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Abraham Lincoln Timeline

Abraham Lincoln is born in Nolin Creek, Kentucky to Nancy Hanks and Thomas Lincoln.

The Lincoln family buys a 230 acre farm on Knob Creek.

His brother Thomas is born but dies not long after.

Attends a small log school house.

The Lincoln family move again and settle in Indiana backwoods.

Shoots a wild turkey and experiences such remorse that he
will never hunt animals again.

A horse kicks him on the side of the head and he's briefly thought dead.

His mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, dies of "milk sickness."

His father marries a widow, Sarah Bush Johnston. She grows on Abraham who ends up adoring her.

Goes to school for a little bit.

Leaves school.

Goes back to school for a few months.

Goes back to school.

His sister Sarah dies while giving birth.

He and Allen Gentry load a flatboat with farm produce and sail to New Orleans. During this time seven black men try to rob them but fail.

He and his family move to Illinois where they settle along the Sangamon River. It is in Illinois he gives his debut political speech that promises improving navigation on the Sangamon River.

1831: He moves to New Salem, Illinois, and works as a clerk in the village store. He sleeps in the back.

Wrestles Jack Armstrong to a draw.

Reads Shakespeare and Robert Burns.

Takes part in a local debating society.

Becomes a candidate for Illinois General Assembly.

After the The Black Hawk War begins, he enlists and becomes Captain of his rifle company. The company is disbanded soon after so he has to re-enlist as a private.

Returns from the War without seeing any action.

Loses election. The village store he worked in goes out of business. Lincoln and partner, William Berry, purchase another village store in New Salem.

The store he and business partner William Berry buy, eventually goes out business and leaves Lincoln in serious debt.

He is appointed Postmaster of New Salem.

Illinois General Assembly elects him as a member of the Whig Party. He begins studyhing law.

His former store partner William Berry dies and this increases Lincoln's debt to $1,000.

His lover Ann Rutledge dies of fever.

Leader of the Whig party.

Begins dating Mary Owens.

Suffers a severe bout of depression.

Moves to Springfield and becomes a law partner of John T. Stuart.

Proposes to Mary Owens who turns him down.

Re-elected to the Illinois Gen. Assembly and becomes Whig floor leader.

Meets Mary Todd at a dance.

Argues his first case before the Illinois Supreme Court.

Re-elected to the Illinois Gen. Assembly.

Engaged to Mary Todd.

Breaks engagement to Mary Todd and has another bout with depression.

Goes to Kentucky by steamboat and comes across twelve slaves chained together.

Doesn't seek re-election to Illinois Gen. Assembly.

He and Mary Todd rekindle their love.

Accepts a challenge to a duel with James Shield, a Democratic state auditor.

The duel with James Shields is avoided after the exchange of letters.

Marries Mary Todd in Springfield.

His first child, Robert Todd Lincoln, is born.

His second child, Edward Baker Lincoln, is born.

He's nominated to be the Whig candidate in the U.S. Congress.

Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Moves his family to Washington, D.C.

At Congress, he questions President Polk about U.S. hostilities with Mexico.

Speaks out on the floor of the House against President Polk's war policy regarding Mexico.

After suffering two months of illness, his son Edward dies.

Third son, William Wallace Lincoln is born.

His father dies.

Fourth son, Thomas is born.

Takes part in organizing the new Republican party of Illinois. He gets 110 votes for the vice presidential nomination.

Lincoln speaks against the Dred Scott decision.

By a vote of 54 to 46, Illinois legislature chooses Douglas for the U.S. Senate.

Writes a short autobiography.

In New Haven, Connecticut, he gives an impassioned political speech against slavery.

His party nominates him to be the Republican candidate for President of the United States.

Pens a longer autobiography.

He's elected 16th U.S. President, receiving 180 of 303 possible electoral votes and getting 40 percent of the popular vote.

South Carolina splinters from the Union and two months later, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas follow.

During his train ride to Washington, he is warned of a possible assassination attempt.

Gives his First Inaugural Address.

At 4:30 a.m. the Civil War begins as the Confederates open fire on Fort Sumpter in Charleston.

Issues the Proclamation Calling Militia and Convening Congress.

Virginia splinters from the Union and within five weeks so does North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas. The splintered states form an eleven state Confederacy.

Issues a Proclamation of Blockade against Southern ports.

Permits the suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus.

Stephen A. Douglas, a political rival, dies of acute rheumatism.

He realizes the war will be long and hard fought when the Union suffers defeat at Bull Run, Virginia and has no choice but to fall back to Washington.

Frees the slaves being forced to fight for the Confederates by signing a law freeing them.

Issues a Proclamation of a National Day of Fasting.

Replaces Gen. Fremont with Gen. David Hunter.

When Winfield Scott resigns, Lincoln appoints McClellan as commander of the Union army.

Calls for the Union to advance on Feb. 22 by issuing General War Order No. 1.

His son Willie dies at age 12. Mary never fully recovers.

Takes direct command of the Union army after relieving McClellan as general-in-chief.

13,000 Union soldiers are killed after a surprise attack on Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's troops at Shiloh on the Tennessee River. Even though the president experiences extreme pressure to relieve Grant, he doesn't.

Abolishes slavery in the District of Columbia by signing an Act.

Permits the Federal Homestead Law which gives 160 acres of land in the West to anyone who will claim and work the property for at least 5 years. This causes thousands to cross the Mississippi.

Allows a Law prohibiting slavery in the territories.

He has no choice but to relieve Gen. John Pope of his duty after the Union suffers another defeat at the second Battle of Bull Run, Virginia, and once again retreats to Washington.

The bloodiest day in U.S. military history happens when General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate armies are stopped at Antietam in Maryland by a huge Union force. A total of 26,000 men are either dead, wounded, or missing on this day.

Issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves.

Signs a bill allowing West Virginia to join the Union.

Issues the final Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in territories held by Confederates.

Signs a Bill that allows a national banking system.

Signs an Act that introduces military conscription.

Confederates suffer a defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Issues Order of Retaliation.

Issues Proclamation of Thanksgiving.

At a ceremony, delivers the Gettysburg Address making the battlefield a national cemetery.

Republicans and War Democrats nominate Lincoln for president.

Requests 500,000 volunteers for military service.

Re-elected president and gets 212 of 233 electoral votes and 55 percent of the popular vote.

Delivers his second Inaugural Address.

John Wilkes Booth plans on kidnapping Lincoln but the president doesn't arrive as expected at the Soldiers' Home.

Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate army to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. The war ends.

Gives his last public speech, focusing on problems involving reconstruction.

Attends the play Our American Cousin with his wife Mary at Ford's Theater. At roughly 10:13 p.m., during the play's third act, John Wilkes Booth shoots the president in the head.

He is pronounced dead at 7:22 in the morning.