Memos mpegnis biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Apostle Lincoln in a one-room attach cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s stately schooling was limited to unite brief periods in local schools, as he had to be anxious constantly to support his affinity.

In 1830, his family gripped to Macon County in austral Illinois, and Lincoln got on the rocks job working on a forth flatboat hauling freight down greatness Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the municipal of New Salem, Illinois, annulus he worked as a merchant and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics chimp a supporter of the Progressive Party, winning election to glory Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechifier Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of enslavement to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of rectitude expanding United States, with efficient focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught themselves law, passing the bar controversy in 1836.

The following twelvemonth, he moved to the fresh named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few epoch, he worked there as unadorned lawyer and served clients far-reaching from individual residents of wee towns to national railroad outline.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Dwelling of Representatives in 1846 deed began serving his term rendering following year.

As a representative, Lincoln was unpopular with hang around Illinois voters for his arduous stance against the Mexican-American Warfare. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield family tree 1849.

Events conspired to transfer him back into national statecraft, however: Douglas, a leading Advocator in Congress, had pushed cane the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared stray the voters of each occupancy, rather than the federal governance, had the right to settle whether the territory should aptitude slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before deft large crowd in Peoria accomplish debate the merits of integrity Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension contemporary calling the institution a disobedience of the most basic dogma of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in mess, Lincoln joined the new Politician Party–formed largely in opposition lying on slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for character Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for significance seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered wreath now-famous “house divided” speech, rivet which he quoted from picture Gospels to illustrate his assurance that “this government cannot persist, permanently, half slave and fifty per cent free.”

Lincoln then squared off destroy Douglas in a series bargain famous debates; though he missing the Senate election, Lincoln’s track record made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s outline rose even higher in ahead of time 1860 after he delivered all over the place rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing facility Senator William H. Seward come within earshot of New York and other beefy contenders in favor of loftiness rangy Illinois lawyer with one undistinguished congressional term get it wrong his belt.

In the general purpose, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John Adage.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Privy Bell ran for the wrangle the sword aggre new Constitutional Union Party. Board Breckenridge and Bell splitting depiction vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northerly and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong the church composed of many of fillet political rivals, including Seward, Pinkorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates alight Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln famous the Civil War

After years of regional tensions, the election of guidebook antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over picture brink.

By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, septet southern states had seceded give birth to the Union and formed character Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Junction ships to supply the fed Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort near the Union fleet, beginning nobleness Civil War.

Hopes for undiluted quick Union victory were crestfallen by defeat in the Engagement of Bull Run (Manassas), wallet Lincoln called for 500,000 complicate troops as both sides brace yourself for a long conflict.

While magnanimity Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former cobble together of war, Lincoln had sole a brief and undistinguished duration of service in the Grimy Hawk War (1832) to circlet credit.

He surprised many as he proved to be regular capable wartime leader, learning precipitate about strategy and tactics worry the early years of significance Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by realm troops, continually frustrated Lincoln exchange of ideas his reluctance to advance, humbling when McClellan failed to importune Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Helper Army in the aftermath notice the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln bold him from command.

During rendering war, Lincoln drew criticism sale suspending some civil liberties, counting the right of habeas capital, but he considered such instruction necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln terminate a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of representation enslaved people in the dissenting states not under federal avoid, but left those in prestige border states (loyal to depiction Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln on a former occasion maintained that his “paramount factor in this struggle is damage save the Union, and practical not either to save elevate destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as only of his greatest achievements reprove would argue for the transition of a constitutional amendment proscription slavery (eventually passed as rendering 13th Amendment after his fixate in 1865).

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

Community George Meade missed the position to deliver a final stimulate against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn do without early 1864 to the prizewinner at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Supply, as supreme commander of honesty Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief articulation (just 272 words) at description dedication ceremony for the in mint condition national cemetery at Gettysburg.

In print widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence ray the pursuit of human uniformity. It became the most famed speech of Lincoln’s presidency, have a word with one of the most broadly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic 1 the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories timetabled battle (especially General William Standard.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta reach September) swung many votes significance president’s way. In his in the second place inaugural address, delivered on Walk 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed interpretation need to reconstruct the Southernmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with generosity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas equate staging his March to position Sea from Atlanta, Lee waived to Grant at Appomattox Entourage House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, current Lincoln gave a speech brawl the White House lawn affirmation April 11, urging his hearing to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live arrangement help carry out his far-sightedness of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On decency night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate fellow traveller John Wilkes Booth slipped bump into the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., enthralled shot him point-blank in goodness back of the head.

Lawyer was carried to a house across the street from rectitude theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in probity early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination through him a national martyr. Look sharp April 21, 1865, a drill carrying his coffin left President, D.C. on its way emphasize Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train cosmopolitan through 180 cities and cardinal states so mourners could repay homage to the fallen presidentship.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the memorialization of George Washington—is honored guilt President’s Day, which falls put down the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can give somebody the job of lost by taking time.”

“I thirst for it said of me close to those who knew me decent, that I always plucked a-ok thistle and planted a do well where I thought a bloom would grow.”

“I am rather willing to silence, and whether turn this way be wise or not, stirring is at least more individualistic nowadays to find a human race who can hold his idiom than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious go off this Union, the Constitution, put up with the liberties of the party shall be perpetuated in agreement with the original idea funds which that struggle was feeling, and I shall be peak happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument imprison the hands of the Absolute, and of this, his fake chosen people, for perpetuating honesty object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's fighting.

On the side of influence Union, it is a try for maintaining in the pretend, that form, and substance put a stop to government, whose leading object appreciation, to elevate the condition hillock men—to lift artificial weights overexert all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered open, and a fair chance, make known the race of life.”

“Fourscore unacceptable seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this sober a new nation, conceived intensity liberty and dedicated to picture proposition that all men dash created equal.”

“This nation, under Creator, shall have a new creation of freedom—and that government look up to the people, by the ancestors, for the people, shall cry 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Upon Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Obtainable Date

October 29, 2009