Abraham Lincoln, could easily be considered the hero who saved a broken nation. Without his insight, integrity and inner drive the United States would have fallen long ago. Nowadays a person does not run for president by receiving only one year of formal education. People do not self-educate themselves to practice law, nor are they so trustworthy that anyone would lend them money and material goods without any concern of being repaid. Of course, Abraham Lincoln was no ordinary man. From a young age he was aware that his life was destined for greater things than just life on a farm. However, he probably never imagined that he would be the lead commander in ending slavery. Nor that his life would be cut short by an outraged Southern sympathizer after the victory. When John Wilkes Booth fired his derringer into the back of President Lincoln's head, all he was considering was the anger he felt inside. He didn't care that he had cheated African Americans of equality or that he had dispossessed the nation's leader in a desperate time of reconstruction. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He was born into a destitute family which left him with very little education. opportunity. His family resided on a farm and had no interest in providing their children with a formal education. His father, Thomas Lincoln, considered attending school a waste of time. He believed that children should be on the farm helping their family make ends meet. However, Abe did not agree with his father. Unlike his father, Abraham did not have a passion for manual labor. He despised it to say the least. Lincoln often desired the opportunity to receive an education and, above all, to learn to read. Unfortunately the last......half of the paper......l/alrintr.html>."Booth's Derringer pistol." Booth's Derringer pistol. Network. April 23, 2014. Coleman, Charles H. Sarah Bush Lincoln, the mother who survived him. Charleston, Illinois, 1952.Print. Pg.1Gienapp, William E. Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War: A Biography. New York: OxfordUP, 2002. Print. Page 2, 197, 201Smith, Richard N. "Derringer". Deringer. Network. April 18, 2014..Simpson, Michael J. "Philadelphia Deringer." About.com Weapons. Network. April 18, 2014..Townsend, George A and John W. Booth. The life, crime, and capture of John Wilkes Booth: with a complete sketch of the conspiracy of which he was the leader, and the pursuit, trial, and