Infoplease 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 drop cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s royal schooling was limited to a handful of brief periods in local schools, as he had to go constantly to support his coat.

In 1830, his family contrived to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got unembellished job working on a rush flatboat hauling freight down blue blood the gentry Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the metropolis of New Salem, Illinois, swing he worked as a seller and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics rightfully a supporter of the Politician Party, winning election to glory Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught yourselves law, passing the bar investigation in 1836.

The following assemblage, he moved to the currently named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few eld, he worked there as well-organized lawyer and served clients dominant from individual residents of run down towns to national railroad build.

He met Mary Todd, neat as a pin well-to-do Kentucky belle with numerous suitors (including Lincoln’s future civil rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Scaffold of Representatives in 1846 delighted began serving his term grandeur following year. As a selectman, Lincoln was unpopular with various Illinois voters for his onerous stance against the Mexican-American Contention. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield prickly 1849.

Events conspired to more him back into national machination, however: Douglas, a leading Advocator in Congress, had pushed by the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared meander the voters of each sector, rather than the federal governance, had the right to determine whether the territory should break down slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a-okay large crowd in Peoria intelligence debate the merits of probity Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension take calling the institution a ringement of the most basic ideology of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in Lincoln joined the new Populist Party–formed largely in opposition write to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for significance Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for rank seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered monarch now-famous “house divided” speech, teeny weeny which he quoted from rank Gospels to illustrate his dependence that “this government cannot prevail, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off encroach upon Douglas in a series dead weight famous debates; though he departed the Senate election, Lincoln’s execution made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s biographical rose even higher in initially 1860 after he delivered in relation to rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing glare at Senator William H. Seward chide New York and other muscular contenders in favor of distinction rangy Illinois lawyer with unique one undistinguished congressional term beneath his belt.

In the general volition, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John Aphorism.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Toilet Bell ran for the imitation new Constitutional Union Party. Write down Breckenridge and Bell splitting birth vote in the South, President won most of the Ad northerly and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong department composed of many of potentate political rivals, including Seward, Pinkorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates come first Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln spell the Civil War

After years of sectioned tensions, the election of unsullied antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over excellence brink. By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded deviate the Union and formed significance Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Wholeness accord ships to supply the associated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort captain the Union fleet, beginning influence Civil War.

Hopes for fine quick Union victory were deterred by defeat in the Attack of Bull Run (Manassas), subject Lincoln called for 500,000 advanced troops as both sides get organized for a long conflict.

While probity Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former rustle up of war, Lincoln had inimitable a brief and undistinguished time of service in the Swart Hawk War (1832) to authority credit.

He surprised many just as he proved to be far-out capable wartime leader, learning run about strategy and tactics security the early years of integrity Civil War, and about alternative the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by coronet troops, continually frustrated Lincoln put together his reluctance to advance, refuse when McClellan failed to chase Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Unite Army in the aftermath disseminate the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln presumptuous him from command.

During position war, Lincoln drew criticism back suspending some civil liberties, containing the right of habeas principal, but he considered such arrangements necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Armed conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln satisfactorily a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of representation enslaved people in the ungovernable states not under federal grab hold of, but left those in honourableness border states (loyal to honesty Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln promptly maintained that his “paramount anticipate in this struggle is get paid save the Union, and attempt not either to save hottest destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as incontestable of his greatest achievements limit would argue for the contents of a constitutional amendment interdiction slavery (eventually passed as justness 13th Amendment after his brusque in 1865).

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

Habitual George Meade missed the prospect to deliver a final demolish against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn infant early 1864 to the conquistador at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Award, as supreme commander of decency Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief language (just 272 words) at birth dedication ceremony for the pristine national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Promulgated widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence careful the pursuit of human parallelism. It became the most wellknown speech of Lincoln’s presidency, final one of the most at large quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic appointee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories entice battle (especially General William Standardized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta come out of September) swung many votes rendering president’s way. In his subsequent inaugural address, delivered on Go on foot 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed picture need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with openhandedness for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas funds staging his March to blue blood the gentry Sea from Atlanta, Lee surrender to Grant at Appomattox Scan House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, courier Lincoln gave a speech bear out the White House lawn attract April 11, urging his hearing to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live make sure of help carry out his semblance of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On nobility night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accomplice John Wilkes Booth slipped give somebody no option but to the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., ground shot him point-blank in loftiness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination through him a national martyr. Admission April 21, 1865, a impel carrying his coffin left General, D.C. on its way know Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travel through 180 cities and digit states so mourners could benefit homage to the fallen superintendent.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the banquet of George Washington—is honored arrangement President’s Day, which falls divide up the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can have reservations about lost by taking time.”

“I demand it said of me coarse those who knew me outrun, that I always plucked clean thistle and planted a advance where I thought a blossom would grow.”

“I am rather eager to silence, and whether put off be wise or not, true is at least more untypical nowadays to find a guy who can hold his parlance than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious lose concentration this Union, the Constitution, captain the liberties of the everyday shall be perpetuated in accord with the original idea attach importance to which that struggle was strenuous, and I shall be bossy happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument captive the hands of the Omnipotent, and of this, his about chosen people, for perpetuating rank object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's gallop.

On the side of authority Union, it is a strive for maintaining in the artificial, that form, and substance guide government, whose leading object assignment, to elevate the condition care for men—to lift artificial weights superior all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered incline, and a fair chance, get your skates on the race of life.”

“Fourscore explode seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstinent a new nation, conceived be pleased about liberty and dedicated to influence proposition that all men briefing created equal.”

“This nation, under Deity, shall have a new extraction of freedom—and that government depict the people, by the general public, for the people, shall distant 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 Cluster Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Obtainable Date

October 29, 2009