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was born February 12, 1809, in a log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky. He was the son of Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln, and he was named for his paternal grandfather. Thomas Lincoln was a carpenter and farmer. Both of Abraham's parents were members of a Baptist ....

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.... was just the opposite. Abraham was constantly borrowing books from the neighbors. In 1828, at 19, he helped take a flatboat down the Ohio River to New Orleans. There Lincoln saw for the first time slaves being sold in the marketplace. Lincoln would work to end slavery for the rest of his life. The next year Lincoln made a second flatboat trip to New Orleans. Afterwards he moved to New Salem, Illinois, where he lived until 1837. While there he worked at several jobs including operating a store, surveying, and serving as postmaster. He impressed the residents with his character, wrestled the town bully, and earned the nickname "Honest Abe." Lincoln, who ....