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Thirteen Possibly Obscure Facts About Abraham Lincoln, 14th

I’ve often said that President Abraham Lincoln is one of my heroes. That’s not really always a popular choice for a Southerner, where some people still consider him a war criminal. (True to my Southern roots, I also think Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis were incredibly great men too — Hey, I’ve read my history.)

However, my admiration of Lincoln comes from a deeper place. A feeling that he was a truly special man because, clearly from what historians can piece together he suffered from some sort of mental illness, probably a severe form of depression, which I can relate too; yet, in the most traumatic, chaotic crisis our country has ever faced, he was a strong leader, often labeled the greatest President in the history in United States history, and he did what was needed to keep the country together because he thought it was the right thing to do.

I admit, I’ve been doing some “reading” (via audiobook) and some Internet research lately trying to separate the man from the overblown demi-god myth. I’ve discovered some interesting facts about Lincoln and I’ve decided to share them as this week’s Thursday Thirteen.

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  1. Though many Christian denominations try to claim Lincoln as one of their own, Lincoln was never associated with any organized church, and as a young man in New Salem he had a reputation as an outspoken nonbeliever. This became a problem in his 1846 congressional campaign; his only public statement on the subject was “That I am not a member of any Christian Church, is true; but I have never denied the truth of the Scriptures; and I have never spoken with intentional disrespect of religion in general or of any denomination of Christians in particular.”
  2. Lincoln was the only President ever to obtain a patent. Having had a career taking goods via flatboat up and down rivers in his younger days, in 1849 he invented a complicated device for lifting ships over dangerous shoals by means of “buoyant air chambers.” U.S. Patent No. 6,469 was never put into practical use.
  3. In 1836–a full 12 years before the 1st woman’s rights convention had even convened–State legislator Lincoln gave an Illinois paper a statement endorsing “female suffrage.”
  4. He and Mary Todd held seances in the White House. They were trying to communicate with their son who had died.
  5. Lincoln didn’t plan on abolishing slavery when campaigned for President; the Republican Party’s stand on slavery at the time was to not allow any more territories become slave states and hope that slavery would die out in the South. He only issued the Emancipation Proclamation after the war began as a battle strategy to cause chaos in the states that had seceded. (This one I was sorry to learn.)
  6. Lincoln was the first American President to suspend habeas corpus; Presidents Clinton and Bush are the only other two Presidents to do so. After the Civil War began, Lincoln had dissenters and protesters arrested in all the border areas and held in military prisons without trial. Over 18,000 were arrested, though none were executed. (Not a sterling moment either.)
  7. Lincoln signed into law the Internal Revenue Act of 1862, establishing the IRS and the Income Tax. Next April 15th, think of him.
  8. Counties in 19 U.S. states (Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) are named after Lincoln.
  9. Lincoln had four sons, but only 1 lived to adulthood.
  10. The last direct descendant of Abraham Lincoln, Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, died in 1985.
  11. He was the first President to have a beard while in office.
  12. He is the U.S. president most frequently portrayed in films.
  13. He was assassinated on Good Friday, April 14, 1865.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Published:
18.10.07 / 12am
Category:
Facts of Life, Thursday Thirteen
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