Abraham Lincoln Backwoods Rail-Splitter or Political Elite?

1. Abraham LincolnBackwoods Rail-Splitter or Political Elite? Painting of Abraham Lincoln splitting rails as a young man Portrait of Lincoln as President In May of 1860, Lincoln rode to Decatur, Illinois. Thirty years after living there, Lincoln returned to the small town for a Republican convention. It was here that John Hanks, Lincoln’s elder cousin, and Isaac Jennings, a  Decatur carpenter, interrupted the political convention with a surprise. The crowd erupted as the two men joined the convention. They entered carrying a sign that consisted of two rails and a board that read: ABE LINCOLN THE RAIL CANDIDATE OF THE PEOPLE FOR 1860 generation there were three close relatives who served as local officeholders, his first cousins Abraham and James Bradford Lincoln and a second cousin, Davis Lincoln. Despite these arguments, Lincoln was not closely associated with these men. Even though Lincoln may have been acquainted with his more distinguished relatives, this could not have done more than inspire him. From his jobs as a manual laborer to his self- education, Lincoln’s life before he forayed into politics was indicative of a self-made man. Although it is an integral part of his legacy, Lincoln’s years prior to his service in public office have been somewhat neglected. Scholars have

2. researched in great detail Lincoln’s losses in the senate races and his surprising comeback to win the presidency; however, they have not as extensively looked at his years prior to politics. Key events such as his four moves by age twenty-one, his early manual labor, the death of his mother and subsequent relationship with his stepmother, his appointment to postmaster, and election as captain in the thirty-first militia all significantly influenced his rise from the backwoods to the white house. There is debate as to how Lincoln perceived his early years and the romanticized nature of his rise, but it cannot be denied that hewas truly a self-made man. TWO RAILS FROM A LOT OF 3,000 MADE BY ABE LINCOLN AND JOHN HANKS IN 1830, TEN MILES WEST OF DECATUR. THE FATHER OF ABE LINCOLN, THE FIRST SQUATTER IN MACON COUNTY. It was here that Lincoln’s image as a rail splitter was born.Throughout history, Lincoln has become a national folk hero for his rags to riches story of upward mobility. As his presidential campaign embraced, he came from humble beginnings. Authors such as Horatio Alger have enhanced this image by writing about it extensively. Although Lincoln was by no means wealthy, scholars have debated the extent of his impoverished youth and lack of social standing. Many maintain his humble upbringing by citing how his family spent the winter of 1816-1817 in a three sided shed or his early life spent as a farm laborer, flat boat worker, and store clerk. Others argue that the circumstances of his youth have been greatly exaggerated and turned Lincoln’s rise into a product of folklore. These scholars argue that Lincoln would have met or learned of several relatives holding civil or military positions reserved for local elites. In his own Sources: “Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood Home at Knob Creek - Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park,” U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America, http://www.nps.gov/abli/planyourvisit/boyhood-home.htm (accessed November 15, 2012).Alger, Horatio, Abraham Lincoln, the backwoods boy, or, How a young rail-splitter became president(New York: John R. Anderson & Henry S. Allen, 1883).Chadwick, Bruce, Lincoln for president: an unlikely candidate, an audacious strategy, and the victory no one saw coming (Naperville, Ill: Sourcebooks, 2009).“ESL Abraham Lincoln Activities for Presidents Day,” Civics Lessons and EL Civics Activities for ESL Students,http://www.elcivics.com/esl_abraham_lincoln.html (accessed November 13, 2012).“Expansionism and Industrialism Timeline,” Dipity - Find, Create, and Embed Interactive Timelines,http://www.dipity.com/kmarra/Expansionism-and-Industrialism/ (accessed November 14, 2012).McNamee, Gregory, “Young Abraham Lincoln: Child of the American Frontier | Britannica Blog,” Britannica Online Encyclopedia, http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2009/02/young-abraham-lincoln-child-of-the-american-frontier/ (accessed November 13, 2012).Purvis, Thomas L., “The Making of a Myth: Abraham Lincoln’s Family Background in the Perspective of JacksonianPolitics,” Journal Of The Illinois State Historical Society 75, no. 2 (June 1982): 148-160. Winkle, Kenneth J., “Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made Man,”Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Summer, 2000): 1-16. Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home in Kentucky The White House during Lincoln’s presidency