This is Lesson 26, “Abraham Lincoln,” from our collection of advanced adult ESL lessons. The lesson features a reading passage about Abraham Lincoln, followed by comprehension questions and discussion questions. This content-packed lesson is useful for helping more advanced English learners refine and improve their English fluency. This lesson is available for free download, and you can download many other ESL lessons for adults like this one in our book ESL Pathways: Frontiers.
Read about Abraham Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States. He was born in a log cabin in Kentucky on February 12, 1809. Lincoln’s childhood was not easy. His father was a farmer and had to work hard to earn a living. When Abraham was 7, the family moved to southern Indiana. Abraham had gone to school briefly in Kentucky and did so again in Indiana. In 1818 Lincoln’s mother died from milk sickness, a disease from drinking the milk of cows that had grazed on poisonous grass. Thomas Lincoln remarried the next year, and Abraham loved his new stepmother.
As Abraham grew up, he loved to read and preferred learning to working in the fields. This caused difficulty in his relationship with his father who was just the opposite. The Lincolns moved again to Illinois and Abraham worked several jobs there. He managed a store, surveyed land, and served as a postmaster. He was well liked by the local people he earned the nickname “Honest Abe.”
In 1860 Lincoln was elected president and he soon faced the greatest internal crisis U.S. President has ever faced: the American Civil War. Lincoln raised an army and decided to fight to stop the Union from falling apart. His goal was to preserve the Union. As the war dragged on, Lincoln had to find a new goal. There were rumors that the Civil War could escalate into an international conflict if it continued. Lincoln’s worst fear was that the British would side with the South. Lincoln then decided to change his original war goal. He had always opposed slavery and on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was introduced. This was Lincoln’s declaration of freedom for all slaves in the United States. Lincoln won re-election in 1864, the Union defeated the South, and the Civil War finally war ended in 1865. The North were the victors.
On April 14, 1865, the Lincolns attended a play entitled Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C. During the performance John Wilkes Booth arrived at the theater and shot the president in the back of the head. Lincoln died the next morning. This was the first presidential assassination in American history, and the nation mourned its leader. His death was the result of the deep divisions and hatreds of the times.
Abraham Lincoln is remembered for his vital role as the leader in preserving the Union during the Civil War and beginning the process that led to the end of slavery in the United States. He is also remembered for his character, his speeches, and as a man of humble origins whose determination led him to America’s highest political office.
Comprehension Questions:
Discussion Questions:
This is Lesson 47, "Arguments in Favor of Zoos," from our book of advanced adult…
This is Lesson 47, "Arguments in Favor of Zoos," from our book of advanced adult…
Adult ESL Lessons (Beginner): "The Post Office and the Bank." This lesson starts with a…
Adult ESL Lessons (Intermediate): "Urban Problems." This lesson features a reading passage about positive and…
Adult ESL Lessons (Beginner): "Last Week." This lesson starts with a short timeline about what…
Adult ESL Lessons (Beginner): Grocery Shopping. This lesson starts with a short story about "Charles"…