Lincoln was born in obscurity and wretchedness. His father,
Thomas Lincoln, was a ne'er-do-well Kentucky carpenter, grossly
illiterate, unable or unwilling to rise above the lowest level of
existence in the pioneer settlements. His mother, Nancy Hanks,
whatever her antecedents may have been, was a woman of character,
and apparently of some education. But she died when her son was
only nine years of age.
Cass and Douglas had educational opportunities which in their day
were exceptional. Both attended famous academies and received
instruction in the classics, mathematics, and philosophy. Both
grew up in an environment of enlightenment and integrity.
Lincoln, on the other hand, got a few weeks of instruction under
two amateur teachers in Kentucky and a few months more in
Indiana--in all, hardly as much as one year; and as a boy he knew
only rough, coarse surroundings. When, in 1816, the restless head
of the family moved from Kentucky to southern Indiana, his
worldly belongings consisted of a parcel of carpenters' tools and
cooking utensils, a little bedding, and about four hundred
gallons of whiskey.
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