evidence: Why did the slavery issue resonate so well with Abraham Lincoln? It’s possible it hit a nerve with him because he could see firsthand the cause of their plight. He once, referring to his childhood, referred to himself as a slave. Until he was 21-years-old, his father "rented" him out to neighboring farms for odd jobs like rail splitting (where he earned his nickname "rail splitter") and farm hand. His father kept every cent Lincoln earned and tried to suppress any dreams Lincoln had of going somewhere in life. [...] Historians claim it was Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, that declared slavery unlawful in the rebelling states, that was the transcending moment in not only Lincoln’s presidency, but in our nation’s history. It was at that moment that Lincoln would forever be placed on a level field with the greatness of the Founding Fathers. He literally fulfilled the promise of the Declaration of Independence for those who had been denied freedom for so long. [...] Lincoln was said to have had a close relationship with his sons (especially the younger two, less so with the oldest) and been super lenient with them. Their parents put up with a lot of shenanigans from them that most parents of the day never would have tolerated.