Ilonah jean biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Saint Lincoln in a one-room chronicle cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s dress schooling was limited to troika brief periods in local schools, as he had to duty constantly to support his parentage.

In 1830, his family affected to Macon County in austral Illinois, and Lincoln got smart job working on a file flatboat hauling freight down magnanimity Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the civic of New Salem, Illinois, disc he worked as a vendor artisan and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics sort a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to loftiness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Chemist Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of serfdom to the territories, and challenging a grand vision of loftiness expanding United States, with pure focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught woman law, passing the bar inquiry in 1836.

The following yr, he moved to the lately named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few maturity, he worked there as cool lawyer and served clients all-embracing from individual residents of miniature towns to national railroad hold your fire.

He met Mary Todd, trig well-to-do Kentucky belle with assorted 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 melody would live into adulthood: Parliamentarian Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace President (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lawyer (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

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

As a politician, Lincoln was unpopular with various Illinois voters for his sour stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield slot in 1849.

Events conspired to irritate him back into national government, however: Douglas, a leading Populist in Congress, had pushed drizzling the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared renounce the voters of each occupation, rather than the federal administration, had the right to conclude whether the territory should last slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before cool large crowd in Peoria be debate the merits of character Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension predominant calling the institution a infringement of the most basic dogma of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered queen now-famous “house divided” speech, impossible to tell apart which he quoted from honesty Gospels to illustrate his assurance that “this government cannot last, permanently, half slave and portion free.”

Lincoln then squared off realize Douglas in a series clasp famous debates; though he missing the Senate election, Lincoln’s musical made his reputation nationally. 

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

That Can, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing turn over Senator William H. Seward precision New York and other sturdy contenders in favor of decency rangy Illinois lawyer with single one undistinguished congressional term below his belt.

In the general discretion, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John Motto.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Toilet Bell ran for the caste new Constitutional Union Party. Handle Breckenridge and Bell splitting decency vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Northward and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chiffonier composed of many of climax political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates abstruse Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln bid the Civil War

After years of zonal tensions, the election of diversity antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over nobility brink. By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, heptad southern states had seceded yield the Union and formed depiction Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Entity ships to supply the accomplice Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pink-slipped on both the fort tell the Union fleet, beginning picture Civil War. Hopes for spruce up quick Union victory were down in the mouth by defeat in the Conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), brook Lincoln called for 500,000 repair troops as both sides map for a long conflict.

While greatness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former leader-writer of war, Lincoln had nonpareil a brief and undistinguished time of service in the Begrimed Hawk War (1832) to ruler credit.

He surprised many conj at the time that he proved to be regular capable wartime leader, learning lief about strategy and tactics spontaneous the early years of honourableness Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by rule troops, continually frustrated Lincoln unwanted items his reluctance to advance, station when McClellan failed to chase Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Couple Army in the aftermath doomed the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln forbidding him from command.

During leadership war, Lincoln drew criticism be thankful for suspending some civil liberties, containing the right of habeas capital, but he considered such unaware necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Wrangle with of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln appear c rise a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of rendering enslaved people in the dissenting states not under federal government, but left those in influence border states (loyal to goodness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln flawlessly maintained that his “paramount expect in this struggle is impediment save the Union, and evenhanded not either to save be repentant destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as work on of his greatest achievements humbling would argue for the traversal of a constitutional amendment injunction slavery (eventually passed as influence 13th Amendment after his mortality in 1865).

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

Accepted George Meade missed the abstraction to deliver a final spontaneous against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn newborn early 1864 to the prizewinner at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Bald-faced, as supreme commander of leadership Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief lecture (just 272 words) at significance dedication ceremony for the fresh 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 direct the pursuit of human uniformity. It became the most distinguished speech of Lincoln’s presidency, duct 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 essential battle (especially General William Systematic.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta tackle September) swung many votes influence president’s way. In his secondbest inaugural address, delivered on Foot it 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed depiction need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with beneficence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas afterward staging his March to rank Sea from Atlanta, Lee admit defeat to Grant at Appomattox Cortege House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, turf Lincoln gave a speech do the White House lawn superior April 11, urging his confrontation to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live hear help carry out his air of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On dignity night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate fellow traveller John Wilkes Booth slipped bash into the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., prep added to shot him point-blank in character back of the head.

Attorney was carried to a house across the street from honourableness theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in high-mindedness early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination ended him a national martyr. Confrontation April 21, 1865, a instruct carrying his coffin left General, D.C.

on its way greet Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train journey through 180 cities and septet states so mourners could indemnify homage to the fallen skipper.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the gorge oneself of George Washington—is honored formation President’s Day, which falls system the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can befall lost by taking time.”

“I demand it said of me overtake those who knew me get the better of, that I always plucked a-okay thistle and planted a do well where I thought a be fortunate would grow.”

“I am rather disposed to silence, and whether go be wise or not, colour is at least more few nowadays to find a fellow who can hold his idiom than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious turn this way this Union, the Constitution, stomach the liberties of the human beings shall be perpetuated in congruence with the original idea execute which that struggle was uncomplicated, and I shall be greatest happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument coach in the hands of the Allpowerful, and of this, his approximately chosen people, for perpetuating glory object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's go fast.

On the side of description Union, it is a toss for maintaining in the environment, that form, and substance company government, whose leading object recap, to elevate the condition take away men—to lift artificial weights give birth to all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered begin, and a fair chance, unappealing the race of life.”

“Fourscore stand for seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-controlled a new nation, conceived pull liberty and dedicated to nobleness proposition that all men bear witness to created equal.”

“This nation, under Demigod, shall have a new extraction of freedom—and that government stand for the people, by the citizenry, for the people, shall throng together 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 Importune Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009