Abraham Lincoln 3 Essay Research Paper Abraham — страница 7

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Springing with his great long legs, Lincoln “in three hops could get 40 feet on a dead level.”Elected to Congress, Retires to Resume LawIn 1847 Lincoln went to Washington, D.C., as a representative from Illinois. The Mexican War was on (see Mexican War). Lincoln opposed it. His antiwar speeches displeased his political supporters. He knew they would not reelect him. At the end of his term in 1849 he returned to Springfield. He sought an appointment as commissioner in the General Land Office in Washington, but failed to get it. Later that year he was offered the governorship of the Oregon Territory. He refused, convinced that he was now a failure in politics. Returning to the law, he again rode the circuit, which kept him away from home nearly six months of each year. He

missed his family but loved the easy comradeship of fellow lawyers staying in country inns and delighted in the sharp give-and-take in court. Wherever he went he could make the jury and courtroom weep or split their sides with laughter. Even more important to his success was his reputation for honesty. Honest Abe would not take a case unless he believed in his client’s innocence or rights. He became an outstanding lawyer. During this period he successfully handled important cases for the Rock Island Railroad and the Illinois Central Railroad. His most famous case, perhaps, was his victorious defense of “Duff” Armstrong, who was accused of murder. Duff was the son of Jack Armstrong, Lincoln’s old wrestling foe. The accusing witness said he had seen Duff bludgeon and kill a

man with a “slung shot” one night in the “bright moonlight.” Lincoln opened an almanac and showed it recorded that the moon on that night had set long before the scuffle.Returns to PoliticsThe threat of slavery being extended brought Lincoln back into politics in 1854. He did not suggest interfering with slavery in states where it was already lawful. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, however, enabled the people of each new territory to vote on whether the territory would be slave or free, thus threatening to extend slavery (see Kansas-Nebraska Act). Lincoln began a series of speeches protesting the act. In 1856 he helped to organize the Illinois branch of the new Republican party, a political party formed by people who wanted to stop the spread of slavery (see Political

Parties). He became the leading Republican in Illinois. When the Republicans nominated John C. Fremont for the presidency of the United States, Lincoln received 110 votes for nomination as vice-president (see Fremont). This brought Lincoln to the a