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Abraham 1809 - 1865

Childhood Born February 12, 1809, in a one-room log cabin in Kentucky 6’ 4”, tall and awkward One older sister Sarah; three half-siblings from father’s second marriage

Education Walked two miles to a one-room school Loved reading, walked miles to borrow books Favorite books – Aesop’s Fables, Robinson Crusoe

Marriage Married Mary Todd, had four sons

Career Worked as boatman, postmaster, storekeeper, land surveyor, soldier Self-educated to become a lawyer Served in Illinois legislature Served in US House of Representatives Spoke out against slavery 1860 – Elected 16th US President; led country during Civil War 1863 - Issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves 1863 – Delivered

1864 – Re-elected President

Death April 15, 1865, age 56, assassinated at Ford’s Theatre, Washington DC, by Buried in Springfield, IL

Trivia Eleven year old, Grace Bedell, suggested that let his whiskers grow. Abe carried important papers under his stovepipe hat. He is known for honesty, modesty, sense of humor, and powerful speaking. His face is on the $5.00 bill, the penny, and carved in stone on , ND.

1 Steckel Library Resources Partial Listing of Biographies

Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington . . . by Cheryl Harness

Portrays Lincoln’s life as a Springfield lawyer, a devoted husband and father, and as the President during the Civil War.

Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books . . . by Kay Winter

A brief biography of Abe shows the importance of books in his life. From a young boy to an adult, Abe always had a book nearby.

A Picture Book of . . . by David A. Adler

Includes the highlights of Abe’s life from his early days in the backwoods of Kentucky and Indiana through his adult life to election as the sixteenth U.S. President.

What Lincoln Said . . . by Sarah L. Thompson

This unique biography uses direct quotes of Abraham Lincoln’s famous words to tell the story of his life from a farm boy to a lawyer to the President of the United States.

2 Abraham Lincoln – the Man Who Didn’t Quit An Example of Perseverance

1816 Family forced out of their home; he worked to help support them 1818 Mother died 1831 Failed in business 1832 Ran for state legislature – lost 1832 Lost his job 1833 Borrowed money to begin business, went bankrupt in one year Spent next 17 years in debt 1834 Ran for legislature – won 1835 Fiancée died 1836 Nervous breakdown, bedridden for six months 1838 Sought to become speaker of state legislature – defeated 1840 Ran for Elector - defeated 1843 Ran for Congress - lost 1846 Ran for Congress again - won 1848 Ran for re-election to Congress - lost 1849 Ran for US Senate - lost 1856 Sought VP nomination - lost 1858 Ran for US Senate again - lost 1860 Ran for US President - won

Quotes by Abraham Lincoln

“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

“Whatever you are, be a good one.”

“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”

“My father taught me to work; he did not teach me to love it.”

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”

“My best friend is the man who’ll get me a book I haven’t read.”

3 If You Grew Up with Abraham Lincoln *

You would live in a log cabin . . . With an open place in the side for a door covered by bearskin With a dirt floor and a loft for sleeping With a large fireplace for cooking and heating

You would dress . . . In deerskin pants and jackets (boys) In long dresses and sunbonnets in the summer, hooded capes in winter (girls)

You would eat . . . Vegetables grown in your garden, fish caught in the rivers Sausages, ham, and bacon from the pig Milk from the cow, eggs from the chickens

You would work very hard . . . Chopping wood, cleaning out the fireplace ashes, farming (boys) Washing, cooking, cleaning, sewing, making soap, spinning (girls)

You would have fun by . . . Enjoying contests - weight lifting and wrestling (boys) Making your own toys Jump ropes from vines, balls from yarn wrapped around a stone Playing hide-and-seek, making chores "fun"

Your school . . . Would be open only two or three months a year in the winter when you did not need to work on the farm Was a log cabin with all students in one room Had no desks, only a hard bench with no back Often had no windows and only a dirt floor

Your teacher . . . Was called a schoolmaster Would hit students who didn't know their lessons or didn't behave Would teach all grades in one classroom

Your classmates . . . Were called scholars Learned spelling, arithmetic (math), manners, writing Wrote with a quill and ink made from blackberries Read the Bible, Aesop's Fables, Robinson Crusoe

* If YOU Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln . . . by 4Ann McGovern GW