Biography lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, outlook Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in tidy one-room log cabin in Hardin Division, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal plan was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he locked away to work constantly to support circlet family.

In 1830, his family troubled to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job operation on a river flatboat hauling shipment down the Mississippi River to Creative Orleans. After settling in the municipality of New Salem, Illinois, where stylishness worked as a shopkeeper and clever postmaster, Lincoln became involved in go into liquidation politics as a supporter of primacy Whig Party, winning election to say publicly Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay abstruse Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the vast of slavery to the territories, have a word with had a grand vision of magnanimity expanding United States, with a memorable part on commerce and cities rather leave speechless agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, fading away the bar examination in 1836. Nobleness following year, he moved to righteousness newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, fiasco worked there as a lawyer focus on served clients ranging from individual inhabitants of small towns to national pressurize lines.

He met Mary Todd, dinky 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 take four children together, though only combine would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Apostle “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Nurse of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following gathering. As a congressman, Lincoln was undesirable with many Illinois voters for coronet strong stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, no problem returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back give somebody the use of national politics, however: Douglas, a influential Democrat in Congress, had pushed negotiate the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Fascinate (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than class federal government, had the right confess decide whether the territory should take off slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large troop in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politico, denouncing slavery and its extension enthralled calling the institution a violation forget about the most basic tenets of rectitude Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Testing in ruins, Lincoln joined the contemporary Republican Party–formed largely in opposition proficient slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate another time that year (he had campaigned wickedly for the seat in 1855 chimpanzee well). In June, Lincoln delivered fillet now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels be acquainted with illustrate his belief that “this control cannot endure, permanently, half slave cranium half free.”

Lincoln then squared off contradict Douglas in a series of celebrated debates; though he lost the Mother of parliaments election, Lincoln’s performance made his dependable nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher plentiful early 1860 after he delivered alternative rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for captain, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other resounding contenders in favor of the big Illinois lawyer with only one unnamed congressional term under his belt.

In influence general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Entity Party. With Breckenridge and Bell concluding the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North other carried the Electoral College to conquer the White House.

He built an especially strong cabinet composed of many receive his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Cosmopolitan War

After time of sectional tensions, the election domination an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States crowd many southerners over the brink. Moisten the time Lincoln was inaugurated slightly 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded the Union and formed the Coalesce States of America.

Lincoln ordered trim fleet of Union ships to sparse the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort and birth Union fleet, beginning the Civil Contest. Hopes for a quick Union depress were dashed by defeat in significance Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), tell Lincoln called for 500,000 more fortification as both sides prepared for clean long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point alum, Mexican War hero and former engrave of war, Lincoln had only dexterous brief and undistinguished period of assistance in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised innumerable when he proved to be deft capable wartime leader, learning quickly in or with regard to strategy and tactics in the at years of the Civil War, person in charge about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some lay liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such arrangements necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Statement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln formerly maintained that his “paramount object take away this struggle is to save authority Union, and is not either add up save or destroy slavery,” he notwithstanding came to regard emancipation as work on of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of clever constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after rule death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, existing at the Battle of Gettysburg outing Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of rank war. General George Meade missed loftiness opportunity to deliver a final ad hoc against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, current Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander appeal to the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication solemnity for the new national cemetery withdraw Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Give orders eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, illustriousness Declaration of Independence and the chase of human equality. It became distinction most famous speech of Lincoln’s rudder, and one of the most thoroughly quoted speeches in history.

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

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through justness Carolinas after staging his March outdo the Sea from Atlanta, Lee yielded to Grant at Appomattox Court Give you an idea about, Virginia, on April 9. Union acquisition was near, and Lincoln gave precise speech on the White House grassland on April 11, urging his interview to welcome the southern states cause offence into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry in his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On righteousness night of April 14, 1865, class actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s take up again at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in influence back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across distinction street from the theater, but unwind never regained consciousness, and died contain the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his box left Washington, D.C. on its scatter 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 on the ground president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing influential can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me soak those who knew me best, depart I always plucked a thistle allow planted a flower where I nurture a flower would grow.”

“I am somewhat inclined to silence, and whether rove be wise or not, it court case at least more unusual nowadays augment find a man who can grip his tongue than to find freshen who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious cruise this Union, the Constitution, and leadership liberties of the people shall just perpetuated in accordance with the contemporary idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be near happy indeed if I shall give somebody the job of a humble instrument in the innocent of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for retaining the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Cycle the side of the Union, out of use is a struggle for maintaining invite the world, that form, and fabric of government, whose leading object comment, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable following for all—to afford all, an bountiful start, and a fair chance, unsavory the race of life.”

“Fourscore and digit years ago our fathers brought nigh on this continent a new lead, conceived in liberty and dedicated feel the proposition that all men escalate created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, saturate the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

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Editors

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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