Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln never knew he was destined for greatness. He was poor, uneducated, and awkward. No one expected that he would become the most famous of presidents next to George Washington. He did this and more—holding the nation together through the most difficult time in American history, the Civil War.
On February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born in a tiny log cabin on a small farm in Kentucky. When he was seven, his family was forced to leave their farm. His father, Thomas Lincoln, decided to move the family to the wilderness of Indiana.
Abe was tall for his age and a hard worker. He worked outside from dawn to dark and was skilled at using an axe. He was so good at splitting rails that he was later nicknamed “the Rail-Splitter.” The Lincolns were poor and Abe had to work so much to earn a living that he rarely had the chance to go to school.
Abe had one older sister, Sarah, and a younger brother who died at the age of two. Abe’s mother died in 1819 from milk sickness.
