Abraham Lincoln:

From log cabin to White House

by Premasara EPASINGHE

As a poor boy Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) lacked formal education but he had a dream. If you work tirelessly, nothing is impossible to achieve. The boy grew up to be one of the greatest Presidents of the United States of America. He became the 16th President coming from a log cabin. Lincoln was the President from 1861-1865.

In his childhood, he was known as little ABE. He was born in a farmland in Hodgenville, Kentucky, a State in South East Central USA. The capital is Frankfort.

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln's family lived in a tiny log cabin. It had one door and a window. It was in a jungle, away from the cities and the world. His father, Thomas Lincoln, was a poor farmer-cum-carpenter. Abraham's mother was Nancy, a housewife. On February 12, 1809, 203 years ago they, these two were blessed with a son. They named him Abraham. According to the Old Testament, Abraham was progenitor or ancestor of the Hebrews and Founder of Judaism.

Thomas and Nancy took the challenges in life. When things were difficult, they went in search of new pastures and settled in Pigeon Creek in Indiana. Little Abraham, affectionately called by the parents as "Abe", was then only seven years old. When, Abraham was nine years, tragedy struck. He lost his mother. She was the guiding light of the family. She always encouraged little Abraham to study. After his mother's death, his elder sister Sarah, who was 11 years took over running the house. However, after Nancy's death, after one year, Thomas Lincoln, married again. The step mother was very kind to the children.

In 1816, Abraham attended a school which was built of logs and mud. Both Abraham and his elder sister Sarah, studied in the school. They wore ordinary clothes. Two of them walked to school barefooted. Little Abe or Abraham loved reading books as a child. He read the Bible at home, read Robinson Crusoe, Aesop's Fables. Further he read The Life of Washington.

In 1830, Lincoln's family changed their residency to Illinois, a state in North Central USA, on the East Bank of the River Mississippi. Abraham was now 22 years. From here, the Lincolns moved to Coles County. Abraham stayed in Illinois. The hard working young lad Abraham, selected his first job under a wealthy landed proprietor, James Centry as a boatman. He used to sell goods that he carried in his boat. One day in New Orleans, city and river port in South East Louisiana, USA, between Lake Pontchartrain and Mississippi River, young Abraham Lincoln witnessed a slave auction. He was shocked to see the inhuman way the human beings were treated. The incident was etched in his mind.

Abraham Lincoln was a man of integrity from his young days. In 1832, he joined the Army to serve the country.

Abraham Lincoln was fond of Law. On September 9, 1836, he passed his Law examination. He commenced practising law in Springfield, Illinois. In one of his famous cases, Abraham Lincoln defended a black girl named Nancy. She was sold several times by a white man. Abraham won the case. The judge gave a historic judgment, buying or selling of people irrespective of their colour or creed was illegal. It became a law in Illinois. Lincoln was not only a kind-hearted man but also lover of animals and birds. He was famous for telling humorous stories and a good conversationalist.

He took to politics. From 1847 to 1849, served the House of Representatives and unsuccessfully ran for the Senate for the new Republican Party against Stephen A Douglas in 1858. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was the Presidential candidate. Lincoln's victory made the secession of the Southern slave owning states inevitable and his determination to defend Fort Sunter and the civil war began.

Fort Sunter is in South Carolina, scene of first hostilities of the American civil war. In 1861, it was held by Federal forces. The confederate authorities having failed to negotiate a peaceful evacuation, were compelled to take it by force. The confederate General Beauregard opened fire on April 12 and the Fort surrendered the following day.

Abraham Lincoln, a strong and brave Commander-in-Chief played a leading role in military planning.

In September 1862, Abraham Lincoln issued Emancipation Proclamation. In 1863, he delivered his Gettysburg Address on November 19. He ended his brilliant speech describing Democracy as Government of the people, by the people, and for the people".

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1864. He was one of the greatest Presidents of the USA, best remembered for Abolishing Slavery.

He had to win the American Civil War against the confederate states of South. He won the war after the surrender of Robert Edward Lee. Lee's invasion ended in defeat at Gettysburg in July 1863.

He was a lawyer by profession and was a silver-tongued orator. His famous speech was the Gettysburg address. He was a friendly, witty humble statesman who began his career in a log cabin and ended in the highest place of residence White House, USA.

He married the well educated Miss Mary Todd, who hails from an influential family in Lexingon, Kentucky. The wedding took place on November 4, 1842. They were blessed with a son Robert, who later did law studies at Harvard. He practised at Chicago. He did not possess the magnetic personality of Abraham, his father. Their second son, was Eddie Baker Lincoln.

The third son was Willie. The fourth was Thomas, called "Tad".

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "The greatness and morality of a nation can be judged by the way it treats the animals. Abraham and Mary and the family too were fond of animals. They rared turkeys, rabbits, cats, dogs and horses. In his Springfield village residence, Fido - mixed breed dog was his favourite. The kind-hearted man was a lover of animals as well as nature.

A testimony for this, was a letter, he sent to his son's teacher.

"Teach him the wonder of books. Also give him a quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun, flowers on a green. Teach him to listen to all, but teach him to filter all he hears on a screen of truth and take only the good that comes through.

Teach him gently. Do not cuddle him, because only the test of fire makes fine steel. Let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always the subline faith in himself. Then, he will have faith in mankind. Teach him to serve the humanity".

Like Sir Winston Churchill or our own Prime Minister, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Abraham Lincoln was a witty statesman.

During the Civil War, a Lincoln sympathiser said "God is on our side".

Promptly came the reply "I am not at all concerned about God's role. I am hundred percent sure, the Lord is always on the side of right. My constant, faith and anxiety and prayer is that this beloved nation, United States of America, may be on the Lord's side".

He was a man of honesty and integrity. He uttered once, "If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their honour, and respect. You may fool all the people all the time; you can fool some of the people all the time; but you cannot fool all of the people, all the time".

The kind-hearted President Abraham Lincoln, was a lover of literature and arts. On April 14, 1865, President Lincoln and his wife lady Mary Todd Lincoln were the chief guests enjoying the play, Our American Cousins. One of the actors, John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865), a confederate sympathiser entered the enclosure of the President and at close range, shot Abraham Lincoln on the back of his head. The tragic incident took place at Ford's Theatre, Washington D.C.

The great national leader, fine human being, who emancipated the slaves, succumbed to his injuries and passed away at 7.22 a.m. on April 15, 1865.

The great President, the 16th in the United States cherished, prestigious history. A six feet four colourful charismatic personality, Abraham Lincoln was buried in Oak-ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois.