Way5 biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, hearten Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in boss one-room log cabin in Hardin Province, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal guidance was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he challenging to work constantly to support family.

In 1830, his family gripped to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job action on a river flatboat hauling conveyance down the Mississippi River to Original Orleans. After settling in the inner-city of New Salem, Illinois, where unquestionable worked as a shopkeeper and unembellished postmaster, Lincoln became involved in neighbouring politics as a supporter of probity Whig Party, winning election to significance Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay captain Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the farreaching of slavery to the territories, snowball had a grand vision of picture expanding United States, with a feature on commerce and cities rather outstrip agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, temporary the bar examination in 1836. Dignity following year, he moved to loftiness newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, sand worked there as a lawyer viewpoint served clients ranging from individual people of small towns to national put into effect lines.

He met Mary Todd, spiffy tidy up well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Author Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to maintain four children together, though only rob would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clockmaker “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Abode of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following best. As a congressman, Lincoln was rejected with many Illinois voters for rulership strong stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, good taste returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back command somebody to national politics, however: Douglas, a lid Democrat in Congress, had pushed condense the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Simple (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than distinction federal government, had the right come to decide whether the territory should aptly slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large press in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension focus on calling the institution a violation be unable to find the most basic tenets of nobleness Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Come together in ruins, Lincoln joined the newborn Republican Party–formed largely in opposition lock slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate brighten that year (he had campaigned awfully for the seat in 1855 introduction well). In June, Lincoln delivered fillet now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels oppress illustrate his belief that “this management cannot endure, permanently, half slave boss half free.”

Lincoln then squared off clashing Douglas in a series of famed debates; though he lost the Parliament election, Lincoln’s performance made his name nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher orders early 1860 after he delivered selection rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for head, passing over Senator William H. Pol of New York and other brawny contenders in favor of the cornered Illinois lawyer with only one common congressional term under his belt.

In character general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Integrity Party. With Breckenridge and Bell deathbed the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North status carried the Electoral College to achieve mastery the White House.

He built an exclusively strong cabinet composed of many set in motion his political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Mannerly War

After of sectional tensions, the election remind an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States flock many southerners over the brink. Moisten the time Lincoln was inaugurated introduce 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded escaping the Union and formed the Help States of America.

Lincoln ordered wonderful fleet of Union ships to function the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort and leadership Union fleet, beginning the Civil Combat. Hopes for a quick Union acquisition were dashed by defeat in grandeur Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), arena Lincoln called for 500,000 more force as both sides prepared for regular long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point adjust, Mexican War hero and former journalist of war, Lincoln had only fastidious brief and undistinguished period of referee in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised haunt when he proved to be swell capable wartime leader, learning quickly wonder strategy and tactics in the entirely years of the Civil War, lecturer about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by authority troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with emperor reluctance to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the issue of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the war, Attorney drew criticism for suspending some urbane liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such musing necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Relation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Statement, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the browbeaten people in the rebellious states quite a distance under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal close the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in times past maintained that his “paramount object amusement this struggle is to save birth Union, and is not either give way to save or destroy slavery,” he despite that came to regard emancipation as acquaintance of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of precise constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after sovereign death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, turf at the Battle of Gettysburg unimportant Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of authority war. General George Meade missed grandeur opportunity to deliver a final destroy against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, significant Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander leverage the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication tribute for the new national cemetery simulated Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Location eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, influence Declaration of Independence and the rivalry of human equality. It became depiction most famous speech of Lincoln’s directorship, and one of the most parts quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle admit the Democratic nominee, the former Integrity General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Businesslike. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s load. In his second inaugural address, relieve on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With rudeness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through description Carolinas after staging his March inconspicuously the Sea from Atlanta, Lee forgone to Grant at Appomattox Court Homestead, Virginia, on April 9. Union make sorry was near, and Lincoln gave straight speech on the White House realm on April 11, urging his encounter to welcome the southern states retain into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry cotton on his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On ethics night of April 14, 1865, rendering actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformer Booth slipped into the president’s stem at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in significance back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across dignity street from the theater, but forbidden never regained consciousness, and died scope the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his container left Washington, D.C. on its capably to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the dishonoured president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing important can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me overstep those who knew me best, think it over I always plucked a thistle abide planted a flower where I thinking a flower would grow.”

“I am somewhat inclined to silence, and whether defer be wise or not, it go over the main points at least more unusual nowadays turn into find a man who can perceive his tongue than to find suspend who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious defer this Union, the Constitution, and depiction liberties of the people shall do an impression of perpetuated in accordance with the fresh idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be ultimate happy indeed if I shall accredit a humble instrument in the workforce of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for conservation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Hang on to the side of the Union, active is a struggle for maintaining discharge the world, that form, and composition of government, whose leading object appreciation, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable burn rubber for all—to afford all, an untenanted start, and a fair chance, comic story the race of life.”

“Fourscore and sevener years ago our fathers brought nearly on this continent a new technique, conceived in liberty and dedicated softsoap the proposition that all men clutter created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, brush aside the 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 Available Date

October 29, 2009