how did abraham lincoln get the nickname honest abe

[218], In June 1862, Congress passed an act banning slavery on all federal territory, which Lincoln signed. 1864 photo of President Lincoln with youngest son, U.S. House of Representatives (18471849), LincolnDouglas debates and Cooper Union speech. He once said that, as a boy, he had gone to school by littlesa little now and a little thenand his entire schooling amounted to no more than one years attendance. Here are nine lesser-known nuggets about America's most-beloved president. She ran the household with an even hand, treating both sets of children as if she had borne them all; but she became especially fond of Abraham, and he of her. I do no more than oppose the extension of slavery. John Tyler was born into the Virginia aristocracy, the son of a judge and politician who had been a college roommate of Jefferson. 6. [59] Although the economy was booming, the business struggled and went into debt, causing Lincoln to sell his share. Secession sentiment was strong in Missouri and Maryland, but did not prevail; Kentucky remained neutral. Volume 4. Meanwhile, Lincoln and the Republican leadership agreed that the dismantling of the Union could not be tolerated. Meanwhile, Lincoln emboldened Grant with more troops and Republican party support. Lincoln led the Union through the American Civil War to defend the nation as a constitutional union and succeeded in abolishing slavery, bolstering the federal . "[141], On May 910, 1860, the Illinois Republican State Convention was held in Decatur. How Did Abraham Lincoln Deserve The Name Of The Great Emancipator. | [247] On April 1, 1865, Grant nearly encircled Petersburg in a siege. However, despite his overwhelming support in the Midwestern United States, he was less appreciated in the east. He sent out pink-hued pamphlets attacking Douglas loyalty. We want to bridge divides to reach everyone. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Grant then assumed command of Meade's army. His intransigence on the subject scuttled possibilities of a peace conference between the Union and the Confederacy in 1864. [142] Lincoln's followers organized a campaign team led by David Davis, Norman Judd, Leonard Swett, and Jesse DuBois, and Lincoln received his first endorsement. How did he get that name, and was he deserving of it? Abraham Lincoln, (1809 - 02 - 12) February 12, 1809, Hodgenville, Kentucky, U.S. February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, British Colony of Virginia. [87] This distant territory was a Democratic stronghold, and acceptance of the post would have disrupted his legal and political career in Illinois, so he declined and resumed his law practice. [180] Donald concludes that, "His repeated efforts to avoid collision in the months between inauguration and the firing on Ft. Sumter showed he adhered to his vow not to be the first to shed fraternal blood. In January 1862, after complaints of inefficiency and profiteering in the War Department, Lincoln replaced War Secretary Simon Cameron with Edwin Stanton. People relied implicitly upon his honesty, integrity, and impartiality.". Major Northern newspapers, however, demanded morethey expected victory within 90 days. After his arrival in Illinois, having no desire to be a farmer, Lincoln tried his hand at a variety of occupations. [368], In the Cold War years, Lincoln's image shifted to a symbol of freedom who brought hope to those oppressed by Communist regimes. When Abraham was 9 years old in 1818, his mother, Nancy, died of a mysterious milk sickness that swept across southern Indiana. "Honest Get Access Biography of Abraham Lincoln During 1831 and 1832, Lincoln worked at a general store in New Salem, Illinois. [38] He made his home in New Salem, Illinois, for six years. 9 Questions About the American Civil War Answered, Match the Quote to the Speaker: American Speeches, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abraham-Lincoln, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Abraham Lincoln, The White House - Biography of Abraham Lincoln, American National Biography - Biography of Abraham Lincoln, American Battlefields Trust - Biography of Abraham Lincoln, Indian Child - Biography of Abraham Lincoln, The Ohio State University - ehistory - Abraham Lincoln, Social Studies for Kids - Biography of Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Abraham Lincoln - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), presidency of the United States of America (1861-1865), Abraham Lincoln: statue at the Lincoln Memorial. 10. [32] He was an active wrestler during his youth and trained in the rough catch-as-catch-can style (also known as catch wrestling). [76] Lincoln teamed with Joshua R. Giddings on a bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia with compensation for the owners, enforcement to capture fugitive slaves, and a popular vote on the matter. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. The goal was to demonstrate the power of "free labor", which allowed a common farm boy to work his way to the top by his own efforts. What was Abraham Lincolns personal life like? [206] But Pope was then soundly defeated at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the summer of 1862, forcing the Army of the Potomac back to defend Washington. In truth, Republican leadership had all but decided to abandon Reconstruction before the election, with Hayes removing the few remaining federal troops months later. While Lincoln was popular in the Midwest, he lacked support in the Northeast and was unsure whether to seek the office. Abraham Lincoln spent hours reading books, including Life of Washington, Dilworth's Speller, and Blackstone's Commentaries (Hunt107). "[353], In Lincoln's first inaugural address, he explored the nature of democracy. [395] A portrait carving of Lincoln appears with those of three other presidents on Mount Rushmore, which receives about 3million visitors a year. It was later learned that the strange disease was due to drinking tainted milk from a cow that had ingested poisonous white snakeroot. He led the U.S. thru the Civil War. Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln, a widow with two girls and a boy of her own, had energy and affection to spare. In 1836, having passed the bar examination, he began to practice law. War & Affiliation Civil War / Union. He sought to heal the war-torn nation through reconciliation. [217] Lincoln rejected Major General John C. Frmont's August 1861 emancipation attempt, as well as one by Major General David Hunter in May 1862, on the grounds that it was not within their power and might upset loyal border states enough for them to secede. [19], On October 5, 1818, Nancy Lincoln died from milk sickness, leaving 11-year-old Sarah in charge of a household including her father, 9-year-old Abraham, and Nancy's 19-year-old orphan cousin, Dennis Hanks. Republican-led effort to secure the rights of African Americans in the former Confederacy, known as Reconstruction, was more than a decade old, and much of the country, both North and South, was growing weary of federal occupation of several Southern states. When a general asked Lincoln how the defeated Confederates were to be treated, Lincoln replied, "Let 'em up easy. Both his parents were almost completely illiterate, and he himself received little formal education. Many, though not all, in the South considered Lincoln as a man of outstanding ability. [378] Lincoln became a favorite of liberal intellectuals across the world. Lincoln's guest, Major Henry Rathbone, momentarily grappled with Booth, but Booth stabbed him and escaped. Lincoln warned that Douglas' "Slave Power" was threatening the values of republicanism, and accused Douglas of distorting the Founding Fathers' premise that all men are created equal. His earliest memories were of this home and, in particular, of a flash flood that once washed away the corn and pumpkin seeds he had helped his father plant. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and National Geographic Traveler. They called him "Honest Abe" because he was always honest with people. Passage became part of Lincoln's reelection platform, and after his successful reelection, the second attempt in the House passed on January 31, 1865. [234] In 272 words, and three minutes, Lincoln asserted that the nation was born not in 1789, but in 1776, "conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal". The war almost ruined the country and if it did . When he occupied the White House, the 16th president used the current Lincoln Bedroom as his personal office. [84], Lincoln had pledged in 1846 to serve only one term in the House. Lincoln did not migrate to Illinois until 1830. [248], Lincoln ran for reelection in 1864, while uniting the main Republican factions, along with War Democrats Edwin M. Stanton and Andrew Johnson. Abe immediately got out of bed a started getting dressed. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. "[56], The deaths of their sons, Eddie and Willie, had profound effects on both parents. [249] At its convention, the Republicans selected Johnson as his running mate. In afteryears he recalled the panthers scream, the bears that preyed on the swine, and the poverty of Indiana frontier life, which was pretty pinching at times. The unhappiest period of his boyhood followed the death of his mother in the autumn of 1818. [106] At that time, senators were elected by the state legislature. [102] As the slavery debate in the Nebraska and Kansas territories became particularly acrimonious, Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas proposed popular sovereignty as a compromise; the measure would allow the electorate of each territory to decide the status of slavery. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. google_ad_width = 120; Armstrong was acquitted. Yet the contest proceeds."[331]. "[237] With Grant in command, Lincoln felt the Union Army could advance in multiple theaters, while also including black troops. Grant's bloody stalemates damaged Lincoln's re-election prospects, and many Republicans feared defeat. [26] His formal schooling was from itinerant teachers. "[124] The speech created a stark image of the danger of disunion. President Abraham Lincoln Biography | American Battlefield Trust [266], Historians agree that it is impossible to predict exactly how Reconstruction would have proceeded had Lincoln lived. [b] The captain was killed in an Indian raid in 1786. These included Parson Weemss Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington (with its story of the little hatchet and the cherry tree), Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe, John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress, and Aesops Fables. [16], In Kentucky and Indiana, Thomas worked as a farmer, cabinetmaker, and carpenter. Everyone, even his bitterest political opponents, knew exactly where they stood with Lincoln. History of Abraham Lincoln for Kids - Bedtime History Less than a week after people celebrated the end the Civil War, the country was mourning yet again. But this political powerhouse Founding Father was also the shortest president in American history, likely standing just 5 feet 4 inches tall. En route to his inauguration, Lincoln addressed crowds and legislatures across the North. Witness testimony, given decades afterward, showed a lack of any specific recollection of a romance between the two. The day the Mdewakanton force surrendered at Camp Release, a Chippewa war council met at Minnesota's capitol with another Chippewa offer to Lincoln, to fight the Sioux. Explore 10 things you may not know about the 16th U.S. president. Lincoln led the Union through the American Civil War to defend the nation as a constitutional union and succeeded in abolishing slavery, bolstering the federal government, and modernizing the U.S. economy. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's 250 years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said 3,000 years ago, so still it must be said, "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether". The Civil War was a combat that occurred from 1861 to 1865 over the idea of slavery and states' rights. [355], In his company, I was never reminded of my humble origin, or of my unpopular color. Lincoln warned. Abraham Lincoln, a 1909 bronze statue by Adolph Weinman, sits before a historic church in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Known to his family and friends as Jemmy, his small stature and weak physical appearance led some detractors to disparage him as Little Jemmy or His Little Majesty. One contemporary quipped that he was no bigger than half a piece of soap. Author Washington Irving was no kinder, noting at Madisons 1809 inauguration that he resembled a withered little apple. By comparison, his fellow Virginian Thomas Jefferson, who at 6 feet 2 inches towered over most of his countrymen, was dubbed Long Tom.. 1933-2022. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., was dedicated to him on May 30, 1922. When the state of Illinois set about reconstructing New Salem in 1932, no original buildings remained. Into the second group went forty. He wrote at this time that God "could have either saved or destroyed the Union without a human contest. But his razor-thin, 87-vote victory was upheld, and the new Senator Johnson returned to Washington with a new nickname he found hard to shake: Landslide Lyndon. Despite how hed earned his seats, Johnson became one of the most powerful Senators in history, then vice president and finally president, where, in 1964, he truly did win a landslide victory, capturing more than 60 percent of the popular vote (still a record) and more than 90 percent of electoral votes. [j] Twice a week, Lincoln met with his cabinet in the afternoon. In the four-way presidential race of 1860, Lincoln got more votes than any other candidate. "[365] In the New Deal era, liberals honored Lincoln not so much as the self-made man or the great war president, but as the advocate of the common man who they claimed would have supported the welfare state. When Abraham Lincoln was on the 1860 campaign trail, . He worked more often and more closely with Lincoln than any other senior official. ", Order Leidner's Abraham Lincoln: Quotes, Quips, and Speeches Now, Order Burlingame's The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln Now, Home Lincoln, 22 years old, was piloting a large flatboat full of corn and live hogs down the Sangamon River, on his way to the Mississippi and New Orleans, when the boat got stuck on a dam outside the hamlet of New Salem. Journalist Noah Brooks reported, "No man ever before made such an impression on his first appeal to a New York audience. He did this at a time when the Constitution, which "tolerated slavery", was the focus of most political discourse. [118] Lincoln denounced it as the product of a conspiracy of Democrats to support the Slave Power. Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, was an abuser. [178] In his second inaugural address, Lincoln looked back on the situation at the time and said: "Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the Nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came. [272] Some feared incorrectly that it might represent a Confederate conspiracy to start a war on the Northwestern frontier. As a rail-splitter, he helped to clear and fence his fathers new farm. Lincolns presidency was tragically cut short, but his contributions to the United States ensured that he would be remembered as one of its most influential presidents. [88], In his Springfield practice, Lincoln handled "every kind of business that could come before a prairie lawyer". [109] Lincoln held out hope for rejuvenating the Whigs, though he lamented his party's growing closeness with the nativist Know Nothing movement. [150] When Douglas was selected as the candidate of the Northern Democrats, delegates from eleven slave states walked out of the Democratic convention; they opposed Douglas's position on popular sovereignty, and selected incumbent Vice President John C. Breckinridge as their candidate. [11] In 1816, the family moved to Indiana where the land surveys and titles were more reliable. Pennsylvania put him over the top, led by the state's iron interests who were reassured by his tariff support. We needed to hold our own people together. 1. Hundreds of settlers were killed, 30,000 were displaced from their homes, and Washington was deeply alarmed. PDF Abe Lincoln At Last Magic Tree House R Merlin Mis ; Full PDF These are often based on photographs of Lincoln appearing to show weight loss and muscle wasting. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. As a member of the Illinois legislature and later in his law practice, he took advantage of his reputation for honesty and fairness to help broaden his constituency. logged you out. Your subscription to [71] Lincoln emerged as a formidable trial combatant during cross-examinations and closing arguments. [96], Lincoln argued in an 1858 criminal trial, defending William "Duff" Armstrong, who was on trial for the murder of James Preston Metzker. In the runup to the election, he took an office in the Illinois state capitol to deal with the influx of attention. Lincoln confidentially pledged in writing that if he should lose the election, he would still defeat the Confederacy before turning over the White House;[251] Lincoln did not show the pledge to his cabinet, but asked them to sign the sealed envelope. [51], Lincoln was an affectionate husband and father of four sons, though his work regularly kept him away from home. [311] President Johnson was sworn in later that same day. [298] Seward's main role was to keep Britain and France from supporting the Confederacy. [230] By the end of 1863, at Lincoln's direction, General Lorenzo Thomas had recruited 20 regiments of blacks from the Mississippi Valley. Their scheme was to hold the corpse for a ransom of $200,000 and obtain the release of the gangs best counterfeiter from prison. Lincoln was taller (at six feet four inches) than any other president. [261], Lincoln's appointments were designed to harness both moderates and Radicals. In Tennessee and Arkansas, Lincoln respectively appointed Johnson and Frederick Steele as military governors. "Honest" is probably one of the first words people think of when they describe our sixteenth president (after "tall" and "stovepipe hat," of course). Minnesota's Governor had made Sibley a Colonel United States Volunteers to command the US force tasked with fighting the war and that eventually defeated Little Crow's forces at the Battle of Wood Lake. [314] The train followed a circuitous route from Washington D.C. to Springfield, Illinois, stopping at many cities for memorials attended by hundreds of thousands. [385][386], Lincoln's portrait appears on two denominations of United States currency, the penny and the $5 bill. [254] On November 8, Lincoln carried all but three states, including 78 percent of Union soldiers.[255]. Throughout the 1850s, Lincoln had doubted the prospects of civil war, and his supporters rejected claims that his election would incite secession. Lincoln earned the nickname ``Honest Abe'' here long before it became popular in the press. The Lincoln family ate at the White House dinner table with their cat. Lincoln ran for president in 1860, sweeping the North to gain victory. David W. Blight Why was Lincoln called "Honest Abe"? - American Civil War Forum Through speeches such as the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln encouraged Northerners to keep fighting. If any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns. There were no takers. 3, Sept 12, 1863, Armstrong and a delegation of Chippewa chiefs meet with Lincoln, Travis Armstrong, Leech Lake (Pillager) Reservation Band of Ojibwe Indians of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Chippewa Chiefs held a war council with Gov. Republicans linked Lincoln's name to their party. Meet our Contributing Editors Good-natured though somewhat moody, talented as a mimic and storyteller, he readily attracted friends. He served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives but lost two U.S. Senate races. [263] This first attempt fell short of the required two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives. [148] Lincoln's managers had focused on this delegation while honoring Lincoln's dictate to "Make no contracts that will bind me". ", "Lincoln and the Problem of Race: A Decade of Interpretations", "Holding Up a Flawed Mirror to the American Soul: Abraham Lincoln in the Writings of Lerone Bennett Jr", "The Obama-Lincoln Parallel: A Closer Look", "Obama to be sworn in with Lincoln, King Bibles", "History of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)", "$18.5million gift to help refurbish Lincoln Memorial", "15 Most Visited National Landmarks in Washington, D.C.", "Abraham Lincoln Historical Tours in Springfield, Illinois", "Why Abraham Lincoln Was Revered in Mexico", "Abraham Lincoln: The Man (Standing Lincoln): a bronze statuette by Augustus Saint-Gaudens", "Congress Dedicates Lincoln Room | U.S. Capitol Historical Society", "Legislation to Name Room in US Capitol "Lincoln Room" Passes House", "Abraham Lincoln - Early political career", "Abraham Lincoln: Conservative Statesman", "Abraham Lincoln and the Corwin Amendment", "The Other Civil War Lincoln and the Indians", "Abraham Lincoln and Jacksonian Democracy", Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, The Lincoln Presidential Library's ongoing digitization of all documents written by or to Abraham Lincoln during his lifetime, Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln complete collected works as edited by Basler et al.