God’s World News Biographies
Abraham Lincoln 1809 –1865
War of Words
A
braham Lincoln sat listening to the long speech
by Senator Everett. The
senator spoke for over two hours!
Would he never end?
It was a cloudy late- November
day in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
The crowd was there to dedicate a
new cemetery to the thousands of
soldiers who had died just a few
months before. President Lincoln
wondered if it would rain before he
had time to give his short speech.
He looked down in his lap as Senator Everett talked on. Would anyone even pay attention? Just ten
sentences written on the back of
an envelope. How could that be
enough to inspire the American
people? Would those few words encourage America to work together
to rebuild the nation at the end of a
terrible Civil War?
Suddenly there was applause.
The Senator nodded to the people.
He was done. As always, he gave a
good speech.
The president stood nervously and
walked to the platform. The crowd
grew silent as he approached the podium. He spoke for just two minutes
in his powerful Kentucky voice. No
one stirred. But in just two minutes,
President Abraham Lincoln delivered
one of the most powerful speeches
recorded in American history—The
Gettysburg Address.
As a boy, Abe loved to read.
But books were scarce in his day.
Photograph of Abraham Lincoln
He read some books over and over.
The Bible, Pilgrim’s Progress, and
Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography were some of his favorites.
Through this reading, he learned
the power of words.
As he grew, he read more. He
rarely attended school but taught
himself enough to become a lawyer. The powerful ideas he learned
from his reading helped him to win
most of his court cases.
But the lessons did not stop there.
In 1834, at only 25 years old,
he was elected to the Illinois State
House of Representatives. There
he learned to speak well. Few men
could argue against him and win.
Of course, it also helped that he
was six feet four inches tall. He
was a hard man to ignore!
In 1846, he became a congressman for the state of Illinois. While
in Washington, Lincoln shared his
position that slavery should end.
But the United States was divided
on that issue. Some believed slaves
were property with no human
rights. Some believed individual
states should make most decisions,
not the federal government. Mr.
Lincoln disagreed. He believed the
Constitution guaranteed all men
freedom. After two years in Washington, he returned to Illinois.
Back home, Lincoln continued
to study and learn.
After many years, the Republicans asked Lincoln to run for president. He did not think he could
win. But he knew that the things he
believed about freedom were right.
He did win. In 1860, Lincoln
was elected the 16th president of
the United States. Just four months
later, the bloodiest war in American
history began.
Many Southerners believed that
Lincoln wanted to take away their
rights. They felt the Constitution
gave more power to states. Lincoln
In That Day
1810—Beethoven composes his
famous piano piece, Für Elise.
1825—The world’s first modern
railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway, opens in England.
1834—Slavery is abolished in
the British Empire by the Slavery
Abolition Act 1833.
1846—The saxophone is patented
by Adolphe Sax.
1850—Nathaniel Hawthorne’s
The Scarlet Letter is published.
battle, Lincoln stood on
that same battlefield, on
a lonely platform, surrounded by thousands.
He had just finished his
speech. The crowd was
quiet. Perhaps they were
shocked by how brief
the speech was. At first,
Lincoln thought he had
failed. But the next day,
Senator Everett told him
it was the finest speech
he had ever heard. Before long, papers began
to reprint his words.
Soon it became the most
quoted speech in American history.
A few months later,
in 1864, Lincoln was
Photograph of Lincoln with Allan Pinkerton and General
John A. McClernand
re-elected President. He
was 56 years old, but
believed that the federal governhe looked older. The war had been
ment must have more power where hard on him. Soon after, Lincoln
human rights were concerned.
wrote his second inaugural adDuring the war, the President of- dress. Some believe it is even betten wondered if he could keep the
ter than the Gettysburg Address.
nation together. He argued with his In this speech, Lincoln encouraged
own generals and admirals. He felt the whole nation to join together to
many times that he was attacked by heal. He asked everyone to forgive
all sides. He was often depressed.
and to take care of the widows and
Then came Gettysburg. The
war orphans. He asked for peace.
bloodiest battle of all. Thousands
Sadly, the President was assaswere killed, wounded, or captured. sinated just a few weeks after this
Just a few months after that
famous speech. But because of
More About . . .
Abe Lincoln was born in a small
log cabin in 1809 in Kentucky. His
family was poor. As a frontier boy,
Abe had to work hard. Any money
he earned as a young man went
to his family to help support it. He
learned to split fence posts, plow
fields, and milk cows. His mother
died when he was only nine, but
his father soon remarried. There
were three younger siblings to help
raise. Though he died at 56 before
completing his second term in office, Lincoln was able to accomplish
many things in his life. But along
the way, he also failed many times.
His life shows us the value of determination, vision, and hard work.
• By 23, he was a store owner.
• By 25, he was an Illinois State
Congressman.
• By 27, he was a lawyer.
• By 37, he was a U.S. Congressman.
• By 51, he was President.
his powerful words and ideas, the
United States remained one country. As he hoped at Gettysburg,
“this nation, under God, shall have
a new birth of freedom—and that
government of the people, by the
people, for the people, shall not
perish from the Earth.”
—Roy McGinnis
Bible2Life
President Lincoln used many scriptures from the Bible to write his second inaugural speech. In the last part of the speech, he refers to Matthew 7 in which Jesus says,
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Lincoln was encouraging everyone to forgive one another and not hold a
grudge about the war. Later in the speech, he quoted from Psalm 19:9: “The judgments of the Lord are righteous altogether.” (KJV) He was trying to explain why God might have allowed such a war to happen.
Almost everyone listening to the President’s speech would know that these words were from the Bible. Lincoln knew
that God’s word is “living and active; sharper than any double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). Even though many people
credit Lincoln as an intelligent president, he knew that only God could save the Union. He used scripture often because
he understood that God’s word can help us understand many things—even something as terrible as a civil war.
God’s World News Biographies, Abraham Lincoln
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Quiz
Check your reading. Check your thinking. Abraham Lincoln
1_____ The Gettysburg Address was _____ long.
a) 2 hours, b) 2 minutes, c) 5 minutes, d) 1 hour
2_____ Lincoln received most of his education through ____.
a) school, b) his mother, c) reading
3_____ Lincoln was a US. Congressman by the time he was _____.
a) 23, b) 25, c) 27, d) 37, e)51
4_____ Lincoln believed the _____ should have more power in regard to human rights.
a) president, b) state governments, c) federal government
5...
In the Gettysburg Address Lincoln said, “this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of
freedom”. What do you think he meant by that?
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Puzzling Times
Abraham Lincoln
Use the clues to fill in the crossword.
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Across
3. Place where Lincoln gave his famous address.
4. State Lincoln was born in.
7. Lincoln believed this practice was wrong.
10. The law of the United States established in 1787.
11. Liberation from the power of another.
12. Large group of people living in a country, united by common values.
13. Lincoln taught himself enough to become a ___.
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Down
1. System or body that conducts the policies and affairs of a nation.
2. Title given to the leader of the United States
5. Address delivered to an audience.
6. State Lincoln was elected in twice.
8. Place where two armies fight each other.
9. The War Between the States
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Key Page
Abraham Lincoln
Quiz: 1) b, 2) c, 3) d, 4) c
5) Students may mention the ending of slavery and new freedom for the slaves or the reuniting of the
North and the South.
Puzzling Times Key:
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