Abraham Lincoln was born in April 12th, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky. He grew up to be the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln is remembered as the emancipator of slaves in an era where slavery was the norm. He came from humble beginnings and managed to rise to the highest rankings in the land. His parents were Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. He had two siblings, Sarah and Thomas but his brother Thomas died in infancy. Tragedy followed the family as his mother died when Abraham was nine years old from milk sickness. His father remarried to a widow who had three kids of her own and relations between Abraham, and his father became strained as a result (Thomas 53). He, however, had a strong bond with his stepmother.
Abraham spent many years gaining a formal education, mostly encouraged by his stepmother. His efforts culminated in him gaining knowledge in law and getting admitted into the bar of the state of Illinois. After working as a lawyer and making a good living, he tried his hand in politics and served one term in the House of Representatives. He was an influential critic of the Mexican American war, and his views made him unpopular at home. He returned to practicing law and had many lucrative cases.
His views on slavery were born when he was a member of the Illinois state legislature in 1834. He did not oppose slavery for any other reason other than that it was a hindrance to economic development. In 1854, the Kansa-Nebraska Act was passed by Congress to allow individual states the ability to decide whether to allow slavery or not (Foner 5). This act was the birth of the Republican Party by members who violently opposed the law.
Abraham Lincoln believed in the equality of all men. This view was further challenged by the judgment of the Supreme Court in 1857 declaring African Americans as noncitizens of the United States who thus did not have any inherent rights. Lincoln decided to vie for a senatorial seat and won. In his acceptance speech, he declared that the Supreme Court had promoted slavery and division in the nation (Randall 15).
In 1860, Lincoln was elected a president based on his views concerning slavery, protective tariffs and support for the development of infrastructure. It is however for the emancipation of slaves that Lincoln is most remembered. He famously declared that “those who deny others freedom, deserve it not for themselves.” On the first day of January in 1863, Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation that diverted the cause of the Civil War from saving the Union to the more just purpose of abolishing slavery. As a result of the proclamation, all people who were held as slaves in states that were rebellious would be free henceforth.
His most famous speech and perhaps the most critical speech in all the history of this nation was delivered by Lincoln in Gettysburg. In this speech, he emphasized the importance of equality and the abolition of slavery over just the protection of the Union. The words of the constitution had to be carried out by the people of the day to ensure that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” He was a champion for the equality of human rights and ensured that the abhorrent practice of slavery was done away within the United States (Randaal 23). The assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865 was a significant loss to the country as his visionary leadership was just what the world needed.
Works Cited
Foner, Eric. “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery.” The Chautauqua Journal 2.1 (2018): 5.
Randall, Willard Sterne. Leadership Lessons: Abraham Lincoln. New Word City, 2017.
Thomas, Benjamin P. Abraham Lincoln: a biography. SIU Press, 2008.
