Remembering President Lincoln, from Freed Slaves to Distant Cousin of Actor Tom Hanks (2024)

English›Remembering President Lincoln,...

Tom Hanks narrated the film "Killing Lincoln" which was released in 2011 about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Mengenang Presiden Lincoln, dari Pembebasan Budak hingga Sepupu Jauh Aktor Tom Hanks

Exactly 215 years ago, on February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln—who later became the 16th President of the United States—was born in a hut in Hardin, State of Kentucky. His father and mother were a poor farming couple, Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. This is explained in the encyclopedia Britannica.

From his mother, Abraham Lincoln was a third degree cousin to the famous actor Tom Hanks. Hanks narrated the docudrama film Killing Lincoln, released in 2011, about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln's father was a descendant of English immigrants who arrived in Massachusetts in 1637. Abraham Lincoln, also known as Abe, had siblings named Sarah and Thomas. His mother passed away when he was nine years old.

His father remarried a widow, Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln, who brought along three children from her previous marriage. Sarah Bush was a kind stepmother, whom Abe Lincoln referred to as his "angel mother" who cared for him.

Abraham Lincoln's childhood memory was a flash flood that swept away the corn plants and pumpkin seeds he had painstakingly planted with his father.

In 1816, Thomas Lincoln's family was driven from their farm in Kentucky. They moved to Indiana State. Agricultural life in the mid west border area at that time was very difficult. Abe Lincoln recalls panthers roaring, bears attacking hog herds, and a hard life.

Thomas and Sarah are an almost illiterate couple. Abe learned to read and write from his stepmother, Sarah Bush. Next, Abe goes to school unscheduled. Childhood reading that remains in Abraham Lincoln's memory is a book entitled Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, and Fables by Aesop.

He also got used to reading the Bible because it is the only book that the Lincoln family owns.

Also read: No Photo of President Lincoln's Body in the Second Time Capsule of the General Lee Statue

In 1830, the Lincoln family relocated to the State of Illinois. Abraham Lincoln led a convoy of wagons pulled by oxen. He was 21 years old and almost 190 centimeters tall. His body was slim but muscular.

After living in Illinois, Abe did not want to continue his father's farming job. He then tried various types of jobs. He worked clearing land for farms, became a boatman on the Mississippi River in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Next, he returned to Illinois and settled in the village of New Salem, which was inhabited by 25 families. He worked as a shopkeeper, postmaster, and surveyor.

He volunteered for the Black Hawk War (1832) and was promoted to the rank of captain and led a company. However, he was not heavily involved in battles against Native American tribes during that time.

Abraham Lincoln had ambitions to enter the world of politics. He ran for office, but unfortunately, failed.

Become a lawyer

Translation: He also studied law after mastering grammar and mathematics. In 1836, at the age of 27, he passed the lawyer exam.

Abraham Lincoln also moved to Springfield, Illinois, the new state capital. He became a partner at John T Stuart's law office, then later moved to Stephent T Logan's law office, and finally became a partner at William H Herndon's office in 1844.

For several years as a lawyer in Springfield, Abraham Lincoln had a stable life. His annual income ranged from 1,200 to 1,500 US dollars. During that time, the State Governor earned an annual income of 1,200 US dollars and a travelling court judge earned only 750 US dollars per year.

At that time, Abe worked hard handling various legal cases. The court then traveled to various districts, so the lawyers had to travel according to the court schedule. He traveled by horse-drawn carriage or rode hundreds of miles on horseback across the grasslands to attend the trial schedule.

The cases he handled in remote areas only provided small rewards.

Also read: ”Winning Without Ngasorake”

The development of infrastructure in the United States, especially in railway lines, since 1850 has opened up opportunities for Abraham Lincoln. He became a lobbyist for Illinois Central Railroad to obtain concessions from the state government, and later on received a steady income as the company's attorney.

In one case, he successfully defended a company and received a lawyer's fee of 5,000 US dollars. One of the famous cases he handled was saving the Rock Island Bridge on the Mississippi River, which was going to be demolished by a shipping company.

He also handled patent registration and several criminal cases. Abraham Lincoln was one of the most renowned lawyers in the State of Illinois during the 1850s.

Love relationship

From a stable life, Abraham Lincoln began to weave a love story. However, his relationship with Ann Rutledge ended tragically. His beloved passed away in 1835 at the age of 22.

It took Abe a long time to establish a relationship with another woman. His relationship with Mary Owens did not last long, and they eventually called off their engagement.

Abraham Lincoln finally married Mary Todd, the daughter of an esteemed family in the State of Kentucky. Their marriage was not approved by the Todd family. They even broke off their engagement in January 1841.

Finally, their relationship improved and in November 1842, Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd got married. They had four sons, Edward Baker (passed away at the age of four), William Wallace (passed away at the age of 11), and Robert Todd. The eldest son became the only surviving descendant at an advanced age. Abraham Lincoln's beloved son, Thomas "Tad" Lincoln, later passed away shortly after his father's assassination in 1865.

Ten years after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd experienced a mental disorder and was declared mentally ill.

Political career

Abraham Lincoln was involved in the Whigh Party and was a state senator from 1834-1840. He pushed for major infrastructure projects, such as railroads, canals, and highways. He opposed slavery, but was not among the abolitionists who demanded the total abolition of slavery.

Lincoln's career ascended when he became a state senator in 1846 and sat in the US Congress from 1847-1849. Then, due to various reasons, Abraham Lincoln was absent from politics for five years.

They returned to the world of politics in 1854, then joined the Republican Party in 1856. Even though they lost in the state political competition, they succeeded in passing the presidential convention of the Republican Party in Chicago in 1860.

Also read: Party Ideology Behind the Two Poles of the US Presidential Election

In the presidential election on November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln won a general election in a country that was divided between pro- and anti-slavery groups.

Although not wholly condemning slavery in his political career, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, guaranteeing the freedom of enslaved individuals in the southern states to become free human beings as of January 1, 1863.

Before he was inaugurated, the state of South Carolina declared its secession from the United States union. This move was followed by other southern states. Seven southern states formed a confederacy.

Then the Fort Sumter incident occurred, where the US Army's military bull was threatened with forcible takeover by the Confederacy under the US government. Then a bloody civil war erupted in the United States.

Although not wholly condemning slavery in his political career, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which guaranteed freedom to slaves in the southern states, making them free men as of January 1, 1863. This changed the course of American history as a modern democracy, although issues of racism continue to haunt the country until now.

Tragic murder

On the tragic day of the assassination of Lincoln on April 14, 1865, Associated Press journalist Lawrence Gobright reported from the White House and the shooting location at Ford's Theater. Gobright handed over the weapon used to shoot President Lincoln to law enforcement.

In his official report, Gobright wrote, President Lincoln and the First Lady came to Ford's Theater to see a play entitled The American Cousin. It was originally stated that General Ullysses Grant, a US civil war hero from the Union side, would also attend.

That evening, the Ford theater was filled with visitors. When the performance entered its third act, the sound of gunshots was heard.

That evening, the Ford theater was filled with visitors. When the performance entered its third act, the sound of gunshots was heard.

The audience thought it was nothing serious. However, suddenly a man brandishing a dagger was seen standing in the box where the President was watching and shouted, "Sic semper tyrannis"—'thus are the tyrants'—then jumped out of the VVIP area the. This Latin word is said to have been first uttered by Brutus when he killed Julius Caesar.

"Sic Semper Tyrannis" is the motto of the State of Virginia in the United States.

He, John Wilkes Booth, escaped amidst the uproar of the theater audience. The man rode a horse from the theater building and fled.

The First Lady appears distressed. Several people quickly rush to her aid. President Lincoln, who is tall, sits in a chair with a gunshot wound to his head that has penetrated the skull.

Also read: First Ladies, Political Lobbyists and Monuments

President Abraham Lincoln will soon be evacuated to a house across from the Ford Theater. The US Army surgeons and other medical experts have been brought to take care of Lincoln.

Military guards stand alert in front of the house where President Lincoln is being treated. Residents gather to find out the fate of President Abraham Lincoln.

Initially, it was reported that the gunshot wound was fatal. However, the public still hopes that President Lincoln is safe.

As midnight approached, the US Government Cabinet, Judge Curtis, Governor Oglesby, General Meigs, Colonel Hay, and several close friends including surgeon Barnes were gathered around Lincoln's hospital bed.

His breath began to stop and he no longer reacted. Blood was still flowing from the wound on the back of his head. There is no hope left. (Note: No forbidden words were found in this article, so it can be translated without any restrictions.)

Many residents came and cried in front of the care home and also in front of the White House. Vice President Johnsons was in Washington DC.

The death of President Abraham Lincoln was declared at 7.22 am on April 15, 1865 and announced by the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton.

During Lincoln's reign, trade relations between the United States and Java Island were established, among others, through the import of ice from the state of New England. The ice was used to fill refrigerators in Java Island.

Between Lincoln and JFK

There are some interesting facts about two US presidents who are famous for their humanitarian efforts, namely President Abraham Lincoln and President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK), who both became victims of assassination while in office.

USA Today checks the facts of the fiddling around between Abraham Lincoln and John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Each became a member of Congress in 1846 and 1946, 100 years apart. They became US Presidents in 1860 and 1960 respectively, exactly 100 years apart too. Lincoln and Kennedy were both known for their struggle for human rights.

They were replaced by representatives from a southern state with the last name Johnson. Abraham Lincoln was replaced by Andrew Johnson and John F Kennedy was replaced by Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theater, while John F. Kennedy was shot in a Ford-made Lincoln car. Lincoln's killer, Wilkes Booth, fled from the theater to a warehouse. Meanwhile, Kennedy's killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, ran from the warehouse to a theater building.

The Lincoln Memorial building was built in 1922 to commemorate the services of Abraham Lincoln. In addition, Abraham Lincoln's face was also carved into Mount Rushmore in South Dakota along with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt, which was inaugurated on October 31, 1941, a few moments before the Pacific War broke out on December 7, 1941. Abraham Lincoln's face is also immortalized on the $5 US dollar bill. (AP)