IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY
Abraham, Martin and John

by G. Boise

February is Black History month. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King is much celebrated at this time. As he should be. Dr. King was the king of civil rights for the black race. No man has done more for the race then Dr. King---save one. It is on this one I wish to concentrate.

That one was Abraham Lincoln or Father Abraham as many black slaves endearingly referred to him. Not enough is known about President Lincoln’s life and what he did for this country and for the black race. If the life of Lincoln was taught more in schools, it could be that instead of 80 to 90% of the black vote going to the Democrats, some may reconsider, knowing that Mr. Lincoln was the very first Republican in Illinois. Yes, he was a member of the Whigs but he quit the party, and was instrumental in bringing the Republican Party to Illinois. I have no party ties. I vote Independent so I’m just pointing that out as fact.

In my Reflections column of February 10th, I suggested everyone should read Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Might I suggest reading Thayer’s Abraham Lincoln:-The Pioneer Boy and How He Became President, the Story of His life? Anything from here on in quotations will be from that volume.

Although Illinois is known as the Land of Lincoln, he was born February 12, 1809 in Kentucky. His father built a “floorless, doorless, windowless shanty.” Most of the people in that area were dirt poor and uneducated. Hunger was their constant companion along with the lack of adequate clothing. Thomas Lincoln, Abe’s dad, could neither read nor write. He could only “make his mark”. Abe’s mom could read a little but could only write her name. They wished more for their children.

Abraham’s first school teacher was a neighbor who could neither “write, nor cipher” but he could read and wanted to teach that. So Abe and his sister Sarah went to Mr. Riney’s cabin with one old spelling book between them. There they learned to read and soon knew more than their teacher. It took only six weeks. Corn cakes and milk was their daily food and when the cows took sick in the area so did the people who drank their milk.

When Indiana was admitted to the Union as a free state Tom Lincoln moved his family there. The first home he built was a 3-sided structure made of poles instead of logs. Open on one side they were subject to the cold Indiana winter. The next summer, 1817, Tom and his 8-year old son Abe cut logs and built a real cabin. It had no floor, one door, and one window. Since they had no glass, Tom stretched the skin of a hog over the window pane. It let in light and kept out the draft. They built a loft for the kids to sleep in. The whole structure measured 16 x 18’. Due to a lack of space, I must skip over Abe’s childhood where his character was formed from hard work and self education. Besides the spelling book, they had only a Bible and a catechism--but Abe read them continually.

When Abe was twenty-one, the family moved to Illinois to escape what they called the milk disease. It was probably “mad cow”. The Lincolns built their best log cabin ever, It even had a wooden floor! Abraham made himself very useful in Illinois. By the year 1830 through his industry and hard labor, he made himself a very agreeable person and coupled with his intelligence and social qualities, he was a welcome guest in every house in the neighborhood.

Abraham had many different jobs hiring out to different folkm, kind of like a handyman. One job he took was a merchant of dry goods. Abe was to build a flat boat and pilot it down to New Orleans loaded with goods to sell. “Inhuman” exclaimed Abraham one day, when he saw a gang of slaves chained together and a merciless driver cracking his whip about their heads. Abe said to his partner John Hanks--a nation that tolerates such inhumanity will have to pay for it someday. About that trip, Hanks said, it was there we saw Negroes chained, maltreated, whipped and scourged. Lincoln saw it and his heart bled. It made him sad. He looked bad, felt bad was thoughtful and abstracted and it was on this trip that he formed his opinions of slavery.

The merchant who hired Abe for the New Orleans trip turned over his dry goods store in New Salem, Illinois to Abe’s management. It was here that Abraham started his political career. The people of New Salem loved him. Because of his fairness and honesty in business the locals tagged him Honest Abe.

The governor of Illinois called for volunteers to fight in the Blackhawk War. Under Abe’s leadership, a recruiting station was opened in New Salem. Abe being the first to enlist raised a full company and was elected their captain. I am skipping his military service, which was quite honorable, again for lack of space.

Abraham loved to jump on a stump and make speeches. Even in his youth he entertained neighbors and friends with his oratory. Now as a well read young man, many his speeches became more serious and often turned to politics. Once while speaking before the New Salem Literary Society a prominent citizen encouraged him to run for office. Regretfully, I’ll skip over Abe’s young political life.

Abe purchased an old law book at a Springfield auction and thus started studying law. At the same time he taught himself to be a surveyor, took the test, got a license to survey, and did very well for himself. In a833 he was appointed as Postmaster at New Salem. Besides these two jobs, he still helped the citizens out as a handyman. Busy boy!

In 1834 Abe was elected to the State Legislature. “He was comparatively a silent member, observing and learning, though he was faithful and effi cient on committees.” At this time his study of law became serious. An acquaintance owned a complete law library and encouraged Abe to borrow his books. Because of this encouragement and that of friends back home in New Salem, Abe became determined to become a lawyer.

During his second term in the legislature, there was a bitter rivalry between slave abolitionists and the pro-slavery Democratic Party, which, by the way, held the majority. Abe’s “good fight for freedom in the House from 1836-38 put him before the state and the country as a fearless and powerful opponent of the Slave System.” Lincoln was admitted to the bar in 1837. “He grew rapidly in the public favor as a lawyer and within ten years of leaving his log cabin in Macon County, he was considered one of the ablest lawyers in Illinois.” Judge David Davis said “In all the elements that constitute the great lawyer, he had few equals. The framework of his mental and moral being was honesty.”

In 1842 Abraham married Miss Mary Todd. They had four sons. In 1846 he was elected to Congress. “The country was thoroughly excited at that time upon the questions of the Mexican War and the admission of Texas as a slave state . . . Lincoln at once arrayed himself against their unrighteous measures.” He declined re-election (imagine that) in 1848 and again in 1850 “preferring to be at home with his family and following his chosen profession.”

In our next issue, I will continue this story as Linolcn answers the call to return to politics because of “injustice and political chicanery.”