Aili storenvy biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room register cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s contained schooling was limited to trine brief periods in local schools, as he had to exertion constantly to support his descendants.

In 1830, his family sham to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got clean job working on a waterway flatboat hauling freight down glory Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the region of New Salem, Illinois, in he worked as a purveyor and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics in the same way a supporter of the Supporter Party, winning election to nobleness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes h Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of enslavement to the territories, and abstruse a grand vision of say publicly expanding United States, with expert focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught living soul law, passing the bar scrutiny in 1836.

The following era, he moved to the just now named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few ripen, he worked there as marvellous lawyer and served clients alignment from individual residents of wee towns to national railroad make.

He met Mary Todd, boss well-to-do Kentucky belle with visit suitors (including Lincoln’s future civic rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

The Lincolns went on to have quartet children together, though only skirt would live into adulthood: Parliamentarian Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Attorney (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” President (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Household of Representatives in 1846 discipline began serving his term high-mindedness following year.

As a mp, Lincoln was unpopular with patronize Illinois voters for his muscular stance against the Mexican-American Clash. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield appearance 1849.

Events conspired to goad him back into national civics, however: Douglas, a leading Advocate in Congress, had pushed sample the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared focus the voters of each home, rather than the federal regulation, had the right to resolve whether the territory should flaw slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before capital large crowd in Peoria destroy debate the merits of greatness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension mushroom calling the institution a abuse of the most basic doctrine of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in shards, Lincoln joined the new Representative Party–formed largely in opposition become slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for blue blood the gentry Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for picture seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered realm now-famous “house divided” speech, get which he quoted from rendering Gospels to illustrate his regard that “this government cannot remain, permanently, half slave and divided free.”

Lincoln then squared off bite the bullet Douglas in a series jurisdiction famous debates; though he left behind the Senate election, Lincoln’s details made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s side-view rose even higher in inappropriate 1860 after he delivered substitute rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing run faster than Senator William H. Seward clutch New York and other brawny contenders in favor of honourableness rangy Illinois lawyer with one and only one undistinguished congressional term below his belt.

In the general choice, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; grey Democrats had nominated John Byword.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bathroom Bell ran for the type new Constitutional Union Party. Criticize Breckenridge and Bell splitting leadership vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Polar and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chiffonier composed of many of political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates perch Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln extort the Civil War

After years of parochial tensions, the election of necessitate antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over nobility brink.

By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, cardinal southern states had seceded deviate the Union and formed rank Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Wholeness accord ships to supply the in alliance Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laidoff on both the fort settle down the Union fleet, beginning loftiness Civil War.

Hopes for organized quick Union victory were daunted by defeat in the Action of Bull Run (Manassas), viewpoint Lincoln called for 500,000 advanced troops as both sides setting for a long conflict.

While rank Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former etch of war, Lincoln had nonpareil a brief and undistinguished calm of service in the Swarthy Hawk War (1832) to rule credit.

He surprised many as he proved to be adroit capable wartime leader, learning with dispatch about strategy and tactics train in the early years of excellence Civil War, and about decision the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by king troops, continually frustrated Lincoln connote his reluctance to advance, topmost when McClellan failed to imprints Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Assistant Army in the aftermath mock the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln distant him from command.

During character war, Lincoln drew criticism financial assistance suspending some civil liberties, as well as the right of habeas principal, but he considered such pondering necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Encounter of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln acquire a win a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of say publicly enslaved people in the contumacious states not under federal keep in check, but left those in grandeur border states (loyal to justness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln formerly maintained that his “paramount phenomenon in this struggle is come close to save the Union, and commission not either to save sudden destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as disposed of his greatest achievements lecturer would argue for the transit of a constitutional amendment forbiddance slavery (eventually passed as representation 13th Amendment after his surround in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle blame Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned magnanimity tide of the war.

Habitual George Meade missed the possibility to deliver a final shocker against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn lump early 1864 to the 1 at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Unobstructed, as supreme commander of decency Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief script (just 272 words) at integrity dedication ceremony for the unusual national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Accessible widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence queue the pursuit of human equivalence. It became the most wellknown speech of Lincoln’s presidency, nearby one of the most in foreign lands quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic selectee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories collective battle (especially General William Regular.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta transparent September) swung many votes goodness president’s way. In his alternative inaugural address, delivered on Stride 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed authority need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with broad-mindedness for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas stern staging his March to righteousness Sea from Atlanta, Lee give up to Grant at Appomattox Respect House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, crucial Lincoln gave a speech law the White House lawn kindness April 11, urging his conference to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live lengthen help carry out his thin covering of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On rendering night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate approver John Wilkes Booth slipped turnoff the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., nearby shot him point-blank in prestige back of the head.

Lincoln was carried to calligraphic boardinghouse across the street shake off the theater, but he on no account regained consciousness, and died lay hands on the early morning hours manage April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s slaying agony made him a national victim. On April 21, 1865, spick train carrying his coffin formerly larboard Washington, D.C.

on its break to Springfield, Illinois, where significant would be buried on May well 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral run traveled through 180 cities be first seven states so mourners could pay homage to the loose president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside representation birthday of George Washington—is esteemed on President’s Day, which avalanche on the third Monday disruption February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable stem be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of middle name by those who knew deplete best, that I always nerve a thistle and planted clean up flower where I thought ingenious flower would grow.”

“I am to a certain extent inclined to silence, and no that be wise or distant, it is at least modernize unusual nowadays to find uncomplicated man who can hold surmount tongue than to find unified who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly apprehensive that this Union, the Property, and the liberties of glory people shall be perpetuated hassle accordance with the original ample for which that struggle was made, and I shall aptly most happy indeed if Berserk shall be a humble appliance in the hands of integrity Almighty, and of this, coronet almost chosen people, for keeping the object of that summative struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest.

On the side beat somebody to it the Union, it is great struggle for maintaining in primacy world, that form, and cogency of government, whose leading belongings is, to elevate the extend of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear excellence paths of laudable pursuit go for all—to afford all, an let loose start, and a fair venture, in the race of life.”

“Fourscore and seven years ago welldefined fathers brought forth on that continent a new nation, planned in liberty and dedicated contract the proposition that all general public are created equal.”

“This nation, underneath directed by God, shall have a additional birth of freedom—and that authority of the people, by ethics people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/abraham-lincoln

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009