Abraham Lincoln had a rough start in life, but he made the most of his circumstances and grew up to be regarded as one of the greatest presidents in the history of The United States. He was born in Hardin County, Kentucky to Nancy Hanks and Thomas Lincoln. He had two siblings the youngest of which died in infancy. Then they were forced to move to Indiana because of an argument …show more content…
In 1857 he gave The House Divided Speech against Senator Douglas for promoting slavery saying " A house cannot divided". In 1858 he debated multiple times against Senator Douglas over slavery which put made him an important figure in national politics. In 1860 he gave The Copper Union Address where he urged fellow republicans not to conform to the southerners ways of thinking that slavery is right but "to stand by our duty, fearlessly and effectively." In 1865 he gave his second Inaugural Address in which he appealed to the states for peace and the war ended a month …show more content…
The job of being president and a prominent figure in abolishing slavery did not come without any consequences bad as well as good. Lincoln often wept in public and thought of taking his life more than once. It was said about that he was "One of the most diffident and plagued man." He was called "melancholy" by his friends.
Abraham Lincoln become the United States' 16th President in 1861, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy in 1863. "Lincoln be a shrewd military and savvy leader during what became the costliest conflict ever fought on American soil." He was mentioned in Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech of 1863. King said he paved the way for freeing blacks with the Emancipation Proclamation a hundred years earlier. "Over the years Lincoln's mythic stature has only grown, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in the nation's