1. Chronology
   1. 1809
      1. Born in Hardin County, Kentucky
   2. 1818
      1. Mother died of milk sickness
   3. 1831
      1. Left to New Orleans, witnessed slavery, and walked back home
   4. 1836
      1. Admitted to the bar
   5. 1842
      1. Married Mary Todd, who was from a wealthy slave-holding family in Kentucky
   6. 1844
      1. Bought a house in Springfield near Lincoln's law office
2. Summary
   1. Preserved the Union
   2. Abolished slavery
   3. Strengthened the nationional government
   4. Modernizing the economy
   5. No support in the South, huge support in the North
   6. 1863: Emancipation Proclamation
   7. 1863: Famous Gettysburg Address
   8. 1865: Pushed the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Congress
   9. Managed his own re-election
   10. First U.S. president to be assassinated
   11. Father was among the richest men in the county, but lost all of his land in 1816
   12. Took responsibility for all the chores expected of him
   13. Mostly self-educated and was an avid reader
   14. The deaths of their sons had a profound effect on both of them
   15. Suffered from melancholy
   16. At 6'4" he was tall and strong enough to intimidate any rival
   17. Spoke out against the Mexican-American War
   18. Opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act
   19. 1858: The Lincoln-Douglas debates are the most famous political debates in American History
   20. First president from the Republican Party
   21. Won the electoral vote 180 to a combined 123 for his 3 adversaries
   22. Strongly opposed compromise with the Confederacy
   23. Lincoln and Republican leaders agreed that the dismantling of the Union could not be tolerated
   24. Two priorities: ensure that Washington was well-defended, and conduct an aggressive war effort for prompt, decisive victory