by George Meade. Six feet four inches tall, he was rawboned and lanky but muscular and physically powerful. He could draw crowds as a raconteur, but lacked the requisite formal education, powerful friends, and money, and lost the election. Lincoln sometimes kept important documents under the tall black hats he wore. He denounced secession as anarchy, and explained that majority rule had to be balanced by constitutional restraints. [210], McClellan then resisted the president's demand that he pursue Lee's withdrawing army, while General Don Carlos Buell likewise refused orders to move the Army of the Ohio against rebel forces in eastern Tennessee. Afterward he joked that he had seen no live, fighting Indians during the war but had had a good many bloody struggles with the mosquitoes. Meanwhile, aspiring to be a legislator, he was defeated in his first try and then repeatedly reelected to the state assembly. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. These included Parson Weemss Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington (with its story of the little hatchet and the cherry tree), Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe, John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress, and Aesops Fables. Entry to New Salem State Park is free. McClellan's slow progress frustrated Lincoln, as did his position that no troops were needed to defend Washington. Once there, he taught himself law, opened a law practice, and earned the nickname "Honest Abe.". [212], In the 1862 midterm elections the Republicans suffered severe losses due to rising inflation, high taxes, rumors of corruption, suspension of habeas corpus, military draft law, and fears that freed slaves would come North and undermine the labor market. The nation had been arguing for more than a hundred years about enslaving people and each states right to allow it. Earlier that same year Lincoln called for the end of the enslavement of people in his Emancipation Proclamation speech. This is the only substantial dispute." [195] Stanton was a staunch Unionist, pro-business, conservative Democrat who gravitated toward the Radical Republican faction. He believed in his own integrity and worked diligently to maintain his reputation as an honest politician and lawyer something that was not always easy in either of those fields. Lincoln earned the nickname ``Honest Abe'' here long before it became popular in the press. In 1941 he lost a close race for the U.S. Senate, amid allegations of fraud on both sides. "[145] Michael Martinez wrote about the effective imaging of Lincoln by his campaign. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Start your free trial today. Soon he built a permanent cabin, and later he bought the land on which it stood. During campaigns against the Creek Indians (British allies during the war), Jacksons steadfastness and resolve earned him the admiration of his troops, who claimed he was as strong as a hickory tree. He crafted an address denouncing enslavement and its spread, which he delivered at the Cooper Union in Manhattan. It's been called a ``backwoods Williamsburg.'' View our top-rated projects When Lincoln was nine years old, his mother died. The legislation alarmed many Northerners, who sought to prevent the spread of slavery that could result, but Douglas's KansasNebraska Act narrowly passed Congress in May 1854. Republican speakers focused first on the party platform, and second on Lincoln's life story, emphasizing his childhood poverty. abraham Lincoln was a honest refferee at cockfighting events. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world."[105] Lincoln's attacks on the KansasNebraska Act marked his return to political life. [40], Speculation persists that Lincoln's first romantic interest was Ann Rutledge, whom he met when he moved to New Salem. Through speeches such as the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln encouraged Northerners to keep fighting. [167] Lincoln said, "I will suffer death before I consent to any concession or compromise which looks like buying the privilege to take possession of this government to which we have a constitutional right. Though much less prosperous than some of his Lincoln forebears, Thomas was a sturdy pioneer. [390] The United States Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USSAbraham Lincoln(CVN-72) is named after Lincoln, the second Navy ship to bear his name. As president, Lincolns leadership and evolution on the issue of slavery led to his issuing the Emancipation Proclamation and championing passage of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, earning him one final nickname, Great Emancipator.. [59] Although the economy was booming, the business struggled and went into debt, causing Lincoln to sell his share. All Rights Reserved. Honest Abe: Abraham Lincoln and the Moral Character, PA Certificate of Charitable Registration, Teaching America in the Civil War Era, 1829-77. [72], True to his record, Lincoln professed to friends in 1861 to be "an old line Whig, a disciple of Henry Clay". He suggested that postmodernism and multiculturalism have diluted greatness as a concept. "[124] The speech created a stark image of the danger of disunion. By the quality and simplicity of his rhetoric, he quickly became the champion of the Republican party. [2] He was a descendant of Samuel Lincoln, an Englishman who migrated from Hingham, Norfolk, to its namesake, Hingham, Massachusetts, in 1638. I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. The term "the United States" has historically been used sometimes in the plural ("these United States") and other times in the singular. And James Rutledge, who came from South Carolina, opened the ``town tavern,'' which in those days meant a hotel -- a place to sleep, eat, and get your horse cared for at 37 cents a day. Our book servers saves in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. ", "Did Mercury in 'Little Blue Pills' Make Abraham Lincoln Erratic? After being aboard a steamboat that ran aground on low shoals and had to unload its cargo, Lincoln, who loved tinkering with machines, designed a method for keeping vessels afloat when traversing shallow waters through the use of empty metal air chambers attached to their sides. [228], With the abolition of slavery in the rebel states now a military objective, Union armies advancing south liberated all three million slaves in the Confederacy. When Lincoln first took office in 1861, the United States was not truly united. Abe Lincoln At Last Magic Tree House R Merlin Mis is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. 10. Lincoln was a hands-on commander-in-chief who, given his passion for gadgetry, was keenly interested in the artillery used by his Union troops during the Civil War. He was self-educated and became a lawyer, Whig Party leader, Illinois state legislator, and U.S. In January 1862, after complaints of inefficiency and profiteering in the War Department, Lincoln replaced War Secretary Simon Cameron with Edwin Stanton. [38] He made his home in New Salem, Illinois, for six years. Many others gathered along the tracks as the train passed with bands, bonfires, and hymn singing[315] or in silent grief. [213], In the spring of 1863 Lincoln was sufficiently optimistic about upcoming military campaigns to think the end of the war could be near; the plans included attacks by Hooker on Lee north of Richmond, Rosecrans on Chattanooga, Grant on Vicksburg, and a naval assault on Charleston. PO Box 1773 / 61 N. West Street Biographer James G. Randall dissected Lincoln's successful techniques:[194]. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., was dedicated to him on May 30, 1922. As the 1856 elections approached, Lincoln joined the Republicans and attended the Bloomington Convention, which formally established the Illinois Republican Party. And some of the Jacksonian spirit resided inside the Lincoln White House. Their land eventually became part of Space, when the county was established in 1818. [208] Two days after McClellan's return to command, General Robert E. Lee's forces crossed the Potomac River into Maryland, leading to the Battle of Antietam. In the 1840s, Lincoln subscribed to the Doctrine of Necessity, a belief that the human mind was controlled by a higher power. Our work isn't possible without your support. He became county wrestling champion at the age of 21. [319] Lincoln's body was buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield and now lies within the Lincoln Tomb.[320]. He used appointments to the Indian Bureau as a reward to supporters from Minnesota and Wisconsin. Lincoln ordered Gen Pope send all of the trial transcripts to Washington where he and two of his staff pored over the trials. But behind the public persona lay a more complex personality, prone to keeping secrets and holding his innermost thoughts to himself. Then I had no right to deprive the country of their services. [185][186], Lincoln took executive control of the war and shaped the Union military strategy. As licensed bartenders, Lincoln and Berry were able to sell spirits, including liquor, for 12 cents a pint. The war had begun with a Mexican slaughter of American soldiers in territory disputed by Mexico, and Polk insisted that Mexican soldiers had "invaded our territory and shed the blood of our fellow-citizens on our own soil. Although the Constitution did not explicitly state that the vice president automatically assumed the full powers of the presidency, Tyler did just that. [345] Instead of focusing on the legality of an argument, he focused on the moral basis of republicanism. The restoration is open year-round but is quiet during much of the year. I cannot but hate it. Of course, when I came of age I did not know much. [263] This first attempt fell short of the required two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives. [273] Lincoln ordered thousands of Confederate prisoners of war sent by railroad to put down the uprising. [192] He relied on his combative Secretary of State William Seward while working closely with Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Charles Sumner. Lincoln did not migrate to Illinois until 1830. you are agreeing to our, One month free trial to theMonitorDaily, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor. Lincoln instructed his backers to vote for Lyman Trumbull. He was the president of this great nation from March 4,1861 to April 16,1865. Although there was a standing order against firing weapons in the District of Columbia, Lincoln even test-fired muskets and repeating rifles on the grassy expanses around the White House, now known as the Ellipse and the National Mall. Carlisle, PA 17013 Local leaders' groups later burned critical rail bridges to the capital and the Army responded by arresting local Maryland officials. The Reverend Albert Hale of Springfield's First Presbyterian Church said, "Abraham Lincoln has been here all the time, consulting and consulted by all classes, all parties, and on all subjects of political interest, with men of every degree of corruption, and yet I have never heard even an enemy accuse him of intentional dishonesty or corruption.". [312], Two weeks later, Booth, refusing to surrender, was tracked to a farm in Virginia, and was mortally shot by Sergeant Boston Corbett and died on April 26. 6. One of his greatest preoccupations as a political thinker was the issue of self-governance and the promise and problems that could arise from it. (This was his second visit to that city, his first having been made in 1828, while he still lived in Indiana.) Occasionally Mary prevailed on him to take a carriage ride, concerned that he was working too hard. ", "Lincoln and the Problem of Race: A Decade of Interpretations", "Holding Up a Flawed Mirror to the American Soul: Abraham Lincoln in the Writings of Lerone Bennett Jr", "The Obama-Lincoln Parallel: A Closer Look", "Obama to be sworn in with Lincoln, King Bibles", "History of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)", "$18.5million gift to help refurbish Lincoln Memorial", "15 Most Visited National Landmarks in Washington, D.C.", "Abraham Lincoln Historical Tours in Springfield, Illinois", "Why Abraham Lincoln Was Revered in Mexico", "Abraham Lincoln: The Man (Standing Lincoln): a bronze statuette by Augustus Saint-Gaudens", "Congress Dedicates Lincoln Room | U.S. Capitol Historical Society", "Legislation to Name Room in US Capitol "Lincoln Room" Passes House", "Abraham Lincoln - Early political career", "Abraham Lincoln: Conservative Statesman", "Abraham Lincoln and the Corwin Amendment", "The Other Civil War Lincoln and the Indians", "Abraham Lincoln and Jacksonian Democracy", Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, The Lincoln Presidential Library's ongoing digitization of all documents written by or to Abraham Lincoln during his lifetime, Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln complete collected works as edited by Basler et al. But young Lincoln ingeniously shifted the cargo, bored a hole in the bow of the craft, letting the water run out, then plugged the hole -- thus saving the trip. Another judge who had worked with Lincoln agreed, saying "Such was the transparent candor and integrity of his nature that he could not well or strongly argue a side or a cause he thought wrong.". "Honest" is probably one of the first words people think of when they describe our sixteenth president (after "tall" and "stovepipe hat," of course). [187], It was clear from the outset that bipartisan support was essential to success, and that any compromise alienated factions on both sides of the aisle, such as the appointment of Republicans and Democrats to command positions. Many, though not all, in the South considered Lincoln as a man of outstanding ability. His petition was denied in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857). Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 3, Sept 12, 1863, Armstrong and a delegation of Chippewa chiefs meet with Lincoln, Travis Armstrong, Leech Lake (Pillager) Reservation Band of Ojibwe Indians of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Chippewa Chiefs held a war council with Gov. Instead of holding Lincoln in contempt of court as expected, the judge, a Democrat, reversed his ruling and admitted the testimony into evidence, resulting in Harrison's acquittal. Lincoln as commander in chief was honest and straightforward with his generals, always telling them directly what he did and did not appreciate about them. His family moved to Indiana when he was seven and he grew up on the edge of the frontier. Lincoln Sought the Republican Nomination in 1860 When he occupied the White House, the 16th president used the current Lincoln Bedroom as his personal office. Defeated only. Franklin D. Roosevelts patrician background made him an unlikely champion of the poor and downtrodden, and his election in 1932 and ushering of radical New Deal policies to end the Great Depression led many wealthy opponents to refer to him as a traitor to his class. For many Americans, Roosevelt was a national cheerleader, bucking up the countrys spirits with fireside chats and claims that America had nothing to fear but fear itself. How Did Abraham Lincoln Changed Our Society. Whither it is tending seems plain. [376], By the 1970s, Lincoln had become a hero to political conservatives[377]apart from neo-Confederates such as Mel Bradford, who denounced his treatment of the white Southfor his intense nationalism, his support for business, his insistence on stopping the spread of slavery, his acting on Lockean and Burkean principles on behalf of both liberty and tradition, and his devotion to the principles of the Founding Fathers. [220] In a letter of August 22, 1862, Lincoln said that while he personally wished all men could be free, regardless of that, his first obligation as president was to preserve the Union:[221], My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. [132] In the aftermath of the 1858 election, newspapers frequently mentioned Lincoln as a potential Republican presidential candidate, rivaled by William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Simon Cameron. The woods were full of wild animals and no one else lived nearby. They offered a wide range of alcoholic beverages as well as food, including takeout dinners. While Herbert Hoover is remembered by many for his perceived lack of government intervention in the first years of the Great Depression, he won the White House in 1928 in large part thanks to his successful handling of a series of crises more than a decade earlier. McClellan, in turn, blamed the failure of the campaign on Lincoln's reservation of troops for the capital. One possibility is that other members of the family, including Dennis Hanks, may not have matched Thomas's stability and steady income. "[50] In 1844, the couple bought a house in Springfield near his law office. [372] He noted that Lincoln used ethnic slurs and told jokes that ridiculed blacks. [92] In 1849, he received a patent for a flotation device for the movement of boats in shallow water. [65] He championed construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and later was a Canal Commissioner. When Lincoln ran for president in two years, friends and supporters looked to turn his humble background to his advantage, marching into the Republican National Convention in Chicago with a set of fence rails that they claimed Lincoln, the Railsplitter, had split in his youth. On alternate evenings, the repertory gives a program on the life of Lincoln through his speeches and ``situations''; a look at Lincoln through the eyes of three local poets: Carl Sandburg, Vachel Lindsay, and Edgar Lee Masters; and a look at the legacy of Lincoln in the 20th century. [31] Lincoln was tall, strong, and athletic, and became adept at using an ax. He worked more often and more closely with Lincoln than any other senior official. [395] A portrait carving of Lincoln appears with those of three other presidents on Mount Rushmore, which receives about 3million visitors a year. [204], In 1862, Lincoln removed McClellan for the general's continued inaction. February 10, 1987 [citation needed] One of the Chippewa signing the letter, Chief Naw-Gaw-Nub, had received a Presidential medal from Lincoln earlier in the year.[279]. [236], General Ulysses Grant's victories at the Battle of Shiloh and in the Vicksburg campaign impressed Lincoln. Despite the controversies surrounding his election, Hayes proved a competent, though cautious president, and easily won re-election in 1880. Why did Abraham Lincoln get the nickname Honest Abe? Most people know Abraham Lincoln for his achievements as president. [171][172] Lincoln traveled east in a special train. Noah Haynes Swayne was an anti-slavery lawyer who was committed to the Union. You dont have a Christian Science Monitor The Civil War was a significant force in the eventual dominance of the singular usage by the end of the 19th century. In 1854, he was angered by the KansasNebraska Act, which opened the territories to slavery, and he re-entered politics. In his view, the Union was worth saving not only for its own sake but because it embodied an ideal, the ideal of self-government. At age 25 he was elected to the local government in Springfield, Illinois. Lincoln ran for president in 1860, sweeping the North to gain victory. Lincoln, 22 years old, was piloting a large flatboat full of corn and live hogs down the Sangamon River, on his way to the Mississippi and New Orleans, when the boat got stuck on a dam outside the hamlet of New Salem. Unlike Sumner and other Radicals, Lincoln did not see Reconstruction as an opportunity for a sweeping political and social revolution beyond emancipation. I had looked the party over and concluded that these were the very strongest men. Townsfolk looked on as the stern of the boat began to fill with water. [88], In his Springfield practice, Lincoln handled "every kind of business that could come before a prairie lawyer". [82] The resolution was ignored in both Congress and the national papers, and it cost Lincoln political support in his district. The Honest Abe Log Homes family expresses our condolences to his wife, Joy Emery, three sons, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. For a long time, it didnt look as if he would succeed. Still, somehow, I could read, write, and cipher to the rule of three; but that was all. Apparently the young Lincoln did not read a large number of books but thoroughly absorbed the few that he did read. Follow Abraham Lincoln from a frontier cabin to the White House where he guided America through the Civil War, Learn how Abraham Lincoln's frontier childhood and early appetite for reading shaped his character, U.S. Presidents and Their Years in Office Quiz, What Pop Culture Got Wrong About Abraham Lincoln, Learn how reading Shakespeare and the King James Bible helped Abraham Lincoln compose his best-remembered address in American history. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. [243] Lincoln reacted to Union losses by mobilizing support throughout the North. Night attack on Fort Stevens, while President Lincoln was there, on July 11, 1864. On April 9, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, officially ending the war. Benjamin Franklin isnt the only American political leader who demonstrated an inventive mind. Lincoln did believe in an all-powerful God that shaped events and by 1865 was expressing that belief in major speeches.