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This item will be a great addition to Lincoln Fans and collectors, President and History Collectors and AdvertisingCollectors and Fun Stuff Fans in General. Excellent item for a Lincoln or Presidential themed Party or toenhance a collection / display. Bid confident thatwe will ship this Abraham Lincoln Head Fast and Safe. High resolution photo conveys condition and details. If there are any questions,please contact us. Payment method is PayPal. Shipping & Handling costs are$9.95 for USPS Domestic. Will ship Fast and Safe. Thank you . Inventory Location T59 Abraham LincolnFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the American president. For other uses, seeAbraham Lincoln (disambiguation).
Abraham Lincoln Born inHodgenville, Kentucky, Lincoln grew up on thewestern frontierinKentuckyandIndiana. Largely self-educated, he became a lawyer inIllinois, aWhig Party leader, and a member of theIllinois House of Representatives, in which he served for twelve years. Elected to theUnited States House of Representativesin 1846, Lincoln promoted rapid modernization of the economy through banks, tariffs, and railroads. Because he had originally agreed not to run for a second term in Congress, and because his opposition to theMexican–American Warwas unpopular among Illinois voters, Lincoln returned toSpringfieldand resumed his successful law practice. Reentering politics in 1854, he became a leader in building the newRepublican Party, which had a statewide majority in Illinois. In 1858, while taking part in aseries of highly publicized debateswith his opponent and rival, DemocratStephen A. Douglas, Lincoln spoke out against the expansion of slavery, but lost the U.S. Senate race to Douglas. In 1860, Lincoln secured the Republican Party presidential nomination as a moderate from a swing state. With very little support in the slaveholding states of the South, he swept the North and waselected president in 1860. His victory prompted seven southern slave states to form theConfederate States of Americabefore he moved into theWhite House- no compromise or reconciliation was found regarding slavery and secession. Subsequently, on April 12, 1861, a Confederate attack onFort Sumterinspired the North to enthusiastically rally behind theUnionin a declaration of war. As the leader of the moderate faction of the Republican Party, Lincoln confronted Radical Republicans, who demanded harsher treatment of the South,War Democrats, who called for more compromise, anti-war Democrats (calledCopperheads), who despised him, and irreconcilable secessionists, who plotted his assassination. Politically, Lincoln fought back by pitting his opponents against each other, by carefully planned politicalpatronage, and by appealing to the American people with his powers of oratory.[3]HisGettysburg Addressbecame an iconic endorsement of the principles of nationalism, republicanism, equal rights, liberty, and democracy. Lincoln initially concentrated on the military and political dimensions of the war. His primary goal was to reunite the nation. He suspendedhabeas corpus, leading to the controversialex parte Merrymandecision, and he averted potential British intervention in the war by defusing theTrent Affairin late 1861. Lincoln closely supervised the war effort, especially the selection of top generals, including his most successful general,Ulysses S. Grant. He also made major decisions on Union war strategy, including a naval blockade that shut down the Souths normal trade, moves to take control of Kentucky and Tennessee, and using gunboats to gain control of the southern river system. Lincoln tried repeatedly to capture the Confederate capital atRichmond; each time a general failed, Lincoln substituted another, until finally Grant succeeded. As the war progressed, his complex moves toward ending slavery began with theEmancipation Proclamationof 1863; subsequently, Lincoln used the U.S. Army to protect escaped slaves, encouraged theborder statesto outlaw slavery, and pushed through Congress theThirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which permanently outlawed slavery. An exceptionally astute politician deeply involved with power issues in each state, Lincoln reached out to the War Democrats and managed his own re-election campaign in the1864 presidential election. Anticipating the wars conclusion, Lincoln pushed a moderate view ofReconstruction, seeking to reunite the nation speedily through a policy of generous reconciliation in the face of lingering and bitter divisiveness. On April 14, 1865, five days after the April 9th surrender of Confederate commanding generalRobert E. Lee, Lincoln was assassinated byJohn Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer. Lincoln has been consistentlyrankedboth by scholars[4]and the public[5]as one of the three greatest U.S. presidents. Family and childhoodEarly life and family ancestryMain article:Early life and career of Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809, the second child ofThomasandNancy Hanks Lincoln, in a one-room log cabin on theSinking Spring FarminHardin County, Kentucky[6](nowLaRue County). He is a descendant ofSamuel Lincoln, who migrated fromNorfolk, England toHingham, Massachusetts, in 1638. Samuels grandson and great-grandson began the familys western migration, which passed throughNew Jersey,Pennsylvania, andVirginia.[7][8]Lincolns paternal grandfather and namesake,Captain Abraham Lincoln, moved the family from Virginia toJefferson County, Kentuckyin the 1780s.[9]Captain Lincoln was killed in anIndian raidin 1786. His children, including six-year-old Thomas, the future presidents father, witnessed the attack.[10][11]After his fathers murder, Thomas was left to make his own way on the frontier, working at odd jobs in Kentucky and inTennessee, before settling with members of his family in Hardin County, Kentucky, in the early 1800s.[12][13] Lincolns mother, Nancy, was the daughter of Lucy Shipley Hanks, and was born in what is nowMineral County, West Virginia, then part of Virginia. The identity of Lincolns maternal grandfather is unclear.[14]According to William Ensign Lincolns bookThe Ancestry of Abraham Lincoln, Nancy was the daughter of Joseph Hanks;[15]however, the debate continues over whether she was born out of wedlock. Lucy Hanks migrated to Kentucky with her daughter, Nancy. The two women resided with relatives in Washington County, Kentucky.[14][16] Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks were married on June 12, 1806, in Washington County, and moved toElizabethtown, Kentucky, following their marriage.[17]They became the parents of three children: Sarah, born on February 10, 1807; Abraham, on February 12, 1809; and another son, Thomas, who died in infancy.[18]Thomas Lincoln bought or leased several farms in Kentucky, including the Sinking Spring farm, where Abraham was born; however, a land title dispute soon forced the Lincolns to move.[19][20]In 1811 the family moved eight miles north, toKnob Creek Farm, where Thomas acquired title to 230 acres (93ha) of land. In 1815 a claimant in another land dispute sought to eject the family from the farm.[20]Of the 816.5 acres that Thomas held in Kentucky, he lost all but 200 acres (81ha) of his land in court disputes over property titles.[21]Frustrated over the lack of security provided by Kentucky courts, Thomas sold the remaining land he held in Kentucky in 1814, and began planning a move toIndiana, where the land survey process was more reliable and the ability for an individual to retain land titles was more secure.[22] In 1816 the family moved north across theOhio RivertoIndiana, a free, non-slaveholding territory, where they settled in an "unbroken forest"[23]in Hurricane Township,Perry County. (Their land in southern Indiana became part ofSpencer County, Indiana, when the county was established in 1818.)[24][25]The farm is preserved as part of theLincoln Boyhood National Memorial. In 1860 Lincoln noted that the familys move to Indiana was "partly on account of slavery"; but mainly due to land title difficulties in Kentucky.[21][26]During the familys years in Kentucky and Indiana, Thomas Lincoln worked as a farmer, cabinetmaker, and carpenter.[27]He owned farms, several town lots and livestock, paid taxes, sat on juries, appraised estates, served on country slave patrols, and guarded prisoners. Thomas and Nancy Lincoln were also members of aSeparate Baptistschurch, which had restrictive moral standards and opposed alcohol, dancing, and slavery.[28]Within a year of the familys arrival in Indiana, Thomas claimed title to 160 acres (65ha) of Indiana land. Despite some financial challenges he eventually obtained clear title to 80 acres (32ha) of land in what became known as theLittle Pigeon Creek Communityin Spencer County.[29]Prior to the familys move to Illinois in 1830, Thomas had acquired an additional twenty acres of land adjacent to his property.[30]  The young Lincoln in sculpture at Senn Park, Chicago. Several significant family events took place during Lincolns youth in Indiana. On October 5, 1818, Nancy Lincoln died ofmilk sickness, leaving eleven-year-oldSarahin charge of a household that included her father, nine-year-old Abraham, and Dennis Hanks, Nancys nineteen-year-old orphaned cousin.[31]On December 2, 1819, Lincolns father marriedSarah "Sally" Bush Johnston, a widow from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, with three children of her own.[32]Abraham became very close to his stepmother, whom he referred to as "Mother".[33][34]Those who knew Lincoln as a teenager later recalled him being very distraught over his sister Sarahs death on January 20, 1828, while giving birth to astillbornson.[35][36] As a youth, Lincoln disliked the hard labor associated with frontier life. Some of his neighbors and family members thought for a time that he was lazy for all his "reading, scribbling, writing, ciphering, writing Poetry, etc.",[37][38][39]and must have done it to avoid manual labor. His stepmother also acknowledged he did not enjoy "physical labor", but loved to read.[40]Lincoln was largely self-educated. His formal schooling from several itinerant teachers was intermittent, the aggregate of which may have amounted to less than a year; however, he was an avid reader and retained a lifelong interest in learning.[41][42]Family, neighbors, and schoolmates of Lincolns youth recalled that he read and reread theKing James Bible,Aesops Fables,BunyansThe Pilgrims Progress,DefoesRobinson Crusoe, WeemssThe Life of Washington, andFranklinsAutobiography, among others.[43][44][45][46] As he grew into his teens, Lincoln took responsibility for the chores expected of him as one of the boys in the household. He also complied with the customary obligation of a son giving his father all earnings from work done outside the home until the age of twenty-one.[47]Abraham became adept at using an axe. Tall for his age, Lincoln was also strong and athletic.[48]He attained a reputation for brawn and audacity after a very competitive wrestling match with the renowned leader of a group of ruffians known as "the Clarys Grove boys".[49] In early March 1830, fearing amilk sicknessoutbreak along the Ohio River, the Lincoln family moved west to Illinois, a non-slaveholding state. They settled on a site inMacon County, Illinois, 10 miles (16km) west ofDecatur.[50][51]Historians disagree on who initiated the move.[52]After the family relocated to Illinois, Abraham became increasingly distant from his father,[53]in part because of his fathers lack of education, and occasionally lent him money.[54]In 1831, as Thomas and other members of the family prepared to move to anew homesteadinColes County, Illinois, Abraham was old enough to make his own decisions and struck out on his own.[55]Traveling down theSangamon River, he ended up in the village ofNew SaleminSangamon County.[56]Later that spring,Denton Offutt, a New Salem merchant, hired Lincoln and some friends to take goods byflatboatfrom New Salem to New Orleans via the Sangamon, Illinois, and Mississippi rivers. After arriving in New Orleans—and witnessing slavery firsthand—Lincoln returned to New Salem, where he remained for the next six years.[57][58] Marriage and childrenFurther information:Lincoln family tree,Medical and mental health of Abraham Lincoln, andSexuality of Abraham Lincoln  1864 photo of President Lincoln with youngest son,Tad  Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln, age 28 Lincolns first romantic interest wasAnn Rutledge, whom he met when he first moved to New Salem; by 1835, they were in a relationship but not formally engaged. She died at the age of 22 on August 25, 1835, most likely oftyphoid fever.[59]In the early 1830s, he met Mary Owens from Kentucky when she was visiting her sister.[60] Late in 1836, Lincoln agreed to a match with Mary if she returned to New Salem. Mary did return in November 1836, and Lincoln courted her for a time; however, they both had second thoughts about their relationship. On August 16, 1837, Lincoln wrote Mary a letter suggesting he would not blame her if she ended the relationship. She never replied and the courtship ended.[60] In 1840, Lincoln became engaged toMary Todd, who was from a wealthy slave-holding family inLexington, Kentucky.[61]They met inSpringfield, Illinois, in December 1839[62]and were engaged the following December.[63]A wedding set for January 1, 1841, was canceled when the two broke off their engagement at Lincolns initiative.[62][64]They later met again at a party and married on November 4, 1842, in the Springfield mansion of Marys married sister.[65]While preparing for the nuptials and feeling anxiety again, Lincoln, when asked where he was going, replied, "To hell, I suppose."[66] In 1844, the couple boughta housein Springfield near Lincolns law office. Mary Todd Lincoln kept house, often with the help of a relative or hired servant girl.[67]Robert Todd Lincolnwas born in 1843 andEdward Baker Lincoln(Eddie) in 1846. Lincoln "was remarkably fond of children",[68]and the Lincolns were not considered to be strict with their children.[69] Edward died on February 1, 1850, in Springfield, probably of tuberculosis."Willie" Lincolnwas born on December 21, 1850, and died of a fever on February 20, 1862. The Lincolns fourth son,Thomas "Tad" Lincoln, was born on April 4, 1853, and died of heart failure at the age of 18 on July 16, 1871.[70]Robert was the only child to live to adulthood and have children. His last descendant, great-grandsonRobert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, died in 1985.[71] The deaths of their sons had profound effects on both parents. Later in life, Mary struggled with the stresses of losing her husband and sons, and Robert Lincoln committed her temporarily to a mental health asylum in 1875.[72]Abraham Lincoln suffered from "melancholy", a condition which now is referred to asclinical depression.[73] Lincolns father-in-law and others of the Todd family were either slave owners or slave traders. Lincoln was close to the Todds, and he and his family occasionally visited the Todd estate in Lexington.[74]He was an affectionate, though often absent, husband and father of four children. Early career and militia serviceFurther information:Early life and career of Abraham LincolnandAbraham Lincoln in the Black Hawk War  Lincoln depicted protecting a Native American from his own men in a scene often related about Lincolns service during theBlack Hawk War. In 1832, at age 23, Lincoln and a partner bought a small general store on credit inNew Salem, Illinois.[75]Although the economy was booming in the region, the business struggled and Lincoln eventually sold his share. That March he began his political career with his first campaign for theIllinois General Assembly. He had attained local popularity and could draw crowds as a naturalraconteurin New Salem, though he lacked an education, powerful friends, and money, which may be why he lost. He advocated navigational improvements on the Sangamon River.[76][77] Before the election, Lincoln served as a captain in the Illinois Militia during theBlack Hawk War.[78]Following his return, Lincoln continued his campaign for the August 6 election for the Illinois General Assembly. At 6feet 4inches (193cm),[79]he was tall and "strong enough to intimidate any rival". At his first speech, when he saw a supporter in the crowd being attacked, Lincoln grabbed the assailant by his "neck and the seat of his trousers" and threw him.[80]Lincoln finished eighth out of 13 candidates (the top four were elected), though he received 277 of the 300 votes cast in the New Salem precinct.[81] Lincoln served as New Salems postmaster and later as county surveyor, all the while reading voraciously. He then decided to become a lawyer and began teaching himself law by readingBlackstonesCommentaries on the Laws of Englandand other law books. Of his learning method, Lincoln stated: "I studied with nobody".[82]His second campaign in 1834 was successful. He won election to the state legislature; though he ran as aWhig, many Democrats favored him over a more powerful Whig opponent.[83] Admitted to the barin 1836,[84]he moved to Springfield, Illinois, and began to practice law underJohn T. Stuart, Mary Todds cousin.[85]Lincoln became an able and successful lawyer with a reputation as a formidable adversary during cross-examinations and closing arguments. He partnered withStephen T. Loganfrom 1841 until 1844. Then Lincoln beganhis practicewithWilliam Herndon, whom Lincoln thought "a studious young man".[86] Successful on his second run for office, Lincoln served four successive terms in theIllinois House of Representativesas a Whig representative from Sangamon County.[87]He supported the construction of theIllinois and Michigan Canal, which he remained involved with later as a Canal Commissioner.[88]In the 1835–36 legislative session, he voted to expand suffrage to white males, whether landowners or not.[89]He was known for his "free soil" stance of opposing both slavery andabolitionism. He first articulated this in 1837, saying, "[The] Institution of slavery is founded on both injustice and bad policy, but the promulgation of abolition doctrines tends rather to increase than abate its evils."[90]His stance closely followedHenry Clayin supporting theAmerican Colonization Societyprogram of making the abolition of slavery practical by its advocation and helping the freed slaves to settle inLiberiain Africa.[91] U.S. House of Representatives, 1847–49 Lincoln in his late 30s as a member of theU.S. House of Representatives. Photo taken by one of Lincolns law students around 1846. From the early 1830s, Lincoln was a steadfast Whig and professed to friends in 1861 to be, "an old line Whig, a disciple of Henry Clay".[92]The party, including Lincoln, favored economic modernization in banking, protective tariffs to fundinternal improvementsincluding railroads, and espoused urbanization as well.[93] In 1846, Lincoln was elected to theU.S. House of Representatives, where he served one two-year term. He was the only Whig in the Illinois delegation, but he showed his party loyalty by participating in almost all votes and making speeches that echoed the party line.[94]Lincoln, in collaboration with abolitionist CongressmanJoshua R. Giddings, wrote a bill to abolish slavery in theDistrict of Columbiawith compensation for the owners, enforcement to capture fugitive slaves, and a popular vote on the matter. He abandoned the bill when it failed to garner sufficient Whig supporters.[95] On foreign and military policy, Lincoln spoke out against theMexican–American War, which he attributed toPresident Polks desire for "military glory—that attractive rainbow, that rises in showers of blood".[96]Lincoln also supported theWilmot Proviso, which, if it had been adopted, would have banned slavery in any U.S. territory won from Mexico.[97] Lincoln emphasized his opposition to Polk by drafting and introducing hisSpot Resolutions. The war had begun with a Mexican slaughter of American soldiers in territory disputed by Mexico and the U.S. Polk insisted that Mexican soldiers had "invadedour territoryand shed the blood of our fellow-citizens on ourown soil".[98][99]Lincoln demanded that Polk show Congress the exact spot on which blood had been shed and prove that the spot was on American soil.[99] Congress never enacted the resolution or even debated it, the national papers ignored it, and it resulted in a loss of political support for Lincoln in his district. One Illinois newspaper derisively nicknamed him "spotty Lincoln".[100][101][102]Lincoln later regretted some of his statements, especially his attack on the presidential war-making powers.[103] Realizing Clay was unlikely to win the presidency, Lincoln, who had pledged in 1846 to serve only one term in the House, supported GeneralZachary Taylorfor the Whig nomination in the1848 presidential election.[104]Taylor won and Lincoln hoped to be appointed Commissioner of theGeneral Land Office, but that lucrative patronage job went to an Illinois rival,Justin Butterfield, considered by the administration to be a highly skilled lawyer, but in Lincolns view, an "old fossil".[105]The administration offered him the consolation prize of secretary or governor of theOregon Territory. This distant territory was a Democratic stronghold, and acceptance of the post would have effectively ended his legal and political career in Illinois, so he declined and resumed his law practice.[106] Prairie lawyerLincoln returned to practicing law in Springfield, handling "every kind of business that could come before a prairie lawyer".[107]Twice a year for 16 years, 10 weeks at a time, he appeared in county seats in the midstate region when the county courts were in session.[108]Lincoln handled many transportation cases in the midst of the nations western expansion, particularly the conflicts arising from the operation of river barges under the many new railroad bridges. As a riverboat man, Lincoln initially favored those interests, but ultimately represented whoever hired him.[109]In fact, he later represented a bridge company against a riverboat company in alandmark caseinvolving a canal boat that sank after hitting a bridge.[110][111]In 1849, he receiveda patent for a flotation devicefor the movement of boats in shallow water. The idea was never commercialized, but Lincoln is the only president to hold a patent.[112][113] In 1851, he represented theAlton & Sangamon Railroadin a dispute with one of its shareholders, James A. Barret, who had refused to pay the balance on his pledge to buy shares in the railroad on the grounds that the company had changed its original train route.[114][115]Lincoln successfully argued that the railroad company was not bound by its original charter extant at the time of Barrets pledge; the charter was amended in the public interest to provide a newer, superior, and less expensive route, and the corporation retained the right to demand Barrets payment. The decision by theIllinois Supreme Courthas been cited by numerous other courts in the nation.[114]Lincoln appeared before the Illinois Supreme Court in 175 cases, in 51 as sole counsel, of which 31 were decided in his favor.[116]From 1853 to 1860, another of Lincolns largest clients was theIllinois Central Railroad.[117]Lincolns reputation with clients gave rise to his nickname "Honest Abe."[118] Lincolns most notable criminal trial occurred in 1858 when he defendedWilliam "Duff" Armstrong, who was on trial for the murder of James Preston Metzker.[119]The case is famous for Lincolns use of a fact established byjudicial noticein order to challenge the credibility of an eyewitness. After an opposing witness testified seeing the crime in the moonlight, Lincoln produced aFarmers Almanacshowing the moon was at a low angle, drastically reducing visibility. Based on this evidence, Armstrong was acquitted.[119] Lincoln rarely raised objections in the courtroom; but in an 1859 case, where he defended a cousin, Peachy Harrison, who was accused of stabbing another to death, Lincoln angrily protested the judges decision to exclude evidence favorable to his client. Instead of holding Lincoln in contempt of court as was expected, the judge, a Democrat, reversed his ruling, allowing the evidence and acquitting Harrison.[119][120] Republican politics 1854–60Slavery and a "House Divided"Further information:Slave and free statesandAbraham Lincoln and slavery By the 1850s, slavery was still legal in the southern United States, but had been generally outlawed in the northern states, including Illinois, whose original 1818 Constitution forbade slavery, as required by theNorthwest Ordinance.[121]Lincoln disapproved of slavery, and the spread of slavery to new U.S. territory in the west.[122]He returned to politics to oppose the pro-slaveryKansas–Nebraska Act(1854); this law repealed the slavery-restrictingMissouri Compromise(1820). Senior SenatorStephen A. Douglasof Illinois had incorporatedpopular sovereigntyinto the Act. Douglas provision, which Lincoln opposed, specified settlers had the right to determine locally whether to allow slavery in new U.S. territory, rather than have such a decision restricted by the national Congress.[123] Eric Foner(2010) contrasts the abolitionists and anti-slavery Radical Republicans of the Northeast who saw slavery as a sin, with the conservative Republicans who thought it was bad because it hurt white people and blocked progress. Foner argues that Lincoln was a moderate in the middle, opposing slavery primarily because it violated therepublicanism principlesof theFounding Fathers, especially the equality of all men and democratic self-government as expressed in theDeclaration of Independence.[124]  A portrait ofDred Scott. Lincoln denounced the Supreme Court decision inDred Scott v. Sandfordas part of a conspiracy to extend slavery. On October 16, 1854, in his "Peoria Speech", Lincoln declared his opposition to slavery, which he repeated en route to the presidency.[125]Speaking in his Kentucky accent, with a very powerful voice,[126]he said the Kansas Act had a "declaredindifference, but as I must think, a covertrealzeal for the spread of slavery. I cannot but hate it. I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world..."[127] In late 1854, Lincoln ran as a Whig for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois. At that time, senators were elected by the state legislature.[128]After leading in the first six rounds of voting in the Illinois assembly, his support began to dwindle, and Lincoln instructed his backers to vote forLyman Trumbull, who defeated opponentJoel Aldrich Matteson.[129]The Whigs had been irreparably split by the Kansas–Nebraska Act. Lincoln wrote, "I think I am a Whig, but others say there are no Whigs, and that I am an abolitionist [...] I do no more than oppose theextensionof slavery."[130] Drawing on remnants of the old Whig party, and on disenchantedFree Soil,Liberty, andDemocratic Partymembers, he was instrumental in forging the shape of the newRepublican Party.[131]At the1856 Republican National Convention, Lincoln placed second in the contest to become the partys candidate for vice president.[132] In 1857–1858, Douglas broke with PresidentJames Buchanan, leading to a fight for control of the Democratic Party. Some eastern Republicans even favored the reelection of Douglas for the Senate in 1858, since he had led the opposition to theLecompton Constitution, which would have admitted Kansas as aslave state.[133]In March 1857, the Supreme Court issued its decision inDred Scott v. Sandford; Chief JusticeRoger B. Taneyopined that blacks were not citizens, and derived no rights from the Constitution. Lincoln denounced the decision, alleging it was the product of a conspiracy of Democrats to support theSlave Power.[134]Lincoln argued, "The authors of the Declaration of Independence never intended to say all were equal in color, size, intellect, moral developments, or social capacity, but they did consider all men created equal—equal in certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."[135] After the state Republican party convention nominated him for the U.S. Senate in 1858, Lincoln delivered hisHouse Divided Speech, drawing onMark 3:25, "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other."[136]The speech created an evocative image of the danger of disunion caused by the slavery debate, and rallied Republicans across the North.[137]The stage was then set for the campaign for statewide election of the Illinois legislature which would, in turn, select Lincoln or Douglas as its U.S. senator.[138] Lincoln–Douglas debates and Cooper Union speechFurther information:Lincoln–Douglas debatesandCooper Union speech  Lincoln in 1858, the year ofhis debateswithStephen Douglasover slavery. The Senate campaign featured the sevenLincoln–Douglas debatesof 1858, the most famous political debates in American history.[139]The principals stood in stark contrast both physically and politically. Lincoln warned that "The Slave Power" was threatening the values of republicanism, and accused Douglas of distorting the values of the Founding Fathers thatall men are created equal, while Douglas emphasized hisFreeport Doctrine, that local settlers were free to choose whether to allow slavery or not, and accused Lincoln of having joined the abolitionists.[140]The debates had an atmosphere of a prize fight and drew crowds in the thousands. Lincoln stated Douglaspopular sovereigntytheory was a threat to the nations morality and that Douglas represented a conspiracy to extend slavery to free states. Douglas said that Lincoln was defying the authority of the U.S. Supreme Court and theDred Scottdecision.[141] Though the Republican legislative candidates won more popular votes, the Democrats won more seats, and the legislature re-elected Douglas to the Senate. Despite the bitterness of the defeat for Lincoln, his articulation of the issues gave him a national political reputation.[142]In May 1859, Lincoln purchased theIllinois Staats-Anzeiger,a German-language newspaper which was consistently supportive; most of the states 130,000 German Americans voted Democratic but there was Republican support that a German-language paper could mobilize.[143] On February 27, 1860, New York party leaders invited Lincoln to give aspeech at Cooper Unionto a group of powerful Republicans. Lincoln argued that the Founding Fathers had little use for popular sovereignty and had repeatedly sought to restrict slavery. Lincoln insisted the moral foundation of the Republicans required opposition to slavery, and rejected any "groping for some middle ground between the right and the wrong".[144]Despite his inelegant appearance—many in the audience thought him awkward and even ugly[145]—Lincoln demonstrated an intellectual leadership that brought him into the front ranks of the party and into contention for the Republican presidential nomination. JournalistNoah Brooksreported, "No man ever before made such an impression on his first appeal to a New York audience."[146][147] HistorianDonalddescribed the speech as a "superb political move for an unannounced candidate, to appear in one rivals (William H. Seward) own state at an event sponsored by the second rivals (Salmon P. Chase) loyalists, while not mentioning either by name during its delivery".[148]In response to an inquiry about his presidential intentions, Lincoln said, "The tasteisin my mouth a little."[149] 1860 Presidential nomination and campaignMain articles:Electoral history of Abraham LincolnandUnited States presidential election, 1860  "The Rail Candidate"—Lincolns 1860 candidacy is depicted as held up by the slavery issue—a slave on the left and party organization on the right. On May 9–10, 1860, the Illinois Republican State Convention was held in Decatur.[150]Lincolns followers organized a campaign team led byDavid Davis,Norman Judd,Leonard Swett, and Jesse DuBois, and Lincoln received his first endorsement to run for the presidency.[151]Exploiting the embellished legend of his frontier days with his father (clearing the land and splitting fence rails with an ax), Lincolns supporters adopted the label of "The Rail Candidate".[152] On May 18, at theRepublican National Conventionin Chicago, Lincolns friends promised and manipulated and won the nomination on the third ballot, beating candidates such as William H. Seward and Salmon P. Chase. A former Democrat,Hannibal Hamlinof Maine, was nominated for Vice President to balance the ticket. Lincolns success depended on his reputation as a moderate on the slavery issue, and his strong support for Whiggish programs of internal improvements and the protective tariff.[153] On the third ballot Pennsylvania put him over the top. Pennsylvania iron interests were reassured by his support for protective tariffs.[154]Lincolns managers had been adroitly focused on this delegation as well as the others, while following Lincolns strong dictate to "Make no contracts that bind me".[155] Most Republicans agreed with Lincoln that the North was the aggrieved party, as the Slave Power tightened its grasp on the national government with theDred Scottdecision and the presidency of James Buchanan. Throughout the 1850s, Lincoln doubted the prospects of civil war, and his supporters rejected claims that his election would incite secession.[156]Meanwhile, Douglas was selected as the candidate of the Northern Democrats. Delegates from 11 slave states walked out of theDemocratic convention, disagreeing with Douglas position on popular sovereignty, and ultimately selectedJohn C. Breckinridgeas their candidate.[157] As Douglas and the other candidates went through with their campaigns, Lincoln was the only one of them who gave no speeches. Instead, he monitored the campaign closely and relied on the enthusiasm of the Republican Party. The party did the leg work that produced majorities across the North, and produced an abundance of campaign posters, leaflets, and newspaper editorials. There were thousands of Republican speakers who focused first on the party platform, and second on Lincolns life story, emphasizing his childhood poverty. The goal was to demonstrate the superior power of "free labor", whereby a common farm boy could work his way to the top by his own efforts.[158]The Republican Partys production of campaign literature dwarfed the combined opposition; aChicago Tribunewriter produced a pamphlet that detailed Lincolns life, and sold 100,000 to 200,000 copies.[159] PresidencyMain article:Presidency of Abraham Lincoln 1860 election and secessionMain articles:United States presidential election, 1860andBaltimore Plot  In 1860, northern and westernelectoralvotes (shown in red) put Lincoln into the White House.  1861 inaugural at theCapitol. The rotunda was still under construction. On November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States, beating Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats, andJohn Bellof the newConstitutional Union Party. He was the first president from the Republican Party. His victory was entirely due to the strength of his support in the North and West; no ballots were cast for him in 10 of the 15 Southern slave states, and he won only two of 996 counties in all the Southern states.[160] Lincoln received 1,866,452 votes, Douglas 1,376,957 votes, Breckinridge 849,781 votes, and Bell 588,789 votes. Turnout was 82.2percent, with Lincoln winning the free Northern states, as well as California and Oregon. Douglas won Missouri, and split New Jersey with Lincoln.[161]Bell won Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, and Breckinridge won the rest of the South.[162] Although Lincoln won only a plurality of the popular vote, his victory in theelectoral collegewas decisive: Lincoln had 180 and his opponents added together had only 123. There werefusion ticketsin which all of Lincolns opponents combined to support the same slate of Electors in New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, but even if the anti-Lincoln vote had been combined in every state, Lincoln still would have won a majority in the Electoral College.[163]  The first photographic image of the new president As Lincolns election became evident, secessionists made clear their intent to leave the Union before he took office the next March.[164]On December 20, 1860, South Carolina took the lead by adopting an ordinance of secession; by February 1, 1861, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas followed.[165][166]Six of these states then adopted a constitution and declared themselves to be a sovereign nation, theConfederate States of America.[165]The upper South and border states (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas) listened to, but initially rejected, the secessionist appeal.
This item will be a great addition to Lincoln Fans and collectors, President and History Collectors and AdvertisingCollectors and Fun Stuff Fans in General. Excellent item for a Lincoln or Presidential themed Party or toenhance a collection / display. Bid confident thatwe will ship this Abraham Lincoln Head Fast and Safe. High resolution photo conveys condition and details. If there are any questions,please contact us. Payment method is PayPal. Shipping & Handling costs are$9.95 for USPS Domestic. Will ship Fast and Safe. Thank you . Inventory Location T59 President of the United States First Term Second Term Assassination and legacy Abraham Lincoln Born inHodgenville, Kentucky, Lincoln grew up on thewestern frontierinKentuckyandIndiana. Largely self-educated, he became a lawyer inIllinois, aWhig Party leader, and a member of theIllinois House of Representatives, in which he served for twelve years. Elected to theUnited States House of Representativesin 1846, Lincoln promoted rapid modernization of the economy through banks, tariffs, and railroads. Because he had originally agreed not to run for a second term in Congress, and because his opposition to theMexican–American Warwas unpopular among Illinois voters, Lincoln returned toSpringfieldand resumed his successful law practice. Reentering politics in 1854, he became a leader in building the newRepublican Party, which had a statewide majority in Illinois. In 1858, while taking part in aseries of highly publicized debateswith his opponent and rival, DemocratStephen A. Douglas, Lincoln spoke out against the expansion of slavery, but lost the U.S. Senate race to Douglas. In 1860, Lincoln secured the Republican Party presidential nomination as a moderate from a swing state. With very little support in the slaveholding states of the South, he swept the North and waselected president in 1860. His victory prompted seven southern slave states to form theConfederate States of Americabefore he moved into theWhite House- no compromise or reconciliation was found regarding slavery and secession. Subsequently, on April 12, 1861, a Confederate attack onFort Sumterinspired the North to enthusiastically rally behind theUnionin a declaration of war. As the leader of the moderate faction of the Republican Party, Lincoln confronted Radical Republicans, who demanded harsher treatment of the South,War Democrats, who called for more compromise, anti-war Democrats (calledCopperheads), who despised him, and irreconcilable secessionists, who plotted his assassination. Politically, Lincoln fought back by pitting his opponents against each other, by carefully planned politicalpatronage, and by appealing to the American people with his powers of oratory.[3]HisGettysburg Addressbecame an iconic endorsement of the principles of nationalism, republicanism, equal rights, liberty, and democracy. Lincoln initially concentrated on the military and political dimensions of the war. His primary goal was to reunite the nation. He suspendedhabeas corpus, leading to the controversialex parte Merrymandecision, and he averted potential British intervention in the war by defusing theTrent Affairin late 1861. Lincoln closely supervised the war effort, especially the selection of top generals, including his most successful general,Ulysses S. Grant. He also made major decisions on Union war strategy, including a naval blockade that shut down the Souths normal trade, moves to take control of Kentucky and Tennessee, and using gunboats to gain control of the southern river system. Lincoln tried repeatedly to capture the Confederate capital atRichmond; each time a general failed, Lincoln substituted another, until finally Grant succeeded. As the war progressed, his complex moves toward ending slavery began with theEmancipation Proclamationof 1863; subsequently, Lincoln used the U.S. Army to protect escaped slaves, encouraged theborder statesto outlaw slavery, and pushed through Congress theThirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which permanently outlawed slavery. An exceptionally astute politician deeply involved with power issues in each state, Lincoln reached out to the War Democrats and managed his own re-election campaign in the1864 presidential election. Anticipating the wars conclusion, Lincoln pushed a moderate view ofReconstruction, seeking to reunite the nation speedily through a policy of generous reconciliation in the face of lingering and bitter divisiveness. On April 14, 1865, five days after the April 9th surrender of Confederate commanding generalRobert E. Lee, Lincoln was assassinated byJohn Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer. Lincoln has been consistentlyrankedboth by scholars[4]and the public[5]as one of the three greatest U.S. presidents. Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809, the second child ofThomasandNancy Hanks Lincoln, in a one-room log cabin on theSinking Spring FarminHardin County, Kentucky[6](nowLaRue County). He is a descendant ofSamuel Lincoln, who migrated fromNorfolk, England toHingham, Massachusetts, in 1638. Samuels grandson and great-grandson began the familys western migration, which passed throughNew Jersey,Pennsylvania, andVirginia.[7][8]Lincolns paternal grandfather and namesake,Captain Abraham Lincoln, moved the family from Virginia toJefferson County, Kentuckyin the 1780s.[9]Captain Lincoln was killed in anIndian raidin 1786. His children, including six-year-old Thomas, the future presidents father, witnessed the attack.[10][11]After his fathers murder, Thomas was left to make his own way on the frontier, working at odd jobs in Kentucky and inTennessee, before settling with members of his family in Hardin County, Kentucky, in the early 1800s.[12][13] Lincolns mother, Nancy, was the daughter of Lucy Shipley Hanks, and was born in what is nowMineral County, West Virginia, then part of Virginia. The identity of Lincolns maternal grandfather is unclear.[14]According to William Ensign Lincolns bookThe Ancestry of Abraham Lincoln, Nancy was the daughter of Joseph Hanks;[15]however, the debate continues over whether she was born out of wedlock. Lucy Hanks migrated to Kentucky with her daughter, Nancy. The two women resided with relatives in Washington County, Kentucky.[14][16] Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks were married on June 12, 1806, in Washington County, and moved toElizabethtown, Kentucky, following their marriage.[17]They became the parents of three children: Sarah, born on February 10, 1807; Abraham, on February 12, 1809; and another son, Thomas, who died in infancy.[18]Thomas Lincoln bought or leased several farms in Kentucky, including the Sinking Spring farm, where Abraham was born; however, a land title dispute soon forced the Lincolns to move.[19][20]In 1811 the family moved eight miles north, toKnob Creek Farm, where Thomas acquired title to 230 acres (93ha) of land. In 1815 a claimant in another land dispute sought to eject the family from the farm.[20]Of the 816.5 acres that Thomas held in Kentucky, he lost all but 200 acres (81ha) of his land in court disputes over property titles.[21]Frustrated over the lack of security provided by Kentucky courts, Thomas sold the remaining land he held in Kentucky in 1814, and began planning a move toIndiana, where the land survey process was more reliable and the ability for an individual to retain land titles was more secure.[22] In 1816 the family moved north across theOhio RivertoIndiana, a free, non-slaveholding territory, where they settled in an "unbroken forest"[23]in Hurricane Township,Perry County. (Their land in southern Indiana became part ofSpencer County, Indiana, when the county was established in 1818.)[24][25]The farm is preserved as part of theLincoln Boyhood National Memorial. In 1860 Lincoln noted that the familys move to Indiana was "partly on account of slavery"; but mainly due to land title difficulties in Kentucky.[21][26]During the familys years in Kentucky and Indiana, Thomas Lincoln worked as a farmer, cabinetmaker, and carpenter.[27]He owned farms, several town lots and livestock, paid taxes, sat on juries, appraised estates, served on country slave patrols, and guarded prisoners. Thomas and Nancy Lincoln were also members of aSeparate Baptistschurch, which had restrictive moral standards and opposed alcohol, dancing, and slavery.[28]Within a year of the familys arrival in Indiana, Thomas claimed title to 160 acres (65ha) of Indiana land. Despite some financial challenges he eventually obtained clear title to 80 acres (32ha) of land in what became known as theLittle Pigeon Creek Communityin Spencer County.[29]Prior to the familys move to Illinois in 1830, Thomas had acquired an additional twenty acres of land adjacent to his property.[30] Several significant family events took place during Lincolns youth in Indiana. On October 5, 1818, Nancy Lincoln died ofmilk sickness, leaving eleven-year-oldSarahin charge of a household that included her father, nine-year-old Abraham, and Dennis Hanks, Nancys nineteen-year-old orphaned cousin.[31]On December 2, 1819, Lincolns father marriedSarah "Sally" Bush Johnston, a widow from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, with three children of her own.[32]Abraham became very close to his stepmother, whom he referred to as "Mother".[33][34]Those who knew Lincoln as a teenager later recalled him being very distraught over his sister Sarahs death on January 20, 1828, while giving birth to astillbornson.[35][36] As a youth, Lincoln disliked the hard labor associated with frontier life. Some of his neighbors and family members thought for a time that he was lazy for all his "reading, scribbling, writing, ciphering, writing Poetry, etc.",[37][38][39]and must have done it to avoid manual labor. His stepmother also acknowledged he did not enjoy "physical labor", but loved to read.[40]Lincoln was largely self-educated. His formal schooling from several itinerant teachers was intermittent, the aggregate of which may have amounted to less than a year; however, he was an avid reader and retained a lifelong interest in learning.[41][42]Family, neighbors, and schoolmates of Lincolns youth recalled that he read and reread theKing James Bible,Aesops Fables,BunyansThe Pilgrims Progress,DefoesRobinson Crusoe, WeemssThe Life of Washington, andFranklinsAutobiography, among others.[43][44][45][46] As he grew into his teens, Lincoln took responsibility for the chores expected of him as one of the boys in the household. He also complied with the customary obligation of a son giving his father all earnings from work done outside the home until the age of twenty-one.[47]Abraham became adept at using an axe. Tall for his age, Lincoln was also strong and athletic.[48]He attained a reputation for brawn and audacity after a very competitive wrestling match with the renowned leader of a group of ruffians known as "the Clarys Grove boys".[49] In early March 1830, fearing amilk sicknessoutbreak along the Ohio River, the Lincoln family moved west to Illinois, a non-slaveholding state. They settled on a site inMacon County, Illinois, 10 miles (16km) west ofDecatur.[50][51]Historians disagree on who initiated the move.[52]After the family relocated to Illinois, Abraham became increasingly distant from his father,[53]in part because of his fathers lack of education, and occasionally lent him money.[54]In 1831, as Thomas and other members of the family prepared to move to anew homesteadinColes County, Illinois, Abraham was old enough to make his own decisions and struck out on his own.[55]Traveling down theSangamon River, he ended up in the village ofNew SaleminSangamon County.[56]Later that spring,Denton Offutt, a New Salem merchant, hired Lincoln and some friends to take goods byflatboatfrom New Salem to New Orleans via the Sangamon, Illinois, and Mississippi rivers. After arriving in New Orleans—and witnessing slavery firsthand—Lincoln returned to New Salem, where he remained for the next six years.[57][58] Lincolns first romantic interest wasAnn Rutledge, whom he met when he first moved to New Salem; by 1835, they were in a relationship but not formally engaged. She died at the age of 22 on August 25, 1835, most likely oftyphoid fever.[59]In the early 1830s, he met Mary Owens from Kentucky when she was visiting her sister.[60] Late in 1836, Lincoln agreed to a match with Mary if she returned to New Salem. Mary did return in November 1836, and Lincoln courted her for a time; however, they both had second thoughts about their relationship. On August 16, 1837, Lincoln wrote Mary a letter suggesting he would not blame her if she ended the relationship. She never replied and the courtship ended.[60] In 1840, Lincoln became engaged toMary Todd, who was from a wealthy slave-holding family inLexington, Kentucky.[61]They met inSpringfield, Illinois, in December 1839[62]and were engaged the following December.[63]A wedding set for January 1, 1841, was canceled when the two broke off their engagement at Lincolns initiative.[62][64]They later met again at a party and married on November 4, 1842, in the Springfield mansion of Marys married sister.[65]While preparing for the nuptials and feeling anxiety again, Lincoln, when asked where he was going, replied, "To hell, I suppose."[66] In 1844, the couple boughta housein Springfield near Lincolns law office. Mary Todd Lincoln kept house, often with the help of a relative or hired servant girl.[67]Robert Todd Lincolnwas born in 1843 andEdward Baker Lincoln(Eddie) in 1846. Lincoln "was remarkably fond of children",[68]and the Lincolns were not considered to be strict with their children.[69] Edward died on February 1, 1850, in Springfield, probably of tuberculosis."Willie" Lincolnwas born on December 21, 1850, and died of a fever on February 20, 1862. The Lincolns fourth son,Thomas "Tad" Lincoln, was born on April 4, 1853, and died of heart failure at the age of 18 on July 16, 1871.[70]Robert was the only child to live to adulthood and have children. His last descendant, great-grandsonRobert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, died in 1985.[71] The deaths of their sons had profound effects on both parents. Later in life, Mary struggled with the stresses of losing her husband and sons, and Robert Lincoln committed her temporarily to a mental health asylum in 1875.[72]Abraham Lincoln suffered from "melancholy", a condition which now is referred to asclinical depression.[73] Lincolns father-in-law and others of the Todd family were either slave owners or slave traders. Lincoln was close to the Todds, and he and his family occasionally visited the Todd estate in Lexington.[74]He was an affectionate, though often absent, husband and father of four children. In 1832, at age 23, Lincoln and a partner bought a small general store on credit inNew Salem, Illinois.[75]Although the economy was booming in the region, the business struggled and Lincoln eventually sold his share. That March he began his political career with his first campaign for theIllinois General Assembly. He had attained local popularity and could draw crowds as a naturalraconteurin New Salem, though he lacked an education, powerful friends, and money, which may be why he lost. He advocated navigational improvements on the Sangamon River.[76][77] Before the election, Lincoln served as a captain in the Illinois Militia during theBlack Hawk War.[78]Following his return, Lincoln continued his campaign for the August 6 election for the Illinois General Assembly. At 6feet 4inches (193cm),[79]he was tall and "strong enough to intimidate any rival". At his first speech, when he saw a supporter in the crowd being attacked, Lincoln grabbed the assailant by his "neck and the seat of his trousers" and threw him.[80]Lincoln finished eighth out of 13 candidates (the top four were elected), though he received 277 of the 300 votes cast in the New Salem precinct.[81] Lincoln served as New Salems postmaster and later as county surveyor, all the while reading voraciously. He then decided to become a lawyer and began teaching himself law by readingBlackstonesCommentaries on the Laws of Englandand other law books. Of his learning method, Lincoln stated: "I studied with nobody".[82]His second campaign in 1834 was successful. He won election to the state legislature; though he ran as aWhig, many Democrats favored him over a more powerful Whig opponent.[83] Admitted to the barin 1836,[84]he moved to Springfield, Illinois, and began to practice law underJohn T. Stuart, Mary Todds cousin.[85]Lincoln became an able and successful lawyer with a reputation as a formidable adversary during cross-examinations and closing arguments. He partnered withStephen T. Loganfrom 1841 until 1844. Then Lincoln beganhis practicewithWilliam Herndon, whom Lincoln thought "a studious young man".[86] Successful on his second run for office, Lincoln served four successive terms in theIllinois House of Representativesas a Whig representative from Sangamon County.[87]He supported the construction of theIllinois and Michigan Canal, which he remained involved with later as a Canal Commissioner.[88]In the 1835–36 legislative session, he voted to expand suffrage to white males, whether landowners or not.[89]He was known for his "free soil" stance of opposing both slavery andabolitionism. He first articulated this in 1837, saying, "[The] Institution of slavery is founded on both injustice and bad policy, but the promulgation of abolition doctrines tends rather to increase than abate its evils."[90]His stance closely followedHenry Clayin supporting theAmerican Colonization Societyprogram of making the abolition of slavery practical by its advocation and helping the freed slaves to settle inLiberiain Africa.[91] From the early 1830s, Lincoln was a steadfast Whig and professed to friends in 1861 to be, "an old line Whig, a disciple of Henry Clay".[92]The party, including Lincoln, favored economic modernization in banking, protective tariffs to fundinternal improvementsincluding railroads, and espoused urbanization as well.[93] In 1846, Lincoln was elected to theU.S. House of Representatives, where he served one two-year term. He was the only Whig in the Illinois delegation, but he showed his party loyalty by participating in almost all votes and making speeches that echoed the party line.[94]Lincoln, in collaboration with abolitionist CongressmanJoshua R. Giddings, wrote a bill to abolish slavery in theDistrict of Columbiawith compensation for the owners, enforcement to capture fugitive slaves, and a popular vote on the matter. He abandoned the bill when it failed to garner sufficient Whig supporters.[95] On foreign and military policy, Lincoln spoke out against theMexican–American War, which he attributed toPresident Polks desire for "military glory—that attractive rainbow, that rises in showers of blood".[96]Lincoln also supported theWilmot Proviso, which, if it had been adopted, would have banned slavery in any U.S. territory won from Mexico.[97] Lincoln emphasized his opposition to Polk by drafting and introducing hisSpot Resolutions. The war had begun with a Mexican slaughter of American soldiers in territory disputed by Mexico and the U.S. Polk insisted that Mexican soldiers had "invadedour territoryand shed the blood of our fellow-citizens on ourown soil".[98][99]Lincoln demanded that Polk show Congress the exact spot on which blood had been shed and prove that the spot was on American soil.[99] Congress never enacted the resolution or even debated it, the national papers ignored it, and it resulted in a loss of political support for Lincoln in his district. One Illinois newspaper derisively nicknamed him "spotty Lincoln".[100][101][102]Lincoln later regretted some of his statements, especially his attack on the presidential war-making powers.[103] Realizing Clay was unlikely to win the presidency, Lincoln, who had pledged in 1846 to serve only one term in the House, supported GeneralZachary Taylorfor the Whig nomination in the1848 presidential election.[104]Taylor won and Lincoln hoped to be appointed Commissioner of theGeneral Land Office, but that lucrative patronage job went to an Illinois rival,Justin Butterfield, considered by the administration to be a highly skilled lawyer, but in Lincolns view, an "old fossil".[105]The administration offered him the consolation prize of secretary or governor of theOregon Territory. This distant territory was a Democratic stronghold, and acceptance of the post would have effectively ended his legal and political career in Illinois, so he declined and resumed his law practice.[106] Lincoln returned to practicing law in Springfield, handling "every kind of business that could come before a prairie lawyer".[107]Twice a year for 16 years, 10 weeks at a time, he appeared in county seats in the midstate region when the county courts were in session.[108]Lincoln handled many transportation cases in the midst of the nations western expansion, particularly the conflicts arising from the operation of river barges under the many new railroad bridges. As a riverboat man, Lincoln initially favored those interests, but ultimately represented whoever hired him.[109]In fact, he later represented a bridge company against a riverboat company in alandmark caseinvolving a canal boat that sank after hitting a bridge.[110][111]In 1849, he receiveda patent for a flotation devicefor the movement of boats in shallow water. The idea was never commercialized, but Lincoln is the only president to hold a patent.[112][113] In 1851, he represented theAlton & Sangamon Railroadin a dispute with one of its shareholders, James A. Barret, who had refused to pay the balance on his pledge to buy shares in the railroad on the grounds that the company had changed its original train route.[114][115]Lincoln successfully argued that the railroad company was not bound by its original charter extant at the time of Barrets pledge; the charter was amended in the public interest to provide a newer, superior, and less expensive route, and the corporation retained the right to demand Barrets payment. The decision by theIllinois Supreme Courthas been cited by numerous other courts in the nation.[114]Lincoln appeared before the Illinois Supreme Court in 175 cases, in 51 as sole counsel, of which 31 were decided in his favor.[116]From 1853 to 1860, another of Lincolns largest clients was theIllinois Central Railroad.[117]Lincolns reputation with clients gave rise to his nickname "Honest Abe."[118] Lincolns most notable criminal trial occurred in 1858 when he defendedWilliam "Duff" Armstrong, who was on trial for the murder of James Preston Metzker.[119]The case is famous for Lincolns use of a fact established byjudicial noticein order to challenge the credibility of an eyewitness. After an opposing witness testified seeing the crime in the moonlight, Lincoln produced aFarmers Almanacshowing the moon was at a low angle, drastically reducing visibility. Based on this evidence, Armstrong was acquitted.[119] Lincoln rarely raised objections in the courtroom; but in an 1859 case, where he defended a cousin, Peachy Harrison, who was accused of stabbing another to death, Lincoln angrily protested the judges decision to exclude evidence favorable to his client. Instead of holding Lincoln in contempt of court as was expected, the judge, a Democrat, reversed his ruling, allowing the evidence and acquitting Harrison.[119][120] By the 1850s, slavery was still legal in the southern United States, but had been generally outlawed in the northern states, including Illinois, whose original 1818 Constitution forbade slavery, as required by theNorthwest Ordinance.[121]Lincoln disapproved of slavery, and the spread of slavery to new U.S. territory in the west.[122]He returned to politics to oppose the pro-slaveryKansas–Nebraska Act(1854); this law repealed the slavery-restrictingMissouri Compromise(1820). Senior SenatorStephen A. Douglasof Illinois had incorporatedpopular sovereigntyinto the Act. Douglas provision, which Lincoln opposed, specified settlers had the right to determine locally whether to allow slavery in new U.S. territory, rather than have such a decision restricted by the national Congress.[123] Eric Foner(2010) contrasts the abolitionists and anti-slavery Radical Republicans of the Northeast who saw slavery as a sin, with the conservative Republicans who thought it was bad because it hurt white people and blocked progress. Foner argues that Lincoln was a moderate in the middle, opposing slavery primarily because it violated therepublicanism principlesof theFounding Fathers, especially the equality of all men and democratic self-government as expressed in theDeclaration of Independence.[124] On October 16, 1854, in his "Peoria Speech", Lincoln declared his opposition to slavery, which he repeated en route to the presidency.[125]Speaking in his Kentucky accent, with a very powerful voice,[126]he said the Kansas Act had a "declaredindifference, but as I must think, a covertrealzeal for the spread of slavery. I cannot but hate it. I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world..."[127] In late 1854, Lincoln ran as a Whig for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois. At that time, senators were elected by the state legislature.[128]After leading in the first six rounds of voting in the Illinois assembly, his support began to dwindle, and Lincoln instructed his backers to vote forLyman Trumbull, who defeated opponentJoel Aldrich Matteson.[129]The Whigs had been irreparably split by the Kansas–Nebraska Act. Lincoln wrote, "I think I am a Whig, but others say there are no Whigs, and that I am an abolitionist [...] I do no more than oppose theextensionof slavery."[130] Drawing on remnants of the old Whig party, and on disenchantedFree Soil,Liberty, andDemocratic Partymembers, he was instrumental in forging the shape of the newRepublican Party.[131]At the1856 Republican National Convention, Lincoln placed second in the contest to become the partys candidate for vice president.[132] In 1857–1858, Douglas broke with PresidentJames Buchanan, leading to a fight for control of the Democratic Party. Some eastern Republicans even favored the reelection of Douglas for the Senate in 1858, since he had led the opposition to theLecompton Constitution, which would have admitted Kansas as aslave state.[133]In March 1857, the Supreme Court issued its decision inDred Scott v. Sandford; Chief JusticeRoger B. Taneyopined that blacks were not citizens, and derived no rights from the Constitution. Lincoln denounced the decision, alleging it was the product of a conspiracy of Democrats to support theSlave Power.[134]Lincoln argued, "The authors of the Declaration of Independence never intended to say all were equal in color, size, intellect, moral developments, or social capacity, but they did consider all men created equal—equal in certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."[135] After the state Republican party convention nominated him for the U.S. Senate in 1858, Lincoln delivered hisHouse Divided Speech, drawing onMark 3:25, "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other."[136]The speech created an evocative image of the danger of disunion caused by the slavery debate, and rallied Republicans across the North.[137]The stage was then set for the campaign for statewide election of the Illinois legislature which would, in turn, select Lincoln or Douglas as its U.S. senator.[138] The Senate campaign featured the sevenLincoln–Douglas debatesof 1858, the most famous political debates in American history.[139]The principals stood in stark contrast both physically and politically. Lincoln warned that "The Slave Power" was threatening the values of republicanism, and accused Douglas of distorting the values of the Founding Fathers thatall men are created equal, while Douglas emphasized hisFreeport Doctrine, that local settlers were free to choose whether to allow slavery or not, and accused Lincoln of having joined the abolitionists.[140]The debates had an atmosphere of a prize fight and drew crowds in the thousands. Lincoln stated Douglaspopular sovereigntytheory was a threat to the nations morality and that Douglas represented a conspiracy to extend slavery to free states. Douglas said that Lincoln was defying the authority of the U.S. Supreme Court and theDred Scottdecision.[141] Though the Republican legislative candidates won more popular votes, the Democrats won more seats, and the legislature re-elected Douglas to the Senate. Despite the bitterness of the defeat for Lincoln, his articulation of the issues gave him a national political reputation.[142]In May 1859, Lincoln purchased theIllinois Staats-Anzeiger,a German-language newspaper which was consistently supportive; most of the states 130,000 German Americans voted Democratic but there was Republican support that a German-language paper could mobilize.[143] On February 27, 1860, New York party leaders invited Lincoln to give aspeech at Cooper Unionto a group of powerful Republicans. Lincoln argued that the Founding Fathers had little use for popular sovereignty and had repeatedly sought to restrict slavery. Lincoln insisted the moral foundation of the Republicans required opposition to slavery, and rejected any "groping for some middle ground between the right and the wrong".[144]Despite his inelegant appearance—many in the audience thought him awkward and even ugly[145]—Lincoln demonstrated an intellectual leadership that brought him into the front ranks of the party and into contention for the Republican presidential nomination. JournalistNoah Brooksreported, "No man ever before made such an impression on his first appeal to a New York audience."[146][147] HistorianDonalddescribed the speech as a "superb political move for an unannounced candidate, to appear in one rivals (William H. Seward) own state at an event sponsored by the second rivals (Salmon P. Chase) loyalists, while not mentioning either by name during its delivery".[148]In response to an inquiry about his presidential intentions, Lincoln said, "The tasteisin my mouth a little."[149] On May 9–10, 1860, the Illinois Republican State Convention was held in Decatur.[150]Lincolns followers organized a campaign team led byDavid Davis,Norman Judd,Leonard Swett, and Jesse DuBois, and Lincoln received his first endorsement to run for the presidency.[151]Exploiting the embellished legend of his frontier days with his father (clearing the land and splitting fence rails with an ax), Lincolns supporters adopted the label of "The Rail Candidate".[152] On May 18, at theRepublican National Conventionin Chicago, Lincolns friends promised and manipulated and won the nomination on the third ballot, beating candidates such as William H. Seward and Salmon P. Chase. A former Democrat,Hannibal Hamlinof Maine, was nominated for Vice President to balance the ticket. Lincolns success depended on his reputation as a moderate on the slavery issue, and his strong support for Whiggish programs of internal improvements and the protective tariff.[153] On the third ballot Pennsylvania put him over the top. Pennsylvania iron interests were reassured by his support for protective tariffs.[154]Lincolns managers had been adroitly focused on this delegation as well as the others, while following Lincolns strong dictate to "Make no contracts that bind me".[155] Most Republicans agreed with Lincoln that the North was the aggrieved party, as the Slave Power tightened its grasp on the national government with theDred Scottdecision and the presidency of James Buchanan. Throughout the 1850s, Lincoln doubted the prospects of civil war, and his supporters rejected claims that his election would incite secession.[156]Meanwhile, Douglas was selected as the candidate of the Northern Democrats. Delegates from 11 slave states walked out of theDemocratic convention, disagreeing with Douglas position on popular sovereignty, and ultimately selectedJohn C. Breckinridgeas their candidate.[157] As Douglas and the other candidates went through with their campaigns, Lincoln was the only one of them who gave no speeches. Instead, he monitored the campaign closely and relied on the enthusiasm of the Republican Party. The party did the leg work that produced majorities across the North, and produced an abundance of campaign posters, leaflets, and newspaper editorials. There were thousands of Republican speakers who focused first on the party platform, and second on Lincolns life story, emphasizing his childhood poverty. The goal was to demonstrate the superior power of "free labor", whereby a common farm boy could work his way to the top by his own efforts.[158]The Republican Partys production of campaign literature dwarfed the combined opposition; aChicago Tribunewriter produced a pamphlet that detailed Lincolns life, and sold 100,000 to 200,000 copies.[159] On November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States, beating Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats, andJohn Bellof the newConstitutional Union Party. He was the first president from the Republican Party. His victory was entirely due to the strength of his support in the North and West; no ballots were cast for him in 10 of the 15 Southern slave states, and he won only two of 996 counties in all the Southern states.[160] Lincoln received 1,866,452 votes, Douglas 1,376,957 votes, Breckinridge 849,781 votes, and Bell 588,789 votes. Turnout was 82.2percent, with Lincoln winning the free Northern states, as well as California and Oregon. Douglas won Missouri, and split New Jersey with Lincoln.[161]Bell won Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, and Breckinridge won the rest of the South.[162] Although Lincoln won only a plurality of the popular vote, his victory in theelectoral collegewas decisive: Lincoln had 180 and his opponents added together had only 123. There werefusion ticketsin which all of Lincolns opponents combined to support the same slate of Electors in New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, but even if the anti-Lincoln vote had been combined in every state, Lincoln still would have won a majority in the Electoral College.[163] As Lincolns election became evident, secessionists made clear their intent to leave the Union before he took office the next March.[164]On December 20, 1860, South Carolina took the lead by adopting an ordinance of secession; by February 1, 1861, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas followed.[165][166]Six of these states then adopted a constitution and declared themselves to be a sovereign nation, theConfederate States of America.[165]The upper South and border states (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas) listened to, but initially rejected, the secessionist appeal.
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