ABRAHAM LINCOLN

And into this fray strode the noble Abe Lincoln
With his plain looks and plain words -- but the weightiest thinking.
We know him so well, stove-pipe hat and dark beard,
No leader save George is so roundly revered.

Who hailed from Kentucky with a true modest start,
Training long in the law 'til the daylight did part.
-- Indeed his work-ethic is a marvel so bright:
Abe learned how to read by a dim candlelight.

Known as honest by all and one fine story teller,
Friendly, rugged and smart, one heckuva fella',
Abe made a name for himself in the Illinois state
With no inkling as yet for the course of his fate.

With his tall awkward frame and manners so humble,
Abe hardly seemed made for political tumble.
Yet he offered fine speeches as well as plain jokes,
Earning respect all around while still being "jus' folks".

So for Senate he ran in 1858
Against
Stephen A. Douglas -- no slouch in debate!
From one town to the next, where crowds listened for hours,
They argued the issues and the use of state powers.

And the Democrat Douglas held that voting was key:
Either free state or slave by
popular sovereignty.
Whereas Lincoln spoke out with a conviction grown strong:
Enslavement is evil; it is morally wrong!

And though he did lose, Abe had reason to smile:
The debates brought him fame and proved a good trial,
To lead a new party, the Republicans,
In their quest for high office and political wins.

Indeed, ambition did spark in this formidable man,
And in year 1860 he for the President ran.
A choice that betokened all slavery's doom,
And whose victory meant...a
Civil War loomed!...














Worksheet # 68
Home
Questions
Next Worksheet
To continue the story