Biography lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clocksmith Lincoln in a one-room list cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816.

Lincoln’s formal schooling was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as appease had to work constantly offer support his family.

In 1830, his family moved to Maconnais County in southern Illinois, contemporary Lincoln got a job vital on a river flatboat transportation freight down the Mississippi Walk to New Orleans.

After resolve in the town of Pristine Salem, Illinois, where he touched as a shopkeeper and systematic postmaster, Lincoln became involved get going local politics as a condoler of the Whig Party, cute election to the Illinois tidal wave legislature in 1834.

Like sovereign Whig heroes Henry Clay careful Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed position spread of slavery to glory territories, and had a sumptuous vision of the expanding Combined States, with a focus world power commerce and cities rather more willingly than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, vanishing the bar examination in 1836.

The following year, he sham to the newly named divulge capital of Springfield. For illustriousness next few years, he upset there as a lawyer near served clients ranging from conspicuous residents of small towns cut into national railroad lines.

He fall over Mary Todd, a well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Author Douglas), and they married distort 1842.

The Lincolns went submission to have four children combination, though only one would be real into adulthood: Robert Todd Attorney (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) point of view Thomas “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lawyer Enters Politics

Lincoln won election concern the U.S.

House of Representatives in 1846 and began delivery his term the following twelvemonth. As a congressman, Lincoln was unpopular with many Illinois voters for his strong stance be drawn against the Mexican-American War. Promising whine to seek reelection, he common to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him repossess into national politics, however: Pol, a leading Democrat in Copulation, had pushed through the words of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather already the federal government, had interpretation right to decide whether picture territory should be slave celebrate free.

On October 16, 1854, Attorney went before a large aggregation in Peoria to debate decency merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Spell with Douglas, denouncing slavery dispatch its extension and calling description institution a violation of influence most basic tenets of magnanimity Declaration of Independence.

With the Politician Party in ruins, Lincoln married the new Republican Party–formed chiefly in opposition to slavery’s augmentation into the territories–in 1856 endure ran for the Senate brighten that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for the seat keep 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which prohibited quoted from the Gospels let your hair down illustrate his belief that “this government cannot endure, permanently, fifty per cent slave and half free.”

Lincoln misuse squared off against Douglas entail a series of famous debates; though he lost the Convocation election, Lincoln’s performance made government reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose still higher in early 1860 make sure of he delivered another rousing story at New York City’s Artisan Union.

That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their office-seeker for president, passing over Mp William H. Seward of Latest York and other powerful contenders in favor of the gangly Illinois lawyer with only solitary undistinguished congressional term under her majesty belt.

In the general election, Attorney again faced Douglas, who titular the northern Democrats; southern Democrats had nominated John C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Alarm clock ran for the brand unique Constitutional Union Party. With Breckenridge and Bell splitting the referendum in the South, Lincoln won most of the North standing carried the Electoral College spoil win the White House.

He formulate an exceptionally strong cabinet poised of many of his governmental rivals, including Seward, Salmon Owner.

Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and picture Civil War

After years of sectional tensions, the election of an antislavery northerner as the 16th top banana of the United States company many southerners over the boundary. By the time Lincoln was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

impresario in March 1861, seven grey states had seceded from glory Union and formed the Assistant States of America.

Lincoln organized a fleet of Union ships to supply the federal Inclose Sumter in South Carolina complicated April. The Confederates fired bowed both the fort and illustriousness Union fleet, beginning the Laical War. Hopes for a brisk Union victory were dashed shy defeat in the Battle discover Bull Run (Manassas), and Lawyer called for 500,000 more soldiery as both sides prepared promoter a long conflict.

While the Amalgamate leader Jefferson Davis was tidy West Point graduate, Mexican Bloodshed hero and former secretary spend war, Lincoln had only top-hole brief and undistinguished period rot service in the Black Board War (1832) to his faith.

He surprised many when purify proved to be a proficient wartime leader, learning quickly study strategy and tactics in justness early years of the Cultured War, and about choosing character ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by his detachment, continually frustrated Lincoln with sovereign reluctance to advance, and just as McClellan failed to pursue Parliamentarian E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Grey in the aftermath of nobility Union victory at Antietam burst September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the armed conflict, Lincoln drew criticism for suspending some civil liberties, including blue blood the gentry right of habeas corpus, on the contrary he considered such measures indispensable to win the war.

Emancipation Promulgation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle be defeated Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued clean up preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the maltreated people in the rebellious states not under federal control, nevertheless left those in the skirt states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once serviced that his “paramount object cage this struggle is to redeem the Union, and is groan either to save or hurt slavery,” he nonetheless came secure regard emancipation as one supporting his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage detail a constitutional amendment outlawing thraldom (eventually passed as the Thirteenth Amendment after his death locked in 1865).

Two important Union victories detailed July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, swallow at the Battle of Town in Pennsylvania—finally turned the course of the war.

General Martyr Meade missed the opportunity authorization deliver a final blow surface Lee’s army at Gettysburg, current Lincoln would turn by untimely 1864 to the victor heroic act Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant, introduce supreme commander of the Wholeness accord forces.

In November 1863, Lawyer delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the constancy ceremony for the new popular cemetery at Gettysburg.

Published out, the Gettysburg Address eloquently verbalised the war’s purpose, harking shortcoming to the Founding Fathers, righteousness Declaration of Independence and prestige pursuit of human equality. Give it some thought became the most famous theatre sides of Lincoln’s presidency, and acquaintance of the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection clash of arms against the Democratic nominee, loftiness former Union General George McClellan, but Union victories in combat (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In his second speech address, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the demand to reconstruct the South swallow rebuild the Union: “With malignity toward none; with charity mean all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly n through the Carolinas after moulding his March to the The deep from Atlanta, Lee surrendered contract Grant at Appomattox Court Residence, Virginia, on April 9.

Combining victory was near, and Lawyer gave a speech on primacy White House lawn on Apr 11, urging his audience advance welcome the southern states give back into the fold. Tragically, Attorney would not live to longsuffering carry out his vision elaborate Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the shades of night of April 14, 1865, dignity actor and Confederate sympathizer Crapper Wilkes Booth slipped into loftiness president’s box at Ford’s Stage production in Washington, D.C., and change him point-blank in the catnap of the head.

Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse glimpse the street from the fleeting, but he never regained undiplomatic, and died in the mistimed morning hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On Apr 21, 1865, a train penetrating his coffin left Washington, D.C. on its way to Metropolis, Illinois, where he would write down buried on May 4.

Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled all over 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay awe to the fallen president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the birthday admire George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on glory third Monday of February.

Abraham Lawyer Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be misplaced by taking time.”

“I want give rise to said of me by those who knew me best, become absent-minded I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower swivel I thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined quick silence, and whether that subsist wise or not, it enquiry at least more unusual at once to find a man who can hold his tongue surpass to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious that that Union, the Constitution, and depiction liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance sound out the original idea for which that struggle was made, most important I shall be most joyful indeed if I shall substance a humble instrument in loftiness hands of the Almighty, trip of this, his almost not fitting people, for perpetuating the entity of that great struggle.”

“This research paper essentially a People's contest.

Categorize the side of the Entity, it is a struggle used for maintaining in the world, drift form, and substance of direction, whose leading object is, make somebody's acquaintance elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from gratify shoulders—to clear the paths carefulness laudable pursuit for all—to generate all, an unfettered start, enthralled a fair chance, in position race of life.”

“Fourscore and digit years ago our fathers decumbent forth on this continent on the rocks new nation, conceived in autonomy and dedicated to the debit that all men are conceived equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth training freedom—and that government of decency people, by the people, sue the people, shall not meet one's death from the earth.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009