Abraham Lincoln

This story is about our 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, who also served in the U.S. House of Representatives. He's seen as a hero for his role in saving the Union and abolishing slavery.

My interest in politics started when my family moved to Illinois on the north side of the Sangamon River when I was 21 years old.

When I lived in Illinois, I delivered my first political speech to improve navigation on the river that I lived by, the Sangamon River.

In 1832, I decided to run for the Illinois General Assembly. My platform was to improve navigation on the Sangamon River, make changes in usury laws, and to make education available to everyone.

Later that year in 1832, I lost the election for the Illinois General Assembly, but I decided to run again in 1834. In 1834, when I was 24 years old, I won the Illinois General Assembly as a member of the Whig party.

Another passion that I have is to be a lawyer, so in the summer of 1834, I began to study law and on September 9th, 1836, I received my license to practice law.

As a lawyer on the 8th Judicial Circuit, I traveled through 9 different counties in Illinois and on December 3rd, 1839, I was admitted to practice law in the U.S. Circuit Court.

In 1847, I was elected to the United States House of Representatives, and I hoped to become a senator, but in 1855, I lost the election.

I was nominated for president of the United States At the Republication National Convention in Chicago, Illinois in 1860. Later that year on November 6th, I was elected as the 16th president of the United States as the first Republican President.

In 1861, The Civil War (1861-1865) began which was a war between the northern and southern states of the Union. The Confederacy or the southern states wanted to separate from the Union and establish itself as a separate nation.

On January 1st, 1863, I delivered the Emancipation Proclamation which called for freedom of the slaves in the Confederate States.

Later during the Civil War on July 3rd, 1863, the battle of Gettysburg ends and the defeat of the Confederacy becomes a major turning point in the war. Later that year on November 19th, I delivered the Gettysburg Address.