Chapter 2: A Backwoods Boy
• Born near Hodgenville, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809
• Never forgot the names of his first teachers-Zachariah Riney followed by Caleb Hazel
• Parents couldn’t read or write at all
• Watched his mother die and helped build her coffin
• Mostly educated himself
• At 23 he ran for Illinois state legislature and lost finishing eighth in a field of thirteen
• At 25 he ran again and placed second and was elected one of four to the Illinois House of Representatives
• Interested in the court of law he began practicing at 27
Chapter 3: Law and Politics
• At 28 he rode into Springield on a borrowed horse and seven dollars in his pocket
• His first encounter with democrat Stephen A. Douglas
• Lincoln won reelection in the Whig Party in 1838 and 1840
• At 30 years old he met Mary Ann Todd (21)
• After Mary’s family rejection they married two years later in secret
• He had four sons with Mary
• In 1846 he won a seat in Congress
• One of his sons grew ill and died
• Mary became a recluse
• Lincoln’s law practice flourished and he was one of the most sought after lawyers in the state