Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. He was president during a very rocky time in American History – the Civil War. Before he was even officially in office, some of the southern states began to secede (or leave the country) over the issue of slavery. The North wanted to abolish (get rid of) slavery and the South wanted to keep slavery legal. Lincoln succeeded in keeping the country together during this time, although in this war (which lasted about 4 years) over 600,000 Americans died. In 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves and abolished slavery.
Quick Facts About Abraham Lincoln:
Birthday: February 12, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky
Occupation: 16th President of the US, Clerk, Lawyer, Store Owner, Post Master, Military
Married: Mary Todd
Children: Robert Todd Lincoln, Edward Baker Lincoln, William Wallace Lincoln, Thomas Lincoln
Military Rank: Captain
Political Party: Republican
Vice President: Hannibal Hamlin (1st term), Andrew Johnson (2nd term)
Other Government Positions:
- House of Representatives (Illinois – 1847-1849)
- State Legislature (Illinois 1834-1842)
- Postmaster of New Salem, Illinois
Coloring Page:
Print out our Abraham Lincoln coloring page.
Cool Random Facts About Abraham Lincoln:
Abraham Lincoln is the only president in American history to hold a patent.
Lincoln’s design, which became U.S. Patent No. 6469, helped steamboats from running aground. It was very important to him, but was never implemented. Lincoln’s model (which he carved himself)and his drawings of his design are now on display in the Smithsonian.
Abraham Lincoln was a poet and a wrestler.
Abraham Lincoln wrote poetry and has been called the country’s only Poet President. And…he wrestled. I don’t think it was WWE wrestling and I’m not sure about the leotard, but it has been documented that he took part in wrestling bouts.
Abraham Lincoln’s son was saved by John Wilkes Boothe’s brother, Edwin
Robert Lincoln, Abraham’s son, was at at train station and fell between the platform and the train as the train began to move out of the station. He was pulled to safety by a famous actor of the time – Edwin Booth. Edwin, weirdly, was the brother of John Wilkes Booth, who would later assassinate President Lincoln.
More cool facts can be found at Biography.com and CivilWar.org.