Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, near Hodgenville, Kentucky. His parents were Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. They attended a baptist church that was separated from another church because of the opposition of slavery.

When he was young, he impressed the residents with his character and earned his nickname ''Honest Abe''. He was tall, he measured 6'4'' and weighted about 180 pounds. In his spare time he studied law and became a lawyer in 1836. In 1839 he met Mary Todd. Three years later he married her and then had four children.Their names were Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas.

Lincoln was elected president on November 6, 1860 defeating Douglas, John Bell, and John C. Breckinredge. After 1861 the Lincolns left to Washington, D.C. After his election, many Southern States seceded from the union. Lincoln raised an army and decided to fight to save the union from falling apart. On January 1, 1863, The Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. That was his declaration of freedom for all slaves in the area of the Confederacy not under Union control.sympathizer. On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor and Confederate sympathizer, fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln at a play at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. The attack came only five days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his massive army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War. He passed away the next day at 7:22 A.M. That was the first time they had killed a president in the history of America. His body was taken to Springfield and was buried on May 14, 1865. He is now remembered for his role as the leader in preserving the Union during the civil war and for beginning the process to end slavery in the United States.(http://www.history.com/topics/abraham-lincoln-assassination)