Abraham Lincoln: Martyr
2023-06-11
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1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.
2Today we are talking about Abraham Lincoln.
3He was the 16th president of the United States.
4Many Americans consider him one of country's greatest leaders.
5Yet people alive when Lincoln was elected in 1860 would probably be surprised by modern-day opinions about him.
6He had little formal education or government experience.
7During the presidential campaign, critics made fun of his appearance and his simple way of talking.
8They warned that he was not very intelligent and would harm the nation's image.
9Some of his opponents - especially in Southern states - had even bigger concerns.
10They were afraid Lincoln would use the power of the federal government to end slavery in their states.
11They were right.
12Abraham Lincoln was born in the frontier state of Kentucky.
13His family was very poor and had a simple home: a log cabin.
14Lincoln had to support his parents and his sister by working, so he rarely went to school.
15Instead, he taught himself by reading books.
16Eventually, he became a lawyer in the state of Illinois.
17As a young man, Lincoln was known for several qualities.
18He was tall and thin.
19He was very strong - his neighbors remembered him cutting down trees.
20And he was honest.
21The people he defended in court called him "Honest Abe."
22In time, Lincoln was elected to the Illinois General Assembly, the state's legislature.
23He also served one term as a congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives.
24But he was not popular there. Voters did not like his opposition to the country's war with Mexico.
25So Lincoln withdrew from politics and turned his attention to his family.
26He had married a Southern belle named Mary Todd in 1842.
27They had four sons. But two died when they were very young.
28Lincoln also developed his legal career representing railroad companies.
29Some people thought he might become the best railroad lawyer in the country.
30But that is not what happened.
31In the 1850s, Lincoln returned to national politics.
32The division over the issue of slavery was deepening. Lincoln was not an anti-slavery activist, an abolitionist.
33But he did not support the country's policies on slavery.
34Lincoln believed slavery violated the American Declaration of Independence, which said all men had the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
35To be clear, Lincoln did not believe that black people should have the same rights as white U.S. citizens.
36But he did not agree that one person should own other people, or profit from their work while they earned nothing and were held captive.
37Lincoln decided to compete in elections for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
38He was chosen as the candidate of a new, anti-slavery party.
39Members called themselves Republicans.
40During the election campaign, Lincoln famously discussed the issue of slavery in a series of debates with Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party's candidate.
41Lincoln's words moved some voters.
42But they did not earn him enough votes to get elected.
43So, while Douglas took the seat in the Senate, Lincoln prepared to run for president.
44Lincoln said that, if he were elected, he would not expand slavery to new territories in the country's west.
45But he promised not to interfere with slavery in the Southern states, where it already existed.
46Voters in Southern, slave-holding states did not trust Lincoln.
47Not a single Southern state supported him in the election of 1860.
48But he won anyway. The support of anti-slavery Northerners gave him the presidency.
49In answer, seven Southern states withdrew from the Union. Four more later joined them.
50These states formed a new government, called the Confederate States of America - or, the Confederacy.
51Confederate officials chose their own president and wrote their own constitution, which permitted each state control over its own laws - especially laws that protected slavery.
52Confederate officials said they no longer recognized the power of the U.S. federal government, or its chief executive.
53As that chief executive, Lincoln would have to decide what to do.
54President Lincoln's first test came a little more than a month after he was sworn-in.
55The event involved Fort Sumter, a federal military base on an island off the coast of South Carolina.
56Soldiers on the base needed food.
57Lincoln said he would send some by ship.
58But Confederate officials considered the fort part of South Carolina, which belonged to the Confederacy.
59They demanded that the Union soldiers leave the fort.
60But Union forces and the U.S. president ignored the Confederates' demands.
61As promised, Lincoln sent the supply ships.
62As expected, Confederate soldiers attacked.
63A day and a half later, the fort's Union soldiers surrendered.
64The clash did not last long, and no one was killed in the fighting.
65But the battle at Fort Sumter marked the official beginning of hostilities between the Union and the Confederacy.
66Lincoln immediately took action to answer the loss of Fort Sumter.
67He called on state militias for troops and asked for a special meeting of Congress.
68The president was careful not to ask Congress to make an official declaration of war, in part because he did not want to recognize the Confederacy as a separate nation.
69Instead, he called the Southern states' opposition a rebellion.
70However, the conflict between the Southern Confederacy and the Northern Union was a civil war.
71Neither side expected the fighting to last very long - a few weeks or maybe months.
72Instead, the Civil War lasted four and a half years.
73Most of the major battles took place near Washington, DC, in the states of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
74Soldiers and civilians also clashed in the west, in Tennessee, as well as in the southern states of Mississippi, South Carolina, and Georgia.
75But the war involved the entire country.
76At least 4 million men fought in it.
77Among the soldiers were African-American and Native-American men.
78The conflict divided families. Brothers, fathers and sons fought against each other.
79Women in both the North and South also supported the war effort.
80They cooked meals, made and repaired clothing for the troops, served as nurses and cared for the soldiers.
81Both white and African-American women also took over the work of men who had left to fight.
82And more than 620,000 men died -- recent scholarship says as many as 750,000.
83The Civil War remains the bloodiest war in American history.
84And it changed the country.
85The war radically affected American politics, economics, and society.
86Abraham Lincoln was the U.S. president through all of it.
87Next week's article will discuss Lincoln's presidency and legacy.
88I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.
1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents. 2Today we are talking about Abraham Lincoln. 3He was the 16th president of the United States. Many Americans consider him one of country's greatest leaders. 4Yet people alive when Lincoln was elected in 1860 would probably be surprised by modern-day opinions about him. He had little formal education or government experience. 5During the presidential campaign, critics made fun of his appearance and his simple way of talking. They warned that he was not very intelligent and would harm the nation's image. 6Some of his opponents - especially in Southern states - had even bigger concerns. They were afraid Lincoln would use the power of the federal government to end slavery in their states. 7They were right. 8Early life 9Abraham Lincoln was born in the frontier state of Kentucky. His family was very poor and had a simple home: a log cabin. 10Lincoln had to support his parents and his sister by working, so he rarely went to school. Instead, he taught himself by reading books. 11Eventually, he became a lawyer in the state of Illinois. 12As a young man, Lincoln was known for several qualities. He was tall and thin. He was very strong - his neighbors remembered him cutting down trees. And he was honest. The people he defended in court called him "Honest Abe." 13In time, Lincoln was elected to the Illinois General Assembly, the state's legislature. He also served one term as a congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives. 14But he was not popular there. Voters did not like his opposition to the country's war with Mexico. 15So Lincoln withdrew from politics and turned his attention to his family. He had married a Southern belle named Mary Todd in 1842. They had four sons. But two died when they were very young. 16Lincoln also developed his legal career representing railroad companies. Some people thought he might become the best railroad lawyer in the country. But that is not what happened. 17Election of 1860 18In the 1850s, Lincoln returned to national politics. The division over the issue of slavery was deepening. Lincoln was not an anti-slavery activist, an abolitionist. But he did not support the country's policies on slavery. 19Lincoln believed slavery violated the American Declaration of Independence, which said all men had the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 20To be clear, Lincoln did not believe that black people should have the same rights as white U.S. citizens. But he did not agree that one person should own other people, or profit from their work while they earned nothing and were held captive. 21Lincoln decided to compete in elections for a seat in the U.S. Senate. He was chosen as the candidate of a new, anti-slavery party. Members called themselves Republicans. 22During the election campaign, Lincoln famously discussed the issue of slavery in a series of debates with Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party's candidate. 23Lincoln's words moved some voters. But they did not earn him enough votes to get elected. 24So, while Douglas took the seat in the Senate, Lincoln prepared to run for president. Lincoln said that, if he were elected, he would not expand slavery to new territories in the country's west. But he promised not to interfere with slavery in the Southern states, where it already existed. 25Voters in Southern, slave-holding states did not trust Lincoln. Not a single Southern state supported him in the election of 1860. 26But he won anyway. The support of anti-slavery Northerners gave him the presidency. 27In answer, seven Southern states withdrew from the Union. Four more later joined them. These states formed a new government, called the Confederate States of America - or, the Confederacy. 28Confederate officials chose their own president and wrote their own constitution, which permitted each state control over its own laws - especially laws that protected slavery. Confederate officials said they no longer recognized the power of the U.S. federal government, or its chief executive. 29As that chief executive, Lincoln would have to decide what to do. 30Civil War 31President Lincoln's first test came a little more than a month after he was sworn-in. 32The event involved Fort Sumter, a federal military base on an island off the coast of South Carolina. Soldiers on the base needed food. Lincoln said he would send some by ship. 33But Confederate officials considered the fort part of South Carolina, which belonged to the Confederacy. They demanded that the Union soldiers leave the fort. 34But Union forces and the U.S. president ignored the Confederates' demands. 35As promised, Lincoln sent the supply ships. As expected, Confederate soldiers attacked. A day and a half later, the fort's Union soldiers surrendered. 36The clash did not last long, and no one was killed in the fighting. But the battle at Fort Sumter marked the official beginning of hostilities between the Union and the Confederacy. 37Lincoln immediately took action to answer the loss of Fort Sumter. He called on state militias for troops and asked for a special meeting of Congress. 38The president was careful not to ask Congress to make an official declaration of war, in part because he did not want to recognize the Confederacy as a separate nation. Instead, he called the Southern states' opposition a rebellion. 39However, the conflict between the Southern Confederacy and the Northern Union was a civil war. 40Neither side expected the fighting to last very long - a few weeks or maybe months. Instead, the Civil War lasted four and a half years. 41Most of the major battles took place near Washington, DC, in the states of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Soldiers and civilians also clashed in the west, in Tennessee, as well as in the southern states of Mississippi, South Carolina, and Georgia. 42But the war involved the entire country. At least 4 million men fought in it. Among the soldiers were African-American and Native-American men. 43The conflict divided families. Brothers, fathers and sons fought against each other. 44Women in both the North and South also supported the war effort. They cooked meals, made and repaired clothing for the troops, served as nurses and cared for the soldiers. Both white and African-American women also took over the work of men who had left to fight. 45And more than 620,000 men died -- recent scholarship says as many as 750,000. The Civil War remains the bloodiest war in American history. 46And it changed the country. The war radically affected American politics, economics, and society. 47Abraham Lincoln was the U.S. president through all of it. 48Next week's article will discuss Lincoln's presidency and legacy. 49I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. 50Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 51______________________________________________________________ 52Words in This Story