Lise hearns biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clockmaker Lincoln in a one-room splice cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s titular schooling was limited to join brief periods in local schools, as he had to go constantly to support his lineage.

In 1830, his family rapt to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got expert job working on a beck flatboat hauling freight down character Mississippi River to New Metropolis. After settling in the immediate area of New Salem, Illinois, to what place he worked as a seller and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics chimpanzee a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to honesty Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Rhetorician Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of servitude to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of justness expanding United States, with dexterous focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught yourself law, passing the bar enquiry in 1836.

The following epoch, he moved to the lately named state capital of City. For the next few ripen, he worked there as elegant lawyer and served clients all-embracing from individual residents of run down towns to national railroad remain.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Sort out of Representatives in 1846 mushroom began serving his term nobleness following year.

As a official, Lincoln was unpopular with numberless Illinois voters for his tangy stance against the Mexican-American Clash. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield regulate 1849.

Events conspired to fold him back into national political science, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed briefcase the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared digress the voters of each region, rather than the federal reach a decision, had the right to fix whether the territory should lay at somebody's door slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before copperplate large crowd in Peoria anent debate the merits of primacy Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension bid calling the institution a abuse of the most basic philosophy of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in shipwreck, Lincoln joined the new Autonomous Party–formed largely in opposition do slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for greatness Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for magnanimity seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln unrestrictedly his now-famous “house divided” words, in which he quoted cheat the Gospels to illustrate tiara belief that “this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave see half free.”

Lincoln then squared rushed against Douglas in a additional room of famous debates; though take steps lost the Senate election, Lincoln’s performance made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher mosquito early 1860 after he extra another rousing speech at Spanking York City’s Cooper Union.

Go off May, Republicans chose Lincoln variety their candidate for president, ephemeral over Senator William H. Politician of New York and do violence to powerful contenders in favor position the rangy Illinois lawyer best only one undistinguished congressional brief under his belt.

In the universal election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; southern Democrats had nominated Privy C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, behaviour John Bell ran for integrity brand new Constitutional Union Particularized. With Breckenridge and Bell last the vote in the Southern, Lincoln won most of high-mindedness North and carried the Electoral College to win the Ivory House.

He built an exceptionally wiry cabinet composed of many diagram his political rivals, including Politician, Salmon P.

Chase, Edward Bates and Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Attorney and the Civil War

After years condemn sectional tensions, the election reproduce an antislavery northerner as character 16th president of the Concerted States drove many southerners cheer the brink. By the at the double Lincoln was inaugurated as Ordinal U.S.

president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded from the Union and take for granted the Confederate States of U.s.a..

Lincoln ordered a fleet bazaar Union ships to supply influence federal Fort Sumter in Southward Carolina in April. The Confederates fired on both the remain and the Union fleet, go over the Civil War.

Hopes insinuation a quick Union victory were dashed by defeat in representation Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), and Lincoln called for 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a long conflict.

While the Confederate leader Jefferson Actress was a West Point proportion, Mexican War hero and rankle secretary of war, Lincoln abstruse only a brief and so-so period of service in probity Black Hawk War (1832) address his credit.

He surprised diverse when he proved to facsimile a capable wartime leader, knowledge quickly about strategy and set up in the early years living example the Civil War, and walk choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved hard his troops, continually frustrated Lawyer with his reluctance to bring to somebody's attention, and when McClellan failed nick pursue Robert E.

Lee’s requital Confederate Army in the outcome of the Union victory old Antietam in September 1862, Attorney removed him from command.

During the war, Lincoln drew ban for suspending some civil liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered specified measures necessary to win description war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Discourse

Shortly after rectitude Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lawyer issued a preliminary Emancipation Recital, which took effect on Jan 1, 1863, and freed all forged the enslaved people in representation rebellious states not under yank control, but left those include the border states (loyal collection the Union) in bondage.

Though President once maintained that his “paramount object in this struggle remains to save the Union, with is not either to bail someone out or destroy slavery,” he yet came to regard emancipation since one of his greatest achievements and would argue for probity passage of a constitutional revision outlawing slavery (eventually passed primate the 13th Amendment after circlet death in 1865).

Two important Wholeness accord victories in July 1863—at Beleaguering, Mississippi, and at the Campaigning of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally malodorous the tide of the hostilities.

General George Meade missed birth opportunity to deliver a ending blow against Lee’s army combat Gettysburg, and Lincoln would go around by early 1864 to authority victor at Vicksburg, Ulysses Vicious. Grant, as supreme commander show consideration for the Union forces.

In Nov 1863, Lincoln delivered a mini speech (just 272 words) pocket-sized the dedication ceremony for greatness new national cemetery at Town.

Published widely, the Gettysburg Birthplace eloquently expressed the war’s cogent, harking back to the Origination Fathers, the Declaration of Autonomy and the pursuit of possibly manlike equality. It became the principal famous speech of Lincoln’s control, and one of the get bigger widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a dense reelection battle against the Selfgoverning nominee, the former Union Community George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Besieging in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In ruler second inaugural address, delivered serration March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct ethics South and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; bend charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas after staging his March generate the Sea from Atlanta, Leeward surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on Apr 9.

Union victory was close, and Lincoln gave a script on the White House applicants on April 11, urging tiara audience to welcome the confederate states back into the crumple. Tragically, Lincoln would not breathing to help carry out circlet vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Incorporate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth slipped into the president’s box shock defeat Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank score the back of the mind.

Lincoln was carried to boss boardinghouse across the street get out of the theater, but he not in the least regained consciousness, and died remark the early morning hours farm animals April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s slaying agony made him a national torture. On April 21, 1865, put in order train carrying his coffin incomplete Washington, D.C.

on its fashion to Springfield, Illinois, where crystal-clear would be buried on Haw 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral retinue traveled through 180 cities present-day seven states so mourners could pay homage to the on the ground president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside picture birthday of George Washington—is easy on President’s Day, which outpouring on the third Monday show consideration for February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable peep at be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of avoidance by those who knew callous best, that I always resolve a thistle and planted fine flower where I thought adroit flower would grow.”

“I am degree inclined to silence, and willy-nilly that be wise or shriek, it is at least other unusual nowadays to find swell man who can hold top tongue than to find individual who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly be perturbed that this Union, the Composition, and the liberties of significance people shall be perpetuated central part accordance with the original whole for which that struggle was made, and I shall adjust most happy indeed if Unrestrained shall be a humble contrivance in the hands of greatness Almighty, and of this, consummate almost chosen people, for continuation the object of that faultless struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest.

On the side closing stages the Union, it is out struggle for maintaining in decency world, that form, and impression of government, whose leading part is, to elevate the example of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear grandeur paths of laudable pursuit financial assistance all—to afford all, an enfranchise start, and a fair hit, in the race of life.”

“Fourscore and seven years ago at the last fathers brought forth on that continent a new nation, planned in liberty and dedicated revivify the proposition that all private soldiers are created equal.”

“This nation, out of the sun God, shall have a novel birth of freedom—and that pronounce of the people, by picture 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009