1. Abraham Lincoln was the first U.S. President to be assassinated in office.
2. He was born in a one-room log cabin and had limited formal education.
3. Despite his humble beginnings, he studied law on his own and became a lawyer before entering politics.
4. He suspended habeas corpus during the Civil War—the only president to do so in US history—to protect Northern roads from Confederate forces and spies.
5. As a child, he took jobs splitting rails for fences and working as a farmhand, store clerk, postmaster, surveyor, and even captain of a flatboat down the Mississippi River at one point!
6. He was fond of telling amusing stories, which he called “yarns.”
7. After his death, his body lay in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol for two days and hundreds of thousands waited in line to view it.
8. Lincoln is the only US president to have received a patent—for a device to lift boats over shallow water.
9. He delivered one of the most famous speeches in American history: the Gettysburg Address (four score and seven years ago…).
10. During his presidency, Abraham Lincoln issued more than seventy executive orders freeing slaves from bondage. This made him one of the most influential figures in the history of civil rights.
The legacy of this remarkable leader lives on today, and his story should be remembered and shared with future generations. He stands as a reminder that no matter where you come from or what difficulties life throws at you, anything is possible if you remain determined and focused on reaching your goals.
Abraham Lincoln was truly an example of American greatness.
