Abraham Lincoln's Legacy Began Long Before He Was Famous

April 19, 2017

Abraham Lincoln, the Lawyer

Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest presidents of our time. He was the 16th president of the Unites States, "Savior of the Union," and the man who freed the slaves. However, many of us have never looked at the history before he was president, or how he worked as a very successful lawyer before his presidency. Lincoln's profile as a lawyer led him to become the 16th President of the United States, and his hard working and compassionate behavior came into play well before he sought his law degree.

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Hodgerville, Kentucky. His mother died when he was young and his father remarried Sara Johnston, who raised him along with three other children of her own. Though illiterate herself, Lincoln's step-mother encouraged him to learn to read from a young age. Reading material was in short while Lincoln was growing up, and he would walk for miles just to borrow a book. Lincoln only received about 18 months of formal education, typically a few days at a time. He was one of the few people who could read and write and was known as an excellent storyteller.

Before starting his career as a lawyer, Lincoln worked in many other capacities, including as a shoe keeper, postmaster and general store owner. In 1932, Lincoln was elected by his peers to be a military captain when a conflict between the United States and the Native Americans arose, known as the Black Hawk War. After the conflict, Lincoln officially began his political career and was elected to the Illinois State legislature. In 1834, he was a member of the Whig Party, a political party that strongly advised for U.S. Congress supremacy over the President (Biography.com Editors, 2016).

Around this time, being a member the Illinois State legislature, Lincoln decided to become a lawyer, teaching himself the law by reading William Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England. He actually argued and won cases prior to passing the bar in 1836, and in 1837 he was an officially licensed lawyer. He knew this was the path to go so he packed up and moved to Springfield, Illinois and began to practice at the John T. Stuart Law firm. He soon became a lawyer with a partner, but soon sought more work because there was not enough work in Springfield. Lincoln served a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849. He was vocal and spoke out against the Mexican-American War, although it was not a popular opinion back home. After his one term, he returned to Springfield again to practice law. He served as a lobbyist for the Illinois Central Railroad as its company attorney. Several court cases were successful and this brought other business clients as well, such as banks, insurance companies and manufacturing firms. Lincoln participated in many criminal trials as well. He did cases in the Illinois Supreme Court and was a well-known, respected lawyer. He could solve very complex problems and be flexible in everyday matters (Biography.com Editors, 2016), (James, 1995).

Lincoln’s profession as a lawyer contributed to his rise to presidency in many ways. After leaving the Whig Party, he joined the New Republican Party in 1856. It was made up of many former Whigs who opposed slavery. These gentlemen were called “Conscience Whigs.” They took a firm stand against slavery. Personally, this is where I think his ambition and compassion came in to help free slaves later on in his life. If Lincoln would not have become a lawyer, then he never would have had the impact he did to abolish slavery and stress equal rights. Lincoln could make a strong, informed impact (Miller Center of Public Affairs, 2008).

In comparing my own traits to Lincoln's, I think about my passion. Right now in my life, I am a dancer. I eat, sleep and breathe dance. If I wouldn't have tried out for my school’s drill team, I would never have known how much I love to dance and how I want to help others succeed in their passion. One day, I want to help children all over the world learn how to express their feelings through the art of dance. When Lincoln joined the Republican Party, I imagine he had no idea how much it was going to impact him on slavery. He found his ultimate purpose. The passion that started as a child, learning to read on his own, passing the bar, trying cases and entering the political field brought him to find one of his truest passions. Although abolishing slavery was much important than my passion for dance, I know how a passion and a purpose can take extra meaning in life. I know I want to help others be inspired and learn. It only takes one small step and a purpose.

The name “Abraham Lincoln” is a strong, powerful name that everyone knows. I personally think his name means "honesty," "compassion" and "hard work." It means strength because he always had the ability of never giving up, no matter how hard times could be and how strong the opposition was. "Honesty," because he seemed to tell exactly what he thought, not just what people wanted to hear. "Compassion," because of the multiple people he continued to care for throughout his whole life, even the ones who were not blood-related. Finally, I believe "hard work" describes Lincoln best. He never failed working throughout his childhood, career as a lawyer and especially during his role as President. He never gave up. He worked until he abolished slavery, which he could not have done without the knowledge and expertise he gained as a lawyer first.

Without Lincoln’s profession as a lawyer, he probably would not have been our 16th President of the United States. If he had not taught himself to read, he would not have been a lawyer. He would not have led the crusade for the abolishment of slavery. He would not have been the "Savior of the Union." A hard working, compassionate man, Lincoln's legacy continues to inspire people to this day never to give up.

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The following was written by an 11th grader from Kilgore High School and the winner of our "Before They Were Famous" essay writing contest exploring the early life Abraham Lincoln.

Will this SAVE America’s children? SCOTUS upholds trans ban in red states

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You never know what you’re going to get with the U.S. Supreme Court these days.

For all of the Left’s insane panic over having six supposedly conservative justices on the court, the decisions have been much more of a mixed bag. But thank God – sincerely – there was a seismic win for common sense at the Supreme Court on Wednesday. It’s a win for American children, parents, and for truth itself.

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s state ban on irreversible transgender procedures for minors.

The mostly conservative justices stood tall in this case, while Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson predictably dissented. This isn’t just Tennessee’s victory – 20 other red states that have similar bans can now breathe easier, knowing they can protect vulnerable children from these sick, experimental, life-altering procedures.

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Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, saying Tennessee’s law does not violate the Equal Protection Clause. It’s rooted in a very simple truth that common sense Americans get: kids cannot consent to permanent damage. The science backs this up – Norway, Finland, and the UK have all sounded alarms about the lack of evidence for so-called “gender-affirming care.” The Trump administration’s recent HHS report shredded the activist claims that these treatments help kids’ mental health. Nothing about this is “healthcare.” It is absolute harm.

The Left, the ACLU, and the Biden DOJ screamed “discrimination” and tried to twist the Constitution to force this radical ideology on our kids.

Fortunately, the Supreme Court saw through it this time. In her concurring opinion, Justice Amy Coney Barrett nailed it: gender identity is not some fixed, immutable trait like race or sex. Detransitioners are speaking out, regretting the surgeries and hormones they were rushed into as teens. WPATH – the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the supposed experts on this, knew that kids cannot fully grasp this decision, and their own leaked documents prove that they knew it. But they pushed operations and treatments on kids anyway.

This decision is about protecting the innocent from a dangerous ideology that denies biology and reality. Tennessee’s Attorney General calls this a “landmark victory in defense of America’s children.” He’s right. This time at least, the Supreme Court refused to let judicial activism steal our kids’ futures. Now every state needs to follow Tennessee’s lead on this, and maybe the tide will continue to turn.

99% see THROUGH media’s L.A. riot cover-up

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Glenn asked for YOUR take on the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots, and YOU responded with a thunderous verdict. Your answers to our recent Glennbeck.com poll cut through the establishment’s haze, revealing a profound skepticism of their narrative.

The results are undeniable: 98% of you believe taxpayer-funded NGOs are bankrolling these riots, a bold rejection of the claim that these are grassroots protests. Meanwhile, 99% dismiss the mainstream media’s coverage as woefully inadequate—can the official story survive such resounding doubt? And 99% of you view the involvement of socialist and Islamist groups as a growing threat to national security, signaling alarm at what Glenn calls a coordinated “Color Revolution” lurking beneath the surface.

You also stand firmly with decisive action: 99% support President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to quell the chaos. These numbers defy the elite’s tired excuses and reflect a demand for truth and accountability. Are your tax dollars being weaponized to destabilize America? You’ve answered with conviction.

Your voice sends a powerful message to those who dismiss the unrest as mere “protests.” You spoke, and Glenn listened. Keep shaping the conversation at Glennbeck.com.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

EXPOSED: Your tax dollars FUND Marxist riots in LA

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Protesters wore Che shirts, waved foreign flags, and chanted Marxist slogans — but corporate media still peddles the ‘spontaneous outrage’ narrative.

I sat in front of the television this weekend, watching the glittering spectacle of corporate media do what it does best: tell me not to believe my lying eyes.

According to the polished news anchors, what I was witnessing in Los Angeles was “mostly peaceful protests.” They said it with all the earnest gravitas of someone reading a bedtime story, while behind them the streets looked like a deleted scene from “Mad Max.” Federal agents dodged concrete slabs as if it were an Olympic sport. A man in a Che Guevara crop top tried to set a police car on fire. Dumpster fires lit the night sky like some sort of postapocalyptic luau.

If you suggest that violent criminals should be deported or imprisoned, you’re painted as the extremist.

But sure, it was peaceful. Tear gas clouds and Molotov cocktails are apparently the incense and candles of this new civic religion.

The media expects us to play along — to nod solemnly while cities burn and to call it “activism.”

Let’s call this what it is: delusion.

Another ‘peaceful’ riot

If the Titanic “mostly floated” and the Hindenburg “mostly flew,” then yes, the latest L.A. riots are “mostly peaceful.” But history tends to care about those tiny details at the end — like icebergs and explosions.

The coverage was full of phrases like “spontaneous,” “grassroots,” and “organic,” as if these protests materialized from thin air. But many of the signs and banners looked like they’d been run off at ComradesKinkos.com — crisp print jobs with slogans promoting socialism, communism, and various anti-American regimes. Palestinian flags waved beside banners from Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, and El Salvador. It was like someone looted a United Nations souvenir shop and turned it into a revolution starter pack.

And guess who funded it? You did.

According to at least one report, much of this so-called spontaneous rage fest was paid for with your tax dollars. Tens of millions of dollars from the Biden administration ensured your paycheck funded Trotsky cosplayers chucking firebombs at local coffee shops.

The same aging radicals from the 1970s — now armed with tenure, pensions, and book deals — are cheering from the sidelines, waxing poetic about how burning a squad car is “liberation.” These are the same folks who once wore tie-dye and flew to help guerrilla fighters and now applaud chaos under the banner of “progress.”

This is not progress. It is not protest. It’s certainly not justice or peace.

It’s an attempt to dismantle the American system — and if you dare say that out loud, you’re labeled a bigot, a fascist, or, worst of all, someone who notices reality.

And what sparked this taxpayer-funded riot? Enforcement against illegal immigrants — many of whom, according to official arrest records, are repeat violent offenders. These are not the “dreamers” or the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. These are criminals with long, violent rap sheets — allowed to remain free by a broken system that prioritizes ideology over public safety.

Photo by Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg | Getty Images

This is what people are rioting over — not the mistreatment of the innocent, but the arrest of the guilty. And in California, that’s apparently a cause for outrage.

The average American, according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, is supposed to worry they’ll be next. But unless you’re in the habit of assaulting people, smuggling, or firing guns into people’s homes, you probably don’t have much to fear.

Still, if you suggest that violent criminals should be deported or imprisoned, you’re painted as the extremist.

The left has lost it

This is what happens when a culture loses its grip on reality. We begin to call arson “art,” lawlessness “liberation,” and criminals “community members.” We burn the good and excuse the evil — all while the media insists it’s just “vibes.”

But it’s not just vibes. It’s violence, paid for by you, endorsed by your elected officials, and whitewashed by newsrooms with more concern for hair and lighting than for truth.

This isn’t activism. This is anarchism. And Democratic politicians are fueling the flame.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck's 'No King but Christ' merch: Will faith STOP the chaos?

On Saturday, June 14, 2025 (President Trump's 79th birthday), the "No Kings" protest—a noisy spectacle orchestrated by progressive heavyweights like Randi Weingarten and her union cronies—will take place in Washington, D.C.

Thousands will chant "no thrones, no crowns, no king," claiming to fend off authoritarianism and corruption.

But let’s cut through the noise. The protesters' grievances—rigged courts, deported citizens, slashed services—are a house of cards. Zero Americans have been deported, Federal services are still bloated, and if anyone is rigging the courts, it's the Left. So why rally now, especially with riots already flaring in L.A.?

Chaos isn’t a side effect here—it’s the plan.

This is not about liberty; it's a power grab dressed up as resistance. The "No Kings" crowd wants you to buy their script: government’s the enemy—unless they’re the ones running it. It's the identical script from 2020: same groups, same tactics, same goal, different name.

But Glenn is flipping the script. He's dropping a new "No Kings but Christ" merch line, just in time for the protest. Merch that proclaims one truth: no earthly ruler owns us; only Christ does. It’s a bold, faith-rooted rejection of this secular circus.

Why should you care? Because this won’t just be a rally—it’ll be a symptom. Distrust in institutions is sky-high, and rightly so, but the "No Kings" answer is a hollow shout into the void. Glenn’s merch begs the question: if you’re ditching kings, who’s really in charge? Get yours and wear the answer proudly.

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