Chapter 1 Flashcards
Describe Lincoln
Great leader
Imperfect human being
Vigorous man
Beset by personal and physical troubles
Lincoln was what number president
16th
Material in book drawn from
Lincolns personal papers and newly discovered legal practice
Author
David Herbert Donald a retired harvard history professor
Describe book
Presidents rise from obscurity to heights of political glory
Lincolns personal and public life adversely affected each other
President felt events were beyond his control
Inexperienced ill prepared man grew into executive with political acumen
Moral greatness
Copyright
1995
Lincoln quote in preface
I claim to not have controlled events but confess plainly that they have controlled me. April 4, 1864 to hodges
Which presidents comments influenced the author
JFK felt nobody had the right to judge lest he sat in the chair
Biography is therefore written from what point of view
Lincolns using the information and ideas available to him at the time.
Licolns biographers
Nicola and hay in 1890 papers sealed til 1947
This books focus is on
Lincoln who was indirectly connected to social and economic changes of the time…it is not a civil war book, or confederacy or military as he would have not known all about this
Lincoln’s problems
Unquenchable ambition Mind numbing labor in law practice Tempestuous marriage Repeated defeats Chance often shaped life All balanced but his ability for growth Author believes our greatest president
Inaugural pledge was not to
Interfere with slavery but he moved towards emancipation (which along with black soldiers had become a necessity)
Define sagacity
.
Lincoln felt destiny was controlled by
A higher power
Turned away from orthodox christianity becuase of
Frontier evangelism
Came to believe in the doctrine of necessity
The human mind is impelled to action
Or held in rest by some power
Over which the mind has no control
Limcolms partner
William herndon
Lincolns positive traits
Tolerance Compassion Willingness to overlook mistakes Also A little bit fatalist A little bit like those who believed predetermined (calvanists) yet still worked for the better of self family and world
Pragmatic ..if something was not fated to work try something else
My policy is to have
No policy….like a river pilot just steer from point to point…preferred to respond to the action of others
Did lincoln like the photo on the cover of the book
He did but others didn’t and he suspects it was due to messy hair
Quote from hamlet
…a divinity shapes ends …rough hewn them how we will….fatalistic?
Negative capability
Capable of being in uncertainties without any irritable reaching for fact
Lincoln on his ancestry
The short and simple annals of the poor.
Knew little to nothingof his mothers illiterate family. Parents both born in virginia of undistinguished second families.
1780 Hankses moved from Virginia to Kentucky, farmers, mother Nancy may have been illegitimate daughter of a well bred farmer (lincoln may ave just hoped) and Lucey Hankses
On lincoln side, grandfather abraham moved from virgina to kentucky in 1780s…and may have been pennsylvania quakers long before that from samuel lincoln a weaver of england and massachusetts trader (1637)
Modrecai lincoln (1686-1736) ironmaster m slater (royal governor family)
john lincoln (1716-1788) large farm in virgina
Abraham lincoln grandfather given 210 acres from john, sold good virgina farm and headed to kentucky..after hearing about it from distant relative daniel boone
Thomas (almost killed by indian)
Pres abe 7th generation of means
Primogeniture
Oldest son inherits land (morticai not thmas), no patrimony and other two boys had to fend for themselves
Thomas eventually grew hosown farm and was known as honest and respectable but not wealthy married Nancy Hanks
Abe born
On thomas second farm sinking spring in a log cabin barren land born february 12 1809
Third farm
Knob crrek very fertile
Mother described as
Intellectual able to read but not write
1816
Seven hear ole abe moves across ohio river into indiana because of interrelated slavery and land titles
Thomas morally was against slave but also did not want to compete with slave labor
Indiana guaranteed title purchases..littlepigeon creek indian….built three sided buikding.,,then came back and with neighbors built a log cabin…arte bear and deer
Kentucky never had land survey
Separate baptist church
Lincolns parents Believed oredestination Opposition to infant baptism No formal creed Strict morality
One time abraham hunted
He was eight and shot a turkey
Abe from 8 to 23
Used ax and plow
Came to pigeon hollow
Aunt elizabeth hanks and her husband thmas sparrow
Thoms daughter abes sister
Sarah
Dennis hanks
Illegitimate nephew of aunt elizabeth hanks sparrow
Define loquacity
.
Abraham accidemt
Kick to forehead from mare. Could not speak for several hours. Thought he was dead. Then “milk sickness”… The Cows had been eating poisoness snakeroot. Thomas and elizabeth sparrow. Then Nancy. (Before abe was 10) Be good and kind to father, one another and the world.
Sarah Bush Johnston
Thomas Lincoln’s second wife…brought life and love… Leaned kids…reorganized house..floor cabin…build loft…now a joyous happy childhood of mirth and glee…sarah was illiterate but enrolled them in the crawford school (3 schools but education did not total a full year)
Abraham thought on school
Transient teachers
No credentials
But he did lear how to teach himself!
Dilworth ‘s spelling, letters, words, verse
Other books reinforced through repetition and drill
He loved to read.
Define doggerel
.
Read sarahs books
Aesops fables Pilgrims progress Lessons in elocution (shakespeare) History of the us (discovery to index of florida) by grimshaw which denounced slavery Bio be. Franklin Life of george washington...myst have been something more than common that these men struggled for Got math Looked up to by peers
Money got tight
Thomas older Vision impaired Dennis hanks married johnston daughter Abe sent out to work for family Let him read but sometimes struck him Father close to stepsom Abe disagreed with father over religion but would go listen to sermons and then repeat of parody
Abe little energy
Growing fast
So skinny
Tired to do physical labor…could readwanted more education then his father
Wanted to live near education
Sisters got married
Moved away. One sister died in childbirth. Started to move through county as town tues lessened. At 16, he decided to sell logs to steamers. Swapped some for cloth. Had shirt made. Helped on river. Plowed. Made fences. Built a row boat…earned a dollar i a day!!!
Lure of river 1828 james gentry
Local store owner send cargo down river to new orleans. Lincoln went. Eight dollars a month. Trade sugar plantations along way. Negroes attacked to kill . New orleans large city. Heard french. Lincoln saw lots of slaves. Gave money to father but spent less time there.
Gigsbys
Feud with lincoln.bswitched rooms for grigsby bridegrooms.
Wanted to be on steamboat
Too young owed his father one more year and then moved the family from indiana to Illinois. March 1830
Lincoln jumped thru ice
To save dog
1st speech
Save sagamon river
Offut
Unscrupulous businessman
