How Did Abraham Lincoln's Childhood Influence Him To Become President?

Every child’s childhood has an effect on them when they become an adult. An example of this is Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was an admired speaker and a powerful leader (Abraham Lincoln’s Childhood: Growing Up to Be President). His childhood had a huge influence and impact on him. He became president of The United States. How did Lincoln’s childhood influence him to become a president? Abraham Lincoln was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12, 1809. Lincoln grew up in a log cabin which his dad had built. In the year of 1816, Lincoln’s family moved to Indiana. As a child, he worked in farming work. Lincoln’s mom died when he was about 10 years old. Lincoln’s mom died in the year of 1818. After that, Lincoln’s life started to get harsh. The relationship Lincoln had with his dad was slowly drifting apart. After a year later, Thomas Lincoln which was Lincoln’s dad came home with a lady. The woman was called Sarah Bush Johnston, and she became the mother like figure that Lincoln needed. Thomas Lincoln married her and she became a stepmother. He quickly got attached to her and they created a bond. Sarah Bush Johnston had a great impact on Lincoln’s life. She was the one that encouraged Lincoln to educate himself even though his dad didn’t do the same. She herself couldn’t read or write.
His family moves to Illinois in the year of 1830. Many of us know Lincoln as a man who served as the president of The United States. Some of us do not know what he did to become president and his before life. Many of us may not know that he served in The Black Hawk War which happened in 1832. The Black Hawk War was a quarrel between the United States and the Native Americans. This took place in Illinois, and he became captain. At first, he was just a volunteer in the Black Hawk War, known as the Illinois Militia.
In 1832, Lincoln lost the election where he was elected as a candidate of the Illinois General Assembly. The Black Hawk War ended and Lincoln bought a store that was located in New Salem with William Berry. Unfortunately, the store was unsuccessful. In 1834, Lincoln is chosen to the Illinois General Assembly for his second time. This gains him popularity. He is then nominated for U.S senate for the state republic party. In that year Lincoln wanted to practice law so he began reading books. “From 1849 to 1854, both inclusive practiced law more assiduously than ever before. Always a whig in politics, and generally on the whig electoral tickets, making active canvasses--I was losing interest in politics, when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused me again. What I have done since then is pretty well known” (Abraham Lincoln’s Second Autobiography). One of Lincoln’s law partners was William Henry Herndon. He obtained his license on September 9, 1836. He is recalled for the Illinois General Assembly. In 1837, he moves to Springfield, Illinois. He associated with John Todd Stuart where both of them practiced law at the Supreme Court of Illinois. He meets his Mary Todd, his future wife, in 1839. The year of 1840, Lincoln had his first case. The case is presented in the Illinois Supreme Court. In 1842, Lincoln gets married to Mary Todd. Lincoln finds himself a new law partner and his name was Stephen T. Logan.
A few years later Lincoln decides to practice laws on his own. Lincoln is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. This is where everything changed. Abraham Lincoln’s new family moved to Washington D.C. At this time, James K. Polk was the president. Lincoln gives a speech was on the opposition of the war between Mexico. The name of the war was the Mexican-American War. He gave the speech on 1848. He even invented a tool that assists to pick boats over the river in case there was an object in the way. Abraham Lincoln starts a place in the 8th Judicial Circuit. This gave him more popularity as a lawyer and this is where he got his famous nickname which is “Honest Abe.” This event took place on 1850 and this is the year he lost his first child which was a boy. At the end of 1850, his second child was born. A few years later he was elected in the Illinois Legislature. He refused the offer, because he wanted to get a place as the U.S senator, but he fails.
All this affects him in a positive way. He made many speeches on slavery. One speech he made was about Dred Scott. He was in opposition of the Dred Scott decision. The decision was that Scott would remain a slave. On 1860, that was the year that his life would change. He was nominated to be the Republican’s Party candidate as the president of the U.S. He was going versus William H. Seward. Seward was a well-known man and he was the Secretary of War for the U.S. He had many occupations. For example, he was a lawyer and he was a governor of New York. The result of the election was that he won. On June 1858, Lincoln wrote his first autobiography. It was very short with few words. A year later, Lincoln writes a letter to Jesse W. Fell. This was the second life story about him that he wrote. Lincoln tells about his childhood in the letter. He gives a little background of his parents. He includes that both of his parents were from Virginia. He talks about the education he had, which was poorly. He talks about the education his dad had, which was none. He talks about himself, and describes himself as “six feet, four inches.” On June 1860, Lincoln wrote a very long autobiography out of the other two that he wrote.
The big question is: How did Lincoln’s childhood influence him to become a president?
His childhood influence him to become a better person with education, because he had very little education as a child. This made him become a greater person than what he already was. In his second autobiography he stated, “There I grew up. There were some schools, so called; but no qualification was ever required of a teacher beyond "readin, writin, and cipherin" to the Rule of Three” (Abraham Lincoln’s Second Autobiography). What he means is that he barely had education, and the teachers really didn’t have credentials. Any person could say that they were a teacher and that would make them a
teacher.
Lincoln was a man who achieved many things in life. He had many obstacles in his life, but he made a huge impact as a president. As a small boy, he had an interested in education. Even though he had a tragic boyhood, this had a positive effect on him. This made him get strong and tough after mom’s death. He never thought of the idea of becoming a president. He thought of becoming a blacksmith as a child. These are the reasons Lincoln’s life influence him into becoming a president.