Online Encyclopedia

intellect and character, distinctly above the social class in which she was born . The Lincolns had removed from Elizabethtown, Hardin county, their first See also:

home, to the Rock Spring farm, only a See also:

SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short See also:

time before Abraham's See also:

BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth; about 1813 they removed to a farm of 238 acres on Knob See also:

Creek, about 6 m. from Hodgenville; and in 1816 they crossed the See also:

OHIO

Ohio See also:

RIVER

river and settled on a See also:

QUARTER (through Fr. from Lat. quartarius, fourth part)

quarter-See also:

section, 1 m . E. of the See also:

PRESENT

present See also:

VILLAGE

village of Gentryville, in See also:

Spencer county, Indiana . There Abraham's See also:

MOTHER

mother died on the 5th of See also:

OCTOBER

October 1818 . In See also:

DECEMBER (Lat. decent, ten)

December 18.19 his father married, at his old home, Elizabethtown, Mrs Sarah (See also:

BUSH

Bush) See also:

Johnston (d . 1869), whom he had courted years before, whose See also:

THRIFT

thrift greatly improved conditions in the home, and who exerted a great See also:

INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence over her stepson .

Spencer county was still a See also:

WILDERNESS

wilderness, and the boy See also:

GREW, NEHEMIAH (1641-1712)

grew up in See also:

PIONEER

pioneer surroundings, living in a See also:

RUDE, FRANCOIS (1784–1855)

rude See also:

LOG (a word of uncertain etymological origin,possibly onomatopoeic; the New English Dictionary rejects the derivation from Norwegian lag, a fallen tree)

log-See also:

CABIN

cabin, enduring many hardships and knowing only the See also:

PRIMITIVE

primitive See also:

MANNERS, CHARLES (1857– )

manners, conversation and ambitions of sparsely settled backwoods communities . See also:

SCHOOLS

Schools were rare, and teachers qualified only to impart the merest rudiments . " Of course when I came of See also:

AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age I did not know much," wrote he years afterward, " still somehow I could read, write and See also:

CIPHER, or CYPHER (from Arab. sifr, void)

cipher to the See also:

RULE

rule of three, but that was all . I have not been to school since . The little advance I now have upon this See also:

STORE (from O. Fr. estor or estoire, Late Lat. staurum or instaurum, stock, provisions, supply, from the late use of instaurare, to provide, properly to construct, renew, restore)

store of See also:

EDUCATION

education, I have picked up from time to time under the pressure of See also:

NECESSITY (Lat. necessitas)

necessity." His entire schooling, in five different schools, amounted to less than a twelvemonth; but he became a See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good speller and an excellent penman . His own mother taught him to read, and his stepmother urged him to study . He read and re-read in See also:

early boyhood the See also:

Bible, See also:

AESOP (Gr. Aivwvros)

Aesop, See also:

Robinson Crusoe, See also:

PILGRIM

Pilgrim's Progress, Weems's See also:

LIFE

Life of Washington and a See also:

HISTORY

history of the United States; and later read every See also:

BOOK

book he could See also:

BORROW, GEORGE HENRY (18o3-1881)

borrow from the neighbours, See also:

Burns and See also:

SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM (1564-1616)

Shakespeare becoming favourites . He wrote rude, coarse satires, crude See also:

VERSE (from Lat. versus, literally a line or furrow drawn by turning the plough, from vertere, and afterwards signifying an arrangement of syllables into feet)

verse, and compositions on the American See also:

government, See also:

TEMPERANCE

temperance, &c . At the age of seventeen he had attained his full height, and began to be known as a wrestler, runner and lifter of great weights . When nineteen he made a See also:

JOURNEY (through O. Fr. jornee or journee, mod. Fr. journee, from med. Lat. diurnata, Lat. diurnus, of or belonging to dies, day)

journey as a hired See also:

hand on a flatboat to New See also:

Orleans . In See also:

March 1830 his father emigrated to See also:

Macon county, Illinois (near the present See also:

Decatur), and soon afterward removed to Coles county . Being now twenty-one years of age, Abraham hired himself to See also:

DENTON

Denton Offutt, a migratory trader and store-keeper then of Sangamon county, and he helped Offutt to build a flatboat and See also:

FLOAT (in O. Eng. floc and flota, in the verbal form f eotan; the Teutonic root is flut-, another form of flu-, seen in " flow," cf. " fleet "; the root is seen in Gr. a-M e, to sail, Lat. pluere, to rain; the Lat, fluere and fluctus, wave, is not connect

float it down the Sangamon, Illinois and See also:

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi See also:

rivers to New Orleans .

In 1831 Offutt made him clerk of his See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country store at New See also:

SALEM

Salem, a small and unsuccessful See also:

settlement in Menard county; this gave him moments of leisure to devote to self-education . He borrowed a See also:

GRAMMAR (from Lat. grammatica, sc. ars; Gr. ypaµ)

grammar and other books, sought explanations from the village schoolmaster and began to read See also:

law . In this frontier community law and politics claimed a large proportion of the stronger and the more ambitious men; the law early appealed to Lincoln and his See also:

general popularity encouraged him as early as 1832 to enter politics . In this See also:

YEAR

year Offutt failed and Lincoln was thus See also:

LEFT

left without employment . He became a See also:

CANDIDATE

candidate for the Illinois See also:

House of Representatives; and on the 9th of March 183 2 issued an address " To the See also:

PEOPLE

people of Sangamon county " which betokens See also:

TALENT (Lat. talentum, adaptation of Gr. TaXavrov, balance, ! Recollections of a First Visit to the Alps (1841); Vacation Rambles weight, from root raX-, to lift, as in rXi vac, to bear, 1-aXas, and Thoughts, comprising recollections of three Continental

talent and education far beyond See also:

mere ability to " read, write and cipher," though in its preparation he seems to have had the help of a friend . Before the See also:

election the See also:

Black See also:

HAWK (O. Eng. hafoc or heafoc, a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch havik, Ger. Habicht; the root is hab-, haf-, to hold, cf. Lat. accipiter, from capere)

Hawk See also:

INDIAN

Indian See also:

War See also:

broke out; Lincoln volunteered in one of the Sangamon county companies on the 21st of See also:

APRIL

April and was elected See also:

CAPTAIN (derived from Lat. ca put, head, through the Low Lat. capitanus)

captain by the members of the See also:

COMPANY

company . It is said that the See also:

OATH (0. Eng. ddh)

oath of See also:

ALLEGIANCE (Mid. Eng. ligeaunce; med. Lat. ligeantia, &c.; the al- was probably added through confusion with another legal term, allegeance, an allegation; the Fr. allegeance comes from the English; the word is formed from " liege," of which the derivatio

allegiance was administered to Lincoln at this time by Lieut . See also:

Jefferson See also:

Davis . The company, a See also:

PART

part of the 4th Illinois, was mustered out after the five See also:

WEEKS, EDWIN LORD (1849-1903)

weeks' service for which it volunteered, and Lincoln re-enlisted as a private on the 29th of May, and was finally mustered out on the 16th of June by Lieut . See also:

Robert See also:

Anderson, who in 1861 commanded the See also:

Union troops at Fort See also:

Sumter . As captain Lincoln was twice in disgrace, once for firing a See also:

PISTOL

pistol near See also:

CAMP (from Lat. campus, field)

camp and again because nearly his entire company was intoxicated . He was in no See also:

BATTLE

battle, and always spoke lightly of his military See also:

RECORD (Lat. recordari, to recall to mind, from cor, heart or mind)

record .

He was defeated in his See also:

CAMPAIGN

campaign for the legislature in 1832, partly because of his unpopular adherence to See also:

Clay and the American See also:

SYSTEM

system, but in his own election See also:

PRECINCT (from Lat. praecingere, to encircle, enclose, surround, prae and cingere, to gird)

precinct, he received nearly all the votes See also:

CAST (from the verb meaning " to throw "; the word is Scand. in origin, cf. Dan. kaste, and Swed. kasta; " cast " in Middle Eng. took the place of the A.S. weor pan, cf. Ger. werf en)

cast . With a friend, See also:

William See also:

Berry, he then bought a small country store, which soon failed chiefly because of the drunken habits of Berry and because Lincoln preferred to read and to tell stories—he early gained See also:

LOCAL

local celebrity as a See also:

story-See also:

TELLER, WILHELM ABRAHAM (1734-1804)

teller—rather than sell; about this time he got hold of a set of See also:

BLACKSTONE, SIR WILLIAM (1723-1780)

Blackstone . In the spring of 1833 the store's stock was sold to satisfy its creditors, and Lincoln assumed the See also:

FIRM

firm's debts, which he did not fully pay off for fifteen years . In May 1833, local friendship, disregarding politics, procured his See also:

APPOINTMENT, POWER OF

appointment as postmaster of New Salem, but this paid him very little, and in the same year the county surveyor of Sangamon county opportunely offered to make him one of his deputies . He hastily qualified himself .by study, and entered upon the See also:

PRACTICAL

practical duties of See also:

SURVEYING

surveying farm lines, roads and See also:

TOWN

town sites . " This," to use his own words, " procured See also:

BREAD

bread, and kept See also:

BODY

body and soul together." In 1834 Lincoln was elected (second of four successful candidates,' with only 14 fewer votes than the first) a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, to which he was re-elected in 1836, 1838 and 184o, serving until 1842 . In his.announcement of his candidacy in 1836 he promised to See also:

VOTE

vote for See also:

Hugh L . See also:

White of See also:

TENNESSEE

Tennessee (a vigorous opponent of See also:

Andrew See also:

Jackson in Tennessee politics) for president, and said: " I go for all sharing the privileges of the government who assist in bearing its burdens . Consequently, I go for admitting all whites to the right of See also:

SUFFRAGE (Lat. suffragium)

suffrage, who pay taxes or See also:

bear arms (by no means excluding See also:

FEMALES

females)"—a sentiment frequently quoted to prove Lincoln a believer in woman's suffrage . In this election he led the See also:

POLL

poll in Sangamon county . In the legislature, like the other representatives of that county, who were called the " See also:

Long Nine," because of their stature, he worked for See also:

INTERNAL

internal improvements, for which lavish appropriations were made, and for the See also:

DIVISION (from Lat. dividere, to break up into parts, separate)

division of Sangamon county and the choice of See also:

SPRINGFIELD

Springfield as the See also:

state See also:

capital, instead of Vandalia . He and his party colleagues followed See also:

Stephen A .

See also:

Douglas in adopting the See also:

convention system, to which Lincoln had been strongly opposed . In 1837 with one other representativefromSangamon county, named See also:

Dan See also:

Stone, he protested against a See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of resolutions, adopted by the Illinois General See also:

ASSEMBLY, UNLAWFUL

Assembly, expressing disapproval of the formation of abolition See also:

SOCIETIES, LEARNED

societies and asserting, among other things, that " the right of See also:

PROPERTY

property in slaves is sacred to the slave holding states under the Federal Constitution "; and Lincoln and Stone put out a See also:

paper in which they expressed their belief " that the institution of See also:

SLAVERY

slavery is founded on both injustice and See also:

BAD, BCD

bad policy, but that the promulgation of abolition doctrines tends rather to increase than abate its evils," "that the See also:

CONGRESS (Lat. congressus, coming together, from congredi; cum, with, and gradus, step)

Congress of the United States has no See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power under the Constitution to interfere with the institution of slavery in the different states," " that the Congress of the United States has the power, under the Constitution, to abolish slavery in the See also:

DISTRICT

District of See also:

COLUMBIA

Columbia, but that the power ought not to be exercised unless at the See also:

REQUEST, LETTERS OF

request of the people of the District." Lincoln was very popular among his See also:

FELLOW

fellow legislators, and in 1838 and in 1840 he received the complimentary vote of his minority colleagues for the speakership of the state House of Representatives . In 1842 he declined a renomination to the state legislature and attempted unsuccessfully to secure a nomination to Congress . In the same year he became interested in the Washingtonian temperance See also:

MOVEMENT

movement . In 1846 he was elected a member of the See also:

NATIONAL

National House of Representatives by a See also:

MAJORITY (Fr. majorite; Med. Lat. majoritas; Lat. major, greater)

majority of 1511 over his Democratic opponent, See also:

Peter See also:

Cartwright, the Methodist preacher . Lincoln was the only Whig member of Congress elected in Illinois in 1846 . In the House of Representatives on the 22nd of December 1847 he introduced the " Spot Resolutions," which quoted 'statements in the president's messages of the 11th of May 18415 and the 7th and 8th of December that Mexican troops had invaded the territory of the United States, and asked the president to tell the precise " spot " of invasion; he made a speech on these resolutions in the House on the 12th of See also:

JANUARY

January 1848 . His attitude toward the war and especially his vote for See also:

George Ashmun's See also:

AMENDMENT (through the O. Fr. amender, to correct, from Lat. mendum, a fault)

amendment to the See also:

SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)

supply See also:

BILL

bill at this session, declaring that the Mexican War was " unnecessarily and unconstitutionally commenced by the President," greatly displeased his constituents . He later introduced a bill regarding slavery in the District of Columbia, which (in accordance with his statement of 1837) was to be submitted to the vote of the District for approval, and which provided for compensated emancipation, forbade the bringing of slaves into the District of Columbia, except by government officials from slave states, and the selling of slaves away from the District, and arranged for the emancipation after a See also:

period of See also:

APPRENTICESHIP (from Fr. apprendre, to learn)

apprenticeship of all slave See also:

CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children born after the 1st of January 185o . While he was in Congress he voted repeatedly for the principle of the See also:

Wilmot Proviso . At the See also:

close of his See also:

TERM

term in 1848 he declined an appointment as See also:

GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

governor of the newly organized Territory of See also:

OREGON

Oregon and for a time worked, without success, for an appointment as See also:

COMMISSIONER

Commissioner of the General See also:

LAND

Land See also:

OFFICE (from Lat. officium, " duty," " service," a shortened form of opifacium, from facere, " to do," and either the stem of opes, " wealth," " aid," or opus, " work ")

Office . During the presidential campaign he made speeches in Illinois, and in Massachusetts he spoke before the Whig State Convention at See also:

Worcester on the 12th of See also:

SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September, and in the next ten days at See also:

Lowell, See also:

DEDHAM

Dedham, See also:

ROXBURY

Roxbury, See also:

CHELSEA

Chelsea, See also:

Cambridge and See also:

Boston .

He had become an eloquent and influential public See also:

SPEAKER

speaker, and in 184o and 1844 was a candidate on the Whig See also:

TICKET (O. Fr. esliquet, also estiquette, mod. etiquette, from Ger. sleeken, to stick up)

ticket for presidential elector . In 1834 his See also:

POLITICAL

political friend and colleague John Todd See also:

Stuart (1807-1885), a lawyer in full practice, had urged him to See also:

fit himself for the See also:

bar, and had See also:

LENT (0. Eng. lenclen, " spring," M. Eng. lenten, lente, lent; cf. Dut. lente, Ger. Lenz, " spring," 0. H. Ger. lenzin, lengizin, lenzo, probably from the same root as " long " and referring to " the lengthening days ")

lent him See also:

TEXT (Lat. textum, woven fabric, from texere, to weave)

text-books; and Lincoln, working diligently, was admitted to the bar in September 1836 . In April 1837 he quitted New Salem, and removed to Springfield, which was the county-seat and was soon to become the capital of the state, to begin practice in a See also:

PARTNERSHIP (earlier forms, partener, parcener, from Late Lat. partionarius for partitionarius, from partitio, sharing, pars, part)

partnership with Stuart, which was terminated in April 1841; from that time until September 1843 he was junior partner to Stephen Trigg See also:

Logan (r800-188o), and from 1843 until his See also:

DEATH

death he was See also:

SENIOR, NASSAU WILLIAM (1790-1864)

senior partner of William See also:

Henry Herndon (1818-1891) . Between 1849 and 1854 he took little part in politics, devoted himself to the law and became one of the leaders of the Illinois bar . His small fees—he once charged $3.50 for See also:

COLLECTING

collecting an See also:

account of nearly $600•oo—his frequent refusals to take cases which he did not think right and his attempts to prevent unnecessary litigation have become proverbial . See also:

JUDGE (Lat. judex, Fr. juge)

Judge See also:

David Davis, who knew Lincoln on the Illinois See also:

CIRCUIT (Lat. circuitus, from circum, round, and ire, to go)

circuit and whom Lincoln made in October 1862 an See also:

ASSOCIATE (Lat. associates, from ad, to, and sociare to join)

associate See also:

JUSTICE (Lat. justitia)

justice of the Supreme See also:

Court of the United States, said that he was " great both at nisi pins and before an appellate tribunal." He was an excellent See also:

CROSS

cross-examiner, whose candid friendliness of manner often succeeded in eliciting important testimony from unwilling witnesses . Among Lincoln's most famous cases were: one (See also:

Bailey v . See also:

Cromwell, 4 See also:

Ill . 71; frequently cited) before the Illinois Supreme Court in See also: