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Becomes a candidate for the Illinois General Assembly
The Black Hawk War breaks out, and in April Abraham enlists and is elected captain of his rifle company. He re-enlists as a private after his company is disbanded. Serves a total of 3 months, but did not fight in battle. On August 6, he loses the election for General Assembly. The village store he worked in goes out of business, and Lincoln and his partner buy another village store in New Salem. -
Lincoln and the State Capitol Move to Springfield
Lincoln leaves New Salem and settles in Springfield, then becomes a law partner of John T. Stuart. The state capitol moves from Vandalia to Springfield. In the summer, Abe proposes to Mary Owens but is turned down and the courtship ends. -
Life as a Lawyer
Abe traveled through 9 counties in Central and Eastern Illinois as a lawyer on the 8th Judicial Circuit. Admitted to practice in the United States Circuit Court. He meets Mary Todd at the age of 21 at a dance. -
Abe does not seek re-election
Does not seek re-election to the legislature. In the summer, he resumes his courtship with Mary Todd. In September, Abe accepts a challenge to a dual by the Democratic State Auditor over published letters making fun of the auditor. The dual with swords is averted by an explanation of letters. -
Abe gets married
Abe marries Mary Todd, even though the engagement was broken off the year before. -
Family Death
Lincoln's father dies -
The Decision
In Springfield Lincoln speaks against the Dred Scott Decision -
The Election
Abraham Lincoln is nominated to be the Republican Candidate for the President of the United States. He opposes Northern Democrat Stephen A Douglas and Southern Democrat John C Breckinridge. In June he writes an autobiography -
Abe wins election
Elected 16th President of the United States, and is the first Republican. He receives 180 of 303 possible electoral votes and 40% of the popular vote. -
War breaks out
At 4:30am, Confederate artillery opens fire at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. The Civil War begins. -
The Battle of Bull Run
The Union suffers a defeat at Bull Run in Northern Virginia. Union troops fall back to Washington. The President now realizes the war will be long. -
Fighting Slavery
Signs a law freeing slaves from being used by the Confederates in their war efforts -
A Surprise Attack
A Confederate surprise attack on General Ulysses S Grant's troops at Shiloh on the Tennessee River results in a bitter struggle with 13,000 Union men killed and wounded and 10,000 Confederates. The president is then pressured to relieve Grant but resists. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The President issues a final Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in territories held by the Confederates. -
Gettysburg
Confederate's defeat in the battle of Gettysburg marks the turning point of the war -
The Address
President delivers the Gettysburg Address at the ceremony dedicating the battlefield as a national cemetery. -
War Ends
The Civil War ends as General Robert E Lee surrenders his Confederate Army to General Ulysses S Grant at the Village of Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. -
The Assassination
Lincoln and his wife go to a play at Ford's Theater. About 10:13pm, during the 3rd act of the play, John Wilkes Booth shoots the President in the head. Doctors attend to him in the theater, then move to a house across the street. He never regained consciousness. The President ends up dying at 7:22am the next morning.
