Abraham Lincoln Alexzandria Mastin
Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln on February 12, 1809. Thomas was a strong determined man. The couple had two other children: Abraham’s older sister Sarah and younger brother Thomas, who died in infancy. The Lincolns were forced to move from Kentucky to Perry County, Indiana due to land dispute in 1817. The Lincoln’s settled on unoccupied land without legal claim. Eventually Thomas was able to buy the land. The Lincoln family lived on 30 acres of the 228 acre Knob Creek Farm from the time Abraham was two and a half until he was almost eight years old. It was also at Knob Creek that Abraham first saw African - Americans being taken south along the Louisville - Nashville Turnpike, part of the old Cumberland Road, to be sold as slaves.
When Abraham was about 9 years old his mother died of tremetol (milk sickness) at 34. “This death was devastating for him because he had a strain relationship with his father.” He regarded his father lacking ambition and lazy. Everything Abraham wanted to escape from he saw in his father. Abraham was most likely against slavery because his father treated him like a slave. A few months after Abraham’s mother, death, Thomas remarried. He married Sarah Bush Johnston, a widow with three children of her own. Abraham quickly bonded with her. Sarah encouraged Abraham to read. It was while in his early manhood he received his formal education. That said, “Abraham would walk for miles to borrow a book.” He read the bible and other books. Some of his favorite books included Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington, Robinson Crusoe, Pilgrim's Progress, and Aesop's Fables.
His family moved several times; from Kentucky, where he was born, to Indiana, and then on to Illinois in his early 20s. After he arrived in Illinois, he had no interest in being a farmer and instead he started splitting rails and clearing his father's farm. Then he enlisted in the Black Hawk War (a fight to move the Indians westward) as a volunteer. Lincoln was elected to lead his solders, this election Lincoln was really proud. Lincoln had many unusual jobs such as he worked on a riverboat, ran a store, and thought about becoming a blacksmith. But instead he decided to teach himself law to become a lawyer.
He passed bar in 1837 and moved to Springfield in April of that year where he meet Mary Todd. Anyone who was watching what went on in Springfield knew that Abraham was going to make a name for him in some way. He did not have much to take with him, a few clothes, which he carried in saddle-bags; he had no money at all, and he had two or three law books. He was then twenty eight years old and “from this time on Springfield, Illinois was Lincoln’s home.” When he arrived Lincoln walked into Joshua Speed's store and asked the price of bedclothes. Seventeen dollars was the answer. "Cheap as it is," Lincoln said, "I have not the money to pay, but if you will credit me until Christmas, and my experiment here as a lawyer is a success, I will pay you then. If I fail in that, I will probably never pay at all." “Speed took pity on this "gloomy and melancholy" face and offered to share his living quarters above the store.” Lincoln accepted, and a friendship was born. Lincoln walked into Joshua Speed's store and asked the price of bedclothes. Seventeen dollars was the answer. "Cheap as it is," Lincoln said, "I have not the money to pay, but if you will credit me until Christmas, and my experiment here as a lawyer is a success, I will pay you then. If I fail in that, I will probably never pay at all." Speed took pity on this "gloomy and melancholy" face and offered to share his living quarters above the store. Lincoln accepted, and a friendship was born.
Though Lincoln was a new