Abraham Lincoln: A Nation and a Promise

A look inside

The opening of Abraham Lincoln: A Nation and a Promise, free to read.

1. 

   In the country where Abraham Lincoln grew up, slavery forced many Black people to work without freedom. Black Americans resisted and worked to end it. Would the people who made laws help change this unfair rule? Abraham's story began with a farming family in Kentucky. He lived in a log cabin with his parents and sister Sarah.

2. 

   When Abraham was seven, his family crossed the Ohio River into Indiana. They built a home near the woods. His father, Thomas Lincoln, cleared land for a farm, and Abraham helped as he grew. Trees became firewood and fence rails. Fields became places to plant.

3. 

   School came in short stretches between work and travel. Abraham later said all his school days together totaled less than a year. His parents encouraged him to read when work allowed. A classroom was one place to learn, but not the only place.