Presidents and American Symbols: Supplemental Guide 6A | Abraham Lincoln 105 Show image 5A-4: Abe Lincoln with man in hat
Abe felt really bad about what had happened to his neighbor’s book.
He carried the ruined book back to his neighbor.“Our roof leaked, and the rain came in on your book,” he confessed.
“I am so sorry. What can I do to repay you?”They agreed that Abe would work for three days in his neighbor’s
fields in order to pay for the book that had been ruined.Abe proved that he was an honest and a hard-working person. Show image 6A-6: Abraham Lincoln
When Abe was a little older, he worked at a general store as a clerk.
One evening as he counted the money in the register, he found that a
customer paid six cents too much. Abe walked six miles to return the
money.[Note that six cents during Lincoln’s time was worth much more than six cents
today.]
Later, when he was working as a lawyer, he returned money to his
customers if he felt that they had paid him too much. He had the
reputation of being the most honest lawyer in town and was known
by the nickname “Honest Abe.” Abraham Lincoln was well-known for
his honesty. Show image 6A-8: What was under Lincoln’s hat
“Honest Abe” eventually became the sixteenth president of the United
States. During this time not everybody in America was free. There
were enslaved people who were forced to work without pay. They
were not free to decide how to live their lives. When people asked him
what should be done about slavery, his face would become serious.
Abraham Lincoln grew up believing that everyone had the right to
improve their lives. He believed that slavery was wrong.One day, he picked up his tall, black hat, reached inside and pulled
out a folded piece of paper. He said, “I have been carrying this paper
inside my hatband for more than three months, waiting for the right
day to show it to you. Today is that day. I am going to proclaim—or
let everyone know—that the enslaved people are free people. Anyone
who doesn’t let them free is breaking the law.”