President Lincoln's Political Career

President Lincoln was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky to a family without much social prestige. He had a sister two years his elder and a younger brother who died as an infant. The family moved to Indiana due to disputes over property. His mother died when he was nine and his sister was forced to keep house. His father remarried about a year after his mother died. Though his parents were unable to read or write, they encouraged him to learn to read and write. He only received his education a few days or weeks at a time, and neighbors recalled that he would walk for miles to find a book. However, in 1830, his family moved again to Illinois. He worked in manual labor splitting wood and eventually moved to New Salem, Illinois. He worked as a shopkeeper, postmaster, and general store owner. In 1834, the Black Hawk war broke out and Lincoln was elected captain of the volunteers in the area. He never saw conflict but gained valuable contacts. Lincoln began his political career in 1834 after the war by being elected to the Illinois state legislature as a member of the Whig party. He supported the government supported infrastructure and protective tariffs associated with the Whigs. It was around this time Lincoln began formulating his views on slavery, as an economic impediment more so than a moral wrong. He then decided he was interested in …show more content…
He held the union together during the most tremulous time in the nation’s history. He made decisions that many people did not agree with at times. He made questionable decisions even by today’s standards in suspending the writ of habeas corpus and arresting confederate sympathizers and keeping them without cause other than their allegiance. However, Lincoln was the best man for the job and history remembers him fondly as the president that freed the slaves and won the civil