Abraham Lincoln's Early Life

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Lincoln Early Life

Abraham Lincoln was completely a self-educated man. Though his childhood education was very limited, he learned much from books. When his mother died, when Lincoln was very young, his father left the cabin and came back with a new stepmother who encouraged his childhood education. It was hard to find a good teacher, and good schools were rare on the frontier. Everyone who could read and write was asked to be a teacher. Abe first went to school when he was six years old. He was happy and determined to walk the four long miles to school. All the time he went to school did not add up to a year. Lincoln received most of his education from the books he read. As he grew up, he became fascinated with books. He loved to read every minute of his spare time. When he went out to plow a field, he put a book under his shirt and read at the end of rows when the horses were resting. He was willing to walk miles to get a book that he might read over and over. He read everything he could get his hands on. Abraham Lincoln's childhood education was poor, but that did not matter. With determination and his love for reading, he became one of the greatest presidents of all time. When he was young he stood in doorways and on tree stumps and imitated speakers. Lincoln’s determination and thirst for knowledge characterizes 19th century America because education started to become more important and valuable and soon the public school system will be created because of that.

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When Abraham Lincoln moved to New Salem, he would leave his fathers world forever. Both him and his father came from the frontier, but they differed on their outlooks on life and their aspirations. During Lincoln’s life America was transforming from “a rural, semisubsistence economy to a new commercial, market-oriented society. (10)” Abraham and his father differed greatly both in the characteristics and in their actions. Thomas Lincoln didn’t care much for education, had unpredictable work habits, and had a limited ambition. He “belonged to the premodern world. (10)” Instead of the modern presumption of labor to produce a surplus ...

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