Lincoln at New Salem

I. Self-Education
A. What Lincoln Read

1. Holy Bible

2. John Bunyan, Pilgrims Progress

3. William Scott, Lesson in Elocution

4. William Grimshaw, History of the United States



5. “Parson” Mason Weems, The Life of George Washington

B. Computation—although the schools he briefly attended in Indiana provided him with a solid background in simple arithmetic, Lincoln’s better than average abilities in this area were a result of his own efforts performing more complex multiplication and long division problems on his own. This demonstrates his determination, even at an early age, to make his way in the world via his brains rather than his brawn.

C. Socialization—Lincoln excelled at the social aspects of school during his brief sojourns, despite his awkward physical appearance and ill-fitting, homemade clothes, Lincoln was able to win people over with his story-telling and wit, and was hugely popular at after school get togethers, as well as other social events.

II. Growing Family Conflict

A. The Blended Family

1. Increased pressure on the breadwinner—Thomas Lincoln, with his remarriage, suddenly had eight mouths to feed rather than four or five. Sarah Bush Lincoln was also more demanding than Nancy Hanks Lincoln had been—a floor for the cabin, etc.


2. Thomas Lincoln’s health was in decline from shortly after his second marriage. Already blind in one eye, Thomas Lincoln’s sight began fading in the “good” eye as well; by the end of his life he was blind.

3. Abraham Lincoln, Teenager—during Lincoln’s teenage years, he reached the height of 6’4” by 16. This growth spurt would have been accompanied by an increased desire for sleep, and is in part responsible for this reputation for laziness.


4. Lincoln and the Life of the Mind—contributing to this idea that Lincoln was lazy was the fact that he actively pursued the life of the mind—writing down phrases that he wanted to remember, contemplating what he read and/or was trying to memorize, working on mathematical equations, etc.

B. Family tensions

1. Father as tyrant—by most accounts, Thomas Lincoln was fairly easygoing as a father. Sarah Bush Lincoln argued that her husband only forced Abraham Lincoln to work reluctantly if it meant taking him away from his reading. Others dispute that account. Although Thomas Lincoln was not generally physically aggressive, he did on occasion use physical punishment to insist upon his point of view.

2. Thomas Lincoln also seemed to prefer his stepson over his own flesh and blood—probably because Thomas Lincoln shared more common interests with John Johnston than he did with his own son. Abraham Lincoln did not enjoy hunting and other outdoor activities as did his father and stepbrother. Their common interests led Thomas Lincoln to have a closer relationship with Johnson than with his own son, with whom he shared few interests.

C. Death of Sarah Lincoln—Lincoln’s older sister married when Lincoln was 17 (and she was 19). Although the marriage was into one of the leading families in the area, Sarah Lincoln’s death during childbirth—and Lincoln’s feeling that the family had not done enough to assist her during that time—led to an increasing sense of isolation from the community at Pigeon Creek, and led to his first trip downriver to New Orleans.


III. The Move to Illinois

A. The Lincoln’s move westward again—another onset of the “milk sickness” impelled Thomas Lincoln to move westward once again, while he could still count on the labor of his son. Once the new farm was cleared near present-day Decatur, however, Lincoln increasingly began operating independently from his family.


B. Second New Orleans trip—Lincoln jumped at the chance to make a second trip to New Orleans. He, his stepbrother, and a cousin had to build the flatboat, which navigated the Sangamon River through the frontier village of New Salem. Lincoln’s cool-headed handling of a treacherous situation there involving the flatboat attracted a good deal of positive attention; after his return from New Orleans, in fact, a local merchant in the village offered Lincoln a job in a general store there, which he accepted.

C. Life in New Salem—Lincoln spent the next six years of his life in New Salem.


1. The General Store—Here he helped run a general store, and succeeded his employer there when he abandoned the store after a financial downturn (Lincoln’s attempt to run the store faired no better, and the debt he had to take on to buy the store eventually pulled his enterprise under)

2. Runs for Political Office—despite the assistance of the Clary Grove Boys, Lincoln’s first election campaign does not go well; in his second attempt, he was elected to the state legislature from New Salem.


3. The “Fairer Sex”—Lincoln has his first serious romances while in New Salem, first with Ann Rutledge, and then with Mary Owen. Rutledge died either just before or just after her engagement to Lincoln; he was inconsolable over her death, and friends feared that he would take his own life. This is the earliest evidence we have of Lincoln’s problems with what we today recognize as depression.

4. Failure at business—when Lincoln’s store fails, he has to declare bankruptcy. He takes on the job of postmaster for New Salem (using his political connections), and also acquired the tools to become a surveyor, which not only allows him second source of income, but a chance to broaden his acquaintances.


5. Reading the Law—although New Salem is miniscule and provincial by modern standards, people with books did populate the area, and Lincoln took the opportunity to read most of them, as well as the newspapers that came through the post office. In this way, Lincoln began to prepare himself for his new career.