By: Lauren Ritter

Abraham Lincoln was born near Hodgenville, Kentucky into a poor pioneer family on February 12, 1809. He was 52 when he took office, and 56 when he was assassinated.

Abraham Lincoln had two brothers who died in their youth and one sister that lived to maturity. Her name was Sarah.

On April 12, 1861,Confederate South Carolina troops fired on Fort Sumner and thus the Civil War began. The Union and Confederacy went on to fight for 4 years. The war ended on April 9, 1865. About 620,000 people were lost in all.

Abraham’s Parents: Father: Thomas Lincoln Mother: Nancy Hanks Lincoln Stepmother: Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln Thomas Lincoln married Nancy Hanks, but when

she died of milk sickness or milk disease, Thomas Lincoln married Sarah Bush Johnston so his children could have a mother.

On January 1st, 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all enslaved persons in the Confederacy were considered free men/ women

Only 6 weeks into Lincoln’s presidency on April 12, 1861, rebels fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina, ultimately sparking the Civil War in the United States.

The Gettysburg Address, given by Abraham Lincoln, was one of the most powerful speeches he ever given. He explained that the Civil War was a trial to test if we could survive as a nation. He said that the soldiers should commit themselves to finishing what the soldiers that died before them started. He even dedicated the Gettysburg battleground as a remembrance site for the soldiers that were lost in the Civil War.

Abraham Lincoln had many nicknames, one of which was Honest Abe. He earned many peoples’ favoritism by poking fun at himself.

If I were two-faced, why would I be wearing this one?

Abraham Lincoln was first inaugurated on Monday, March 4, 1861. He was 52 years old.

On April 14, 1865, Lincoln and his wife attended the play Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theater. That night, actor John Wilkes Booth snuck into the president’s box, shot Lincoln in the back of the head, and stabbed Henry Rathbone’s arm. He then jumped 11 feet to the floor below, breaking his ankle, but moving fast enough to flea on horseback into the city. Booth and a co-conspirator were later found in a barn, and the co-conspirator surrendered. When Booth refused to come out of the barn, it was set aflame, and in the commotion a soldier shot and killed Booth.

Mary and Abraham Lincoln had four kids: Robert Todd Lincoln, Edward “Eddie” Baker Lincoln, William “Willie” Wallace Lincoln and Thomas “Tad” Lincoln. Robert Todd Lincoln was the only of the four to live to maturity and had a cleft palate.

Edward- 1846-1850

Thomas- 1853- 1871

Willie- 1850-1862

When Lincoln was a boy he owned a dog named Honey, and then later a dog named Fido. In the Whitehouse, he had a dog named Jip and a horse named Old Bob. He also liked cats, and had one named Tabby, whom he fed with gold Whitehouse utensils. When Mary suggested it wasn’t good to feed the cat with such utensils, Lincoln replied, "If the gold fork was good enough for Buchanan I think it is good enough for Tabby."

Lincoln’s wife was Mary Lincoln. She had 4 kids with Lincoln, but only one of which lived to maturity. Though she was fiercely loyal to her husband Abraham, two of her brothers fought for the south and much of her family supported the Confederacy.

Mary Lincoln’s Confederate family

Mary Lincoln after she married into the Union

In truth, Lincoln had no military training at all. Throughout his life, he read every book he could find on battle strategy, as his knowledge on the subject would help him with the Civil War.

Lincoln’s grave has been relocated 17 times, mostly due to fears over the presidents remains and reconstructions of the Lincoln Tomb. The coffin itself has been opened 5 times, and in 1876 grave robbers attempted to steal the president’s remains.

This is the headstone. Lincoln’s remains actually lie in a concrete vault beneath the floor, which was a decision made by Robert Lincoln after grave robbers tried to take the body.

Lincoln won his first election with Hannibal Hamlin with a total of 1,855,993 in popular votes and 180 in electoral votes against Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Breckinridge, and John Bell. In his second election with Andrew Johnson, they received 2,211,317 in popular votes and 212 in electoral votes against George McClellan.

It’s a little known fact that Lincoln was the tallest president. When an artist measured him in the Whitehouse, he was 6 foot 3¾ inches tall. His shoe size was between 12 and 14, and his hat size was 7 and 1/8.

Lincoln created the Republican political party. From there the Republican party became one of the most popular political parties today.

Lincoln did serve a second term as president, but approximately 42 days after that term began, there was an assassination attempt on April 14, 1865, and he died the next day.

On October 3rd, 1863, Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday after being persuaded by Sarah Josepha Hale’s letter.

Lincoln’s father, Thomas Lincoln was uneducated through his whole life as a farmer and carpenter. Lincoln’s stepmother urged Lincoln to read, and so he taught himself to read and write.

Lincoln’s running mates both later became his vice president. Hannibal Hamlin was vice president from 1861 to 1865, and Andrew Johnson was vice president in the year of 1865. Johnson became the 17th president when Lincoln was assassinated.

Hannibal Hamlin

Andrew Johnson

While he was in office, Abraham Lincoln lost his son Willie to Typhoid Fever at age 11. His son Tad was still depressed long after, as the two were very close.

Willie Lincoln

Lincoln started out a very successful lawyer. He was later elected into the Illinois state legislature and then U.S. House of Representatives before going on to becoming president.

The Lincolns adopted a home for the wounded soldiers as their summer home in order to escape from the pressures of the Whitehouse. The Armed Forces Retirement Home in northwest Washington D.C. served as Lincoln and his family’s home for a quarter of his presidency.

Lincoln was a very hard worker. He was always careful about what he said, and was always saying things “like a true politician.” Even in an era that greatly restricted women’s rights, Lincoln stated he supported women's right to vote in a letter to the Sangamo Journal. He said, "I go for admitting all whites to the right of suffrage who pay taxes or bear arms - by no means excluding females."

Resources: Notes from the class Text book pg. 726-728 and index Video- the Presidents from the History Channel www.google.com http://www.alincoln-library.com http://americanhistory.about.com http://www.abrahamlincoln200.org http://www.history-timelines.org http://rogerjnorton.com