In an age when travel was slow and laborious, Abraham Lincoln had little opportunity to visit and develop ties to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. However, Massachusetts was historically significant for Lincoln, as the state helped shape his family and influenced his development as a national figure.
Lincoln’s ancestors established their first foothold as Americans in Massachusetts, where they became a prominent family. Several generations later, Lincoln’s eldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln, found a safe home at Harvard College, where he spent most of the Civil War years. In Lincoln’s own life, Massachusetts had an impact as well. Traveling the state for two weeks in 1848, Lincoln made a name for himself in New England with his distinctive and affecting speaking style. He developed political ties that would last throughout his career, and he sharpened his understanding of the national crisis that loomed on the horizon.