Lincoln Biography

Author: Ludwig
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Abraham #8226; Lincoln is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding presidents in American history. However, his early life was actually composed of a series of failures: At the age of 22, he failed in business and was burdened with debts; At 23, he lost in his bid for state legislature and lost his job, and couldn't afford law school tuition; At 24, he borrowed money to start a business again but went bankrupt again, and it took him 17 years to pay off his debts; At 27, he suffered a mental breakdown and was bedridden for half a year, with the most desperate times even reaching "where he didn't dare to carry a knife, truly afraid of giving in to thoughts of suicide"; At 31, his qualifications for running for state legislature were revoked; At 40, he applied for the position of state land commissioner but was rejected; At 45, he ran for the Senate but lost; At 47, he sought the vice-presidential nomination but received less than 100 votes; At 49, he ran for the Senate again and was defeated again. After losing the Senate election, Lincoln said, "This is a rough and muddy road. I slipped with one foot, and the other foot lost its balance; but I took a breath and told myself, 'This is just a fall, not death, and I can get back up.'"