Abraham Lincoln was a person of immaculate stature and success. He started as an Illinois lawyer who eventually became the sixteenth president of the United States and is one of the most known and heavily respected US presidents ever, sharing that crown with none other than George Washington. However, because of his status, his misfortunes and failures often get swept under the rug and as they are perceived as stains on his record rather than stepping stones towards his renowned accomplishments. It is only fair to the general public to wipe away that veil of apparent success and reveal the necessary setbacks of Lincoln’s life that made him so great in the first place.
Lincoln was born into desolate poverty on the frontier of Kentucky and after about a year and a half of inadequate schooling, he picked up the habit of self teaching by first teaching himself how to read with a little help from his illiterate birth mother who would go on to die while giving birth to Lincoln’s stillborn brother, Thomas. Since living in a log cabin his entire life did not particularly seem like the most enticing thing in the world, Abe then left to strike out on his own and go work for a general store after the family moved to a new homestead fearing another sickness outbreak. The business, and many other things in his life, did not turn out the way he intended. Within a few months, Abe was forced to sell his shares in the store as the business struggled and in March of 1832, Lincoln threw his hat into the ring of politics.
At 23, Abe’s first political attempt was to run for state legislature in Illinois. He lost. He lost, but he was not defeated. However, soon after his loss in politics he lost his job and then tried to go to law school but he was promptly rejected. Then a year later, Abe borrowed a hefty sum of money to start his own business venture and by the end of the year he was bankrupt and spent the next seventeen years of his life paying it off. Despite setback after setback Lincoln remained steadfast in his passion for law and politics. In 1834, Lincoln then won his first political victory: a seat as a member of the Whig party in the state legislature. After his perseverance, Lincoln held a steady position in the political world, but he was not so lucky in his personal life with the death of his first love interest Ann Rutledge.
After receiving his license to practice law in Illinois state courts in 1836, Lincoln wanted to progress his political career by running for Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. He lost, again. This was an unfortunate setback that did not for a second stop Lincoln as it was simply a sign to another open door of opportunity. He then served as Floor leader of the Whig party that year and went on to practice law in the US Circuit Court. Then in 1840, Lincoln was reelected for the fourth time to the State Legislature and was given his first case to argue in the Illinois Supreme Court. A year later he established his own private law firm with his legal colleague, Stephen Logan, and then the following year he was admitted to practice law in the US District Courts. A huge accomplishment that many lawyers and politicians chase to no avail, but it was not without his dedication and perseverance to his craft to fan the flames that drove him to use and overcome his shortcomings in life.
Abraham Lincoln would then go on to lose his bid for the United States Senate in 1854 and then again in 1858, while also losing his nomination for vice president in 1856. For four years, Lincoln remained stagnant in the success of his political ambitions, but in 1860 Abraham Lincoln was the first republican to win the presidential election and he became the 16th President of the United States. As president, Lincoln would go on to become one of the most influential icons ever. Abraham Lincoln served during a time of moral, political and constitutional unrest and led the country through a civil war in which he was able to preserve the union of the states, abolish slavery with the emancipation proclamation, reconstituted the federal government after the war, and modernized the economy of the United States. It goes to show that with a little elbow grease, or a lot more than that in Lincoln’s case, will get you dirty with unsuccessful ventures, but it will more importantly it will give you the skills, experience, and drive necessary to accomplish what you set out to do.
It is very inspirational to see how Lincoln was able to continue pursuing his interests when no one believed in him. It makes me sad to see that in today’s world, people do not appreciate Honest Abe’s story of overcoming and achievement; rather, we see people tear down and vandalize his, and many others’ statues. This story is compelling and needs to be heard by people who seem to want to destroy our history’s integrity. Lincoln faced problems every which way, but he always upheld his morals. That is the part of U.S. history that we don’t seem to see much of, but it is so important. Amazing post!!
It is crazy to think that someone with the presidential status can come from such hardships. It really goes to show that if you are really determined to achieve something, the only thing that stands in your way is yourself. I honestly never knew any of this about Lincoln and I think it is very interesting to see the success stories of major historical figures. Keep it up, another great post!