1809 Abraham Lincoln is born near Hodgenville, Kentucky
1818 Abraham Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks dies of milk sickness in Indiana at age 35.
1834 Abraham Lincoln wins his first election at the age of 24. He is elected to the Illinois State Legislature.
1836 Abraham Lincoln is re-elected to Illinois state legislature.
1837 Abraham Lincoln makes his first protest against slavery in the Illinois House of Representatives, stating that the institution was "founded on both injustice and bad policy".
1837 Abraham Lincoln is admitted to the National Bar Association in 1837. He moves to Springfield, Illinois to begin a law practice with lawyer John T. Stuart.
1838 Abraham Lincoln is re-elected to his third term to the Illinois State Legislature.
1840 Abraham Lincoln is elected to his fourth term to the Illinois State Legislature.
1842 Abraham Lincoln marries Mary Todd Lincoln, the daughter of a slave-owning southern family.
1846 Abraham Lincoln's son Edward Baker Lincoln is born in Springfield, Illinois.
1846 Abraham Lincoln is elected to the United States Congress by the state of Illinois.
1854 Abraham Lincoln is elected to the Illinois State Legislature
1858 Abraham Lincoln delivers a controversial speech emphasizing the importance of national unity on the issue of slavery. The speech included his famous line "A house divided against itself cannot stand"
1858 The first of seven highly publicized debates are held between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas during their campaign for an open seat in the United States Senate for the state of Illinois
1858 Stephen A. Douglas defeats Abraham Lincoln in an election for a United States Senate seat from the state of Illinois. The highly publicized election propels Abraham Lincoln to national prominence.
1858 Stephen A. Douglas defeats Abraham Lincoln in an election for a United States Senate seat from the state of Illinois. The highly publicized election propels Abraham Lincoln to national prominence.
1860 Abraham Lincoln is elected as the 16th President of the United States and the first Republican Party President, defeating Democratic Party candidate, Stephen A. Douglas
1861 Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th President of the United States and delivers the First Inaugural Address.
1861 Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus in response to riots and local militia actions.
1861 Abraham Lincoln signs a bill into law which creates the United States Department of Agriculture
1862 Abraham Lincoln issues a preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation.
1863 Abraham Lincoln issues a proclamation of Thanksgiving. It was the first time that the Thanksgiving holiday was established as a formal event.
1863 Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address at dedication of the Soldier's National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
1863 Abraham Lincoln issues the Amnesty Proclamation offering pardons to those who had not mistreated Union prisoners, had not held a Confederate States of America civil office, and would sign an oath of allegiance.
1864 Abraham Lincoln appoints Ulysses S. Grant as general-in-chief of all the Federal armies. William Tecumseh Sherman succeeds Grant as commander in the West.
1864 Abraham Lincoln is re-elected as President of the United States, defeating former Union (American Civil War) general, George B. McClellan
1865 Abraham Lincoln takes office for his second term as President of the United States and delivers the Second Inaugural Address.
1865 Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in Washington, D.C.
