Educating Abe: Preparing the 16th President

The United States will honor Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12, so MOTAL has decided to find out how he was prepared to become such a competent and esteemed president. Lincoln is probably best remembered as the great president who authored the Emancipation Proclamation to initiate the end of slavery in the United States. In addition, he is known because he was assassinated while still in office. But he is also highly revered for his way with words and amazing abilities as an orator.


Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in Kentucky where he was raised on a farm by his parents, Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Abe’s sister Sarah (called Sally), was two years older. His only schooling at that time consisted of only several months spent at an “ABC School” where he probably did not learn much beyond the alphabet. When Abe was eight, the family moved to Indiana, but only a couple years later, his mother died. Sally, 12 years old, was tasked with housekeeping, and after just a few months, his father left for Kentucky and returned to Indiana with a new wife who had three children of her own.

Photo of Abraham Lincoln's 1822 "ABC School"
(also called Vocal or Blab Schools)

Although most kids in the region stayed home to help with the farming, Abe’s father, who was illiterate, wanted more for his son. Abraham was encouraged to walk to a log schoolhouse with a dirt floor. The learning environment was quite noisy, for students read their lessons aloud to show they were actually studying. It came to be known as “blab school,” a tried-and-true method of learning at the time. In all, he had a total of only one year of formal schooling. His teachers were all men, for that was typical in that part of the nineteenth century. As Abe himself declared, he attended school “by littles.” It was just a few months here, a few months there. Otherwise, he did help out on the farm.


Nevertheless, at an early age, he developed a love of reading. Abe borrowed books and newspapers wherever he could. He usually carried a book with him, so when any opportunity arose, he would stop and read awhile. Sometimes, he even read as he walked. He was a voracious reader of the classics, including the Bible, Pilgrim's Progress, Aesop’s Fables, and Robinson Crusoe, and he also loved to read and recite poetry, especially that of Robert Burns.

Lincoln was also a student of contemporary culture, reading about the life of George Washington, familiarizing himself with local news, and learning from others by posing impromptu questions to everyday workers. Young Abe was rarely bored; if he didn’t have someone to talk to, he’d simply redirect his conversation to the corn and beans. His constant reading from a variety of sources sparked his imagination, and it provided ideas and themes to weave into his speeches. Abe was a compelling speaker and a great storyteller, even as a young man.


In 1830, at age 21, Abe moved with his family to Illinois and he said goodbye to his childhood. Within the year, he set off on his own and gained a reputation for his size, strength, work ethic, good nature and quick wit. Although he was an unusual-looking man—tall (6’4”) and gaunt with a homely face—his debating and storytelling skills drew people to him and he easily gathered crowds wherever he went.


His experience as poler on the Mississippi River allowed him to observe and interact with the crowds lining the riverbanks, giving him his first taste of lively political debates as well as an awareness of the injustices of slavery. Abe also witnessed slaves being bought and sold and he thought it unjust that one man could own another.


As he matured, he studied law by firelight without a teacher in Salem, Illinois and he continued to learn on the job as he argued cases in court.


Eventually, Abe served in Congress as a state representative. He next ran for Senate twice, but he lost both elections. Then, in 1860, he ran for President and was elected and then was reelected in 1864. He was assassinated soon after, in 1865.


If you get the chance to visit Washington, DC be sure to visit Lincoln’s Cottage in Rock Creek Park. You may also read the original Emancipation Proclamation in Abe’s impressive handwriting at the National Archives, and then visit the Ford’s Theatre Museum to see the gigantic tower made from the many thousands of books that have been written about our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.

Submitted by Eva Postma, MOTAL Board member
With fellow Board member Greta Nagel


References:
Brinkley, H. (2020). Young Abraham Lincoln. Life Cap Books.
d’Aulaire, I. and d’Aulaire, E. (1987). Abraham Lincoln. Random House.
Winters, K. ( 2003 ). Abe Lincoln: The boy who loved books. Aladdin Paperbacks.
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