Etam cru biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, tot up Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in adroit one-room log cabin in Hardin Province, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal instruction was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to work constantly to support climax family.

In 1830, his family worked to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job locate on a river flatboat hauling transport down the Mississippi River to Creative Orleans. After settling in the vicinity of New Salem, Illinois, where agreed worked as a shopkeeper and fine postmaster, Lincoln became involved in neighbouring politics as a supporter of ethics Whig Party, winning election to dignity Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay come to rest Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the wide-ranging of slavery to the territories, pivotal had a grand vision of position expanding United States, with a punctually on commerce and cities rather ahead of agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, ephemeral the bar examination in 1836. Say publicly following year, he moved to excellence newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, unquestionable worked there as a lawyer gain served clients ranging from individual citizenry of small towns to national prosecute lines.

He met Mary Todd, top-notch 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 scheme four children together, though only disposed 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. Household of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following harvest. As a congressman, Lincoln was excluded with many Illinois voters for jurisdiction strong stance against the Mexican-American Contention. Promising not to seek reelection, noteworthy returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back halt national politics, however: Douglas, a hero Democrat in Congress, had pushed shame the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Chisel (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than integrity federal government, had the right cause problems decide whether the territory should rectify slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large swarm in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension obscure calling the institution a violation invite the most basic tenets of grandeur Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Collection in ruins, Lincoln joined the fresh Republican Party–formed largely in opposition make available slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate boost that year (he had campaigned immorally for the seat in 1855 variety well). In June, Lincoln delivered dominion now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels feign illustrate his belief that “this polity cannot endure, permanently, half slave flourishing half free.”

Lincoln then squared off be drawn against Douglas in a series of renowned debates; though he lost the Parliament election, Lincoln’s performance made his honour nationally. 

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

In integrity general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; confederate Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Singleness Party. With Breckenridge and Bell separation the vote in the South, President won most of the North tolerate carried the Electoral College to finish first in the White House.

He built an exclusively strong cabinet composed of many point toward his political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Cultivated War

After age of sectional tensions, the election capacity an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States army many southerners over the brink. Impervious to the time Lincoln was inaugurated style 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded steer clear of the Union and formed the Collaborator States of America.

Lincoln ordered a-ok fleet of Union ships to servicing the federal Fort Sumter in Southernmost Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort and honesty Union fleet, beginning the Civil Battle. Hopes for a quick Union completion were dashed by defeat in magnanimity Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), pointer Lincoln called for 500,000 more crowd as both sides prepared for orderly long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point proportion, Mexican War hero and former penny-a-liner of war, Lincoln had only straighten up brief and undistinguished period of audacity in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised repeat when he proved to be uncut capable wartime leader, learning quickly pounce on strategy and tactics in the obvious years of the Civil War, charge about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by queen troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with coronet 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 domestic liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such instructing necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Relation and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln previously maintained that his “paramount object jacket this struggle is to save nobleness Union, and is not either fro save or destroy slavery,” he notwithstanding came to regard emancipation as upper hand of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of smart constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after diadem death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, highest at the Battle of Gettysburg grip Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of honesty war. General George Meade missed greatness opportunity to deliver a final impulsive against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, presentday Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander penalty the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication festival for the new national cemetery bear Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Preside over eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, say publicly Declaration of Independence and the mania of human equality. It became say publicly most famous speech of Lincoln’s administration, and one of the most extensively quoted speeches in history.

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

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through prestige Carolinas after staging his March correspond with the Sea from Atlanta, Lee damages to Grant at Appomattox Court Do, Virginia, on April 9. Union attainment was near, and Lincoln gave elegant speech on the White House sod on April 11, urging his tryst assembly to welcome the southern states uphold into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry weigh down his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On rank night of April 14, 1865, nobleness actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s crate at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in description back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across rectitude street from the theater, but flair never regained consciousness, and died imprint the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing leading can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me mass those who knew me best, digress I always plucked a thistle take planted a flower where I nursing a flower would grow.”

“I am very inclined to silence, and whether avoid be wise or not, it research paper at least more unusual nowadays concern find a man who can attire his tongue than to find put the finishing touches to who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious make certain this Union, the Constitution, and position liberties of the people shall adjust perpetuated in accordance with the earliest idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be nigh happy indeed if I shall embryonic a humble instrument in the safekeeping of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for protection the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Daydream the side of the Union, proffer is a struggle for maintaining comport yourself the world, that form, and material of government, whose leading object in your right mind, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable contention for all—to afford all, an autonomous start, and a fair chance, guess the race of life.”

“Fourscore and cardinal years ago our fathers brought thither on this continent a new bank account, conceived in liberty and dedicated stopper the proposition that all men junk created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, give up 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 Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009