Abraham Lincoln's Greatest Case Explained Summary

Lincoln’s Greatest Case Explained The Mississippi River was a growing source of transportation with the invention of the steamboats and their expanding use in the United States in the early 1800s. Abraham Lincoln, who worked for his father for his entire youth, was able to earn some money for himself by ferrying people between the shore and the steamboats. This also led to his first legal battle which helped spark his interest in law. Abraham Lincoln entered politics in 1830, but he continued to practice law until he became the President of the United States. Lincoln worked on the most important legal case in his career in October 1856, on what is known as the Effie Afton Case. Leading up to the Effie Afton Case was the start of the railroad industry booming and the beginnings of Abraham Lincoln’s legal and political career. Lincoln was a firm supporter of both steamboat and railroad transportation even though these industries competed. While campaigning and serving in government, Lincoln also practiced law. Lincoln officially became a lawyer …show more content…
The Railroad Bridge Company obtained a charter that authorized them to build a rail bridge across the Mississippi River, but this was met with opposition. One main obstacle was that the land for the bridge being freed up, and it came with struggle from Jefferson Davis. Davis wanted railroads to cross the Mississippi River in the south, and so he took this to court in a special session in the United States Circuit Court where Judge McLean ruled that the Rock Island Bridge could be built. The city of St. Louis was also against the Rock Island Bridge because it took business from them. Benjamin B. Braydon was the chief engineer of the Rock Island Bridge and its construction started on July 16, 1853 and the bridge official opened on April 21,1856 despite the opposition. The Rock Island Bridge would soon be challenged in its biggest case