Abraham Lincoln the 16th President of the U. S. - Free Essay Example

Abraham Lincoln was known as the 16th President of the United States of America. He was the leader that signed the Emancipation Proclamation to protect and to gain freedom for African American slaves during the American Civil War. Firstly, Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, near Hodgenville, Kentucky. He grew up in a rural household. His parents were Nancy Hanks and Thomas Lincoln. They both were pioneer farmers. He had a sister and brother were Sarah Lincoln Grigsby and Thomas Lincoln, Jr. As a teenager, Lincoln had tried himself in many different jobs including a store clerk, surveyor, boatman and militia soldier. However, he did not attend school in his whole life. Luckily, he met John T. Stuart was an attorney who encouraged him to study law. Later, Lincoln decided to follow his passion for becoming a lawyer. Lincoln was studying and practicing law by himself. At the age of twenty-three, Lincoln began to work as a lawyer in Illinois and enjoyed his successful career for nearly twenty-five years. On November 4, 1842, Lincoln married Mary Todd. They had four children: Robert Todd Lincoln, Edward Baker Lincoln, William Wallace Lincoln, and Thomas Lincoln III. Unfortunately, Lincolns son, whose name was Edward, had died at three years of age. Shortly afterwards, he has run for the U.S. House of Representative and started serving as a congressman for one term in 1845. Afterward, Lincoln continued to run for the U.S. Senate. He has won the popular vote in Senate campaign to against Douglas, but he lost the election. Then, he has been trying to gain national recognition for his arguments against slavery during the debates. In 1856, Lincoln started to get involved in the newly formed Republican Party. He has convinced the black slaves in the South to participate in the Union to fight for freedom. On November 6, 1860, Lincoln won for his presidential election and served as president from March 4, 1861, to April 15, 1865. Moreover, as president, Lincoln built up the Republican Party that has been becoming the strong national organization. Also, he has given African Americans hopes to be courage to rise against the plantation to achieve liberty. Lincoln was the one who has established the U.S. National Banking System, which helped to provide a robust financial network to the country. On November 19, 1863, he had a famous short speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. On April 15, 1865, Abraham Lincoln died at the age of fifty-six. He assassinated at Fords Theatre in Washington D.C. by John Wikes Booth. His assassination was one of the saddest events in American history.