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The HISTORY Channel’s three-night documentary event “Abraham Lincoln” will be a definitive biography of the 16th president, the man who led the country during its bloodiest war and greatest ...
- Overview
- Follow Abraham Lincoln from a frontier cabin to the White House where he guided America through the Civil War
- Transcript
Follow Abraham Lincoln from a frontier cabin to the White House where he guided America through the Civil War
An overview of the life of Abraham Lincoln.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
•Follow Abraham Lincoln from a frontier cabin to the White House where he guided America through the Civil War
•Discover the historical significance of the Battle of the Wilderness
•Learn about North Carolina's contribution to the Confederate causes during the American Civil War
NARRATOR: Abraham Lincoln—the 16th president of the United States—took office at a pivotal moment in American history. Deeply divided over the issues of slavery and states' rights, the country faced a civil war that pitted the North against the South. Lincoln stood firm in his determination to hold the Union together, which he accomplished by leading the North to victory. He also brought an end to slavery in the United States, earning the title of the Great Emancipator.
The future president came from humble beginnings. Born in 1809, in a log cabin on the American frontier, Lincoln spent much of his boyhood living the life of a pioneer. All told, he attended school for less than a year, but he educated himself by reading. As a boy he read history and literature by the light of a log fire. As a young man he taught himself mathematics so he could work as a county surveyor, one of the many jobs he held before entering politics. And after his election to the Illinois General Assembly in 1834, he borrowed law books to study in his free time. By 1836 he had become a lawyer.
With his sharp mind and his reputation for honesty, Lincoln excelled in his new profession. Honest Abe, as he was known, practiced law in Springfield, the Illinois capital, and also traveled with the court as it made the rounds of its judicial district, or circuit. He often carried his legal papers in his trademark stovepipe hat, which he called his "walking office." By the time he began to be prominent in national politics, Lincoln had made himself one of the most distinguished and successful lawyers in Illinois.
The issue that motivated Lincoln to pursue politics at the national level was slavery. During the 1850s the threat of the expansion of slavery into the western territories led to fierce debate and even violent conflict between proslavery and antislavery forces. The issue threatened to split the Union between North and South. At this time of national crisis, Lincoln delivered one of his most famous speeches.
LINCOLN: A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.
NARRATOR: Lincoln's election as president in 1860 convinced the Southern states that their way of life, based on slavery, was threatened. Before Lincoln had even moved into the White House, seven Southern states had seceded from the Union to form their own government, the Confederacy. The Civil War broke out in April 1861, just six weeks after Lincoln’s inauguration.
- 7 min
1 h 45 min. TV-14. Through a poverty-ridden childhood on the American frontier, Abraham Lincoln is determined to leave his mark on the world. He rises to become President of a nation on the verge of tearing itself apart.
Abraham Lincoln knew the Union was likely to win the Civil War before his assassination. The major Confederate armies had surrendered, and the battle at Appomattox Courthouse was a turning point. Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, hoped to revive the Confederate cause by creating chaos in the Union leadership.
- 6 min
- Sal Khan
- The Petersen House which is across the street from Ford's Theater.
- The Secret Service was not created yet when Lincoln was assassinated. At the time of Lincoln's assassination the bill to create such an agency was...
- Andrew Johnson was a Southerner from Tennessee. He had plenty of sympathy for the South. Congress wanted to punish the Southern states more and pro...
- No, Lincoln did not own slaves. He did believe that slavery was morally wrong but he was against equal rights for African Americans and he made it...
- First of all the last part of your sentence hc25653 is wrong. The USS monitor was not able to sink the Merrimack on fire and sink it because both o...
- And a lot of soldiers on both sides of that war were shot and killed before THEY saw the outcome, too. What a tragedy for all 700,000 Americans who...
- John Wilkes Booth was an actor at the Ford Theatre. He killed Abraham Lincoln there because it was where he had access to him, not for any other re...
- When Booth had jumped out of the president's box in his escape, his spur caught on a flag, causing him to break his ankle. He jumped onto his horse...
- Yes! The reason John Wilkes Booth wanted to kill the President was because he thought if everyone in line to be president was killed, the union wou...
- He said "Tell my mother I died for my country", then he asked his hands raised to his face so he could see them. Then he said " useless, useless",...
Aug 18, 2021 · Abraham Lincoln's story from his humble beginnings and tragedy, through to his life of public service characterised by decency and dedication, all the way to President of the United States is...
- 5 min
- 3.8K
- NowYouKnowAbout
Feb 20, 2022 · S 1 E 1. The Railsplitter. Feb 20, 2022 | tv-14 v. Through a poverty-ridden childhood on the American frontier, Abraham Lincoln is determined to leave his mark on the world. He rises to become...
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