Elizabeth Raum - Abraham Lincoln

Allen, Thomas B., and Roger MacBride Allen. Mr. Lincolns High-Tech War: How the North Used the Telegraph, Railroads, Surveillance Balloons, Ironclads, High-powered Weapons, and More to Win the Civil War. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2009.

Hankins, Chelsey. The Lincoln Memorial. New York: Chelsea Clubhouse, 2010.

Krull, Kathleen. Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President (and the Country). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.

Waldman, Neil. Voyages: Reminiscences of Young Abe Lincoln. Honesdale, Pa.: Calkins Creek, 2009.

Abraham Lincoln Comes Home. Spoken Arts, 2009.

Lincoln: His Life and Legacy. A&E Television, 2008.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
www.alplm.org/timeline/timeline.html
Follow a timeline of major events in Lincolns life.

Abraham Lincoln Research Site
http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln2.html
This site, by an American history teacher, offers a variety of resources about Abraham Lincoln for students and teachers.

Getting to Know Abraham Lincoln
http://kids.librarypoint.org/abraham_lincoln
Learn about Lincoln at this library website.

The White House Presidents Site
www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/
This site provides brief biographies of every United States president.

The Gettysburg Address at the Smithsonian
http://americanhistory.si.edu/documentsgallery/exhibitions/ gettysburg_address_1.html
Learn more about the Gettysburg Address and download a copy.

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site
2995 Lincoln Farm Road
Hodgenville, KY 42748
www.nps.gov/abli/index.htm

Abraham Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial Circle
Washington, DC 20024
www.nps.gov/linc/index.htm

Fords Theatre
511 10th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
www.nps.gov/foth/index.htm

Gettysburg Battlefield
1195 Baltimore Pike
Gettysburg, PA 17325
www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
2916 East South Street
Lincoln City, IN 47552
www.nps.gov/libo/index.htm

Lincoln Home National Historic Site
413 South 8th Street
Springfield, IL 62701
www.nps.gov/liho/index.htm

Lincoln Today

Abraham Lincoln was not a handsome man. Many people considered him ugly. U.S. poet Walt Whitman, who often saw President Lincoln in Washington, D.C., said that Lincolns face was so awful ugly it becomes beautiful. Today, most Americans carry his picture around in their pocketson their money.

Lincoln was president when this photo was taken in 1864.

It was not only Lincolns face that was unusual. He was 6 feet, 4 inches (about 2 meters) tall and weighed 200 pounds (90 kilograms). The average man at the time was 5 feet, 7 inches (1.7 meters) tall, so Lincoln towered over other men. Years of hard work had made him strong, too. Even his hands were large and muscular. Two hundred years later, Lincoln still towers over many others as an important figure in United States history.

Did you know?

Abraham Lincoln was 30 years old when photography was invented. He was the first president to use photography in his campaign to be elected. He was probably the most photographed man of his day.

Lincolns fame

Many experts consider Abraham Lincoln one of the most important presidents of the United States. He is admired throughout the world. More than 14,000 books have been written about Lincoln since his death in 1865. Dozens of movies tell the story of his life and times. Towns and cities have been named after him. Illinois calls itself the Land of Lincoln, and dozens of companies use Lincolns name as a way of claiming that they are as honest as Honest Abe.

Lincolns face appears on both pennies and five-dollar bills.

Country Boyhood

For many people, Abraham Lincolns life is proof that in the United States anything is possible. Born in a log cabin on the Kentucky frontier, he grew up to become the most powerful man in the nation. His parents, Thomas and Nancy, could not read and write. Abraham himself had less than a year of schooling.

This map shows Lincolns homes from his birth until his election as president.

Abraham Lincoln was born on Sinking Spring Farm, near the present-day town of Hodgenville, Kentucky, (see the map) on February 12, 1809. He lived in a one-room log cabin with a dirt oor and stone fireplace. When Abraham was two, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln moved their family 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) north to Knob Creek Valley. Abraham helped his father grow corn and beans. His sister, Sarah, was two years older. His brother, Thomas, who was three years younger, died a few days after being born.