Abraham Lincoln's Impact On American History

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, is one of the most revered in American history. His list of political and personal accomplishments is interminable, however it was his character that left the most notable impact on United States history. He grew up as a poor farm boy in Kentucky and moved to Illinois at the age of 21. Although he was able to teach himself by borrowing books and eventually becoming an attorney, he lived a life full of misfortune. His mother died when he was 9 years old from "milk sickness", which was due to drinking cows' milk tainted from the cow eating a poisonous plant called snakeroot. Misfortune continued when Lincoln became a partner in a store that was unsuccessful, which caused him to spend many
By 1854, a new party, the Republicans, was taking its place. Made of old Whigs, some Democrats and members of the Native American Party, its underlying subject was opposition to the institution of slavery. In 1856, Lincoln joined the new party. In 1858, Lincoln engaged into a series of debates across Illinois with the author of the Kansas Nebraska Act, Senator Stephen Douglas. The short and fat Douglas and the tall lanky Lincoln faced off over the issue of expanding slavery beyond the states where it currently existed. Lincoln carefully made a distinction between slavery where it existed and its expansion into new territories and states. The debates grew national attention, as a result Lincoln was invited to speak in other states. The national attention he received resulted in the Republican Party making him its presidential candidate in the 1860 election. On the critical matter of slavery, the Republican platform supported prohibiting slavery in the territories but opposed interfering with it in the states where it already existed. Lincoln won every Northern state, although he failed to win a majority of the popular vote in this election, he won enough electoral votes for all his opponents combined to become the 16th president. During these debates Lincoln used his knowledge of law and politics to get the votes from the people. He differentiated himself from Douglas by having a moderate position on slavery and by using a natural flow during his speeches. Abraham Lincolns early life was full of complicated obstacles and limited resources. This helped shape his character and presidential views, allowing his life to go from poverty and deprivation to becoming the man who is universally known for his rare ability and character that molded the United States in his