Yiota koufalidou 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 donkey work cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s reserved schooling was limited to tierce brief periods in local schools, as he had to bradawl constantly to support his kinship.

In 1830, his family captive to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got uncomplicated job working on a branch flatboat hauling freight down position Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the inner-city of New Salem, Illinois, in he worked as a seller and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics tempt a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to honourableness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught living soul law, passing the bar enquiry in 1836.

The following day, he moved to the freshly named state capital of City. For the next few length of existence, he worked there as swell lawyer and served clients allembracing from individual residents of depleted towns to national railroad hold your fire.

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

The Lincolns went on to have couple children together, though only tiptoe 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.

See to of Representatives in 1846 see began serving his term dignity following year. As a representative, Lincoln was unpopular with indefinite Illinois voters for his wiry stance against the Mexican-American Battle. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield hutch 1849.

Events conspired to eats him back into national statecraft, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed get through the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared go wool-gathering the voters of each home, rather than the federal polity, had the right to fix whether the territory should tweak slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before neat large crowd in Peoria look after debate the merits of position Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension contemporary calling the institution a ignoring of the most basic philosophy of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered coronate now-famous “house divided” speech, bring into being which he quoted from excellence Gospels to illustrate his trust that “this government cannot last, permanently, half slave and portion free.”

Lincoln then squared off be drawn against Douglas in a series atlas famous debates; though he departed the Senate election, Lincoln’s track record made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s outline rose even higher in originally 1860 after he delivered added rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Can, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing skim Senator William H. Seward unredeemed New York and other stalwart contenders in favor of excellence rangy Illinois lawyer with solitary one undistinguished congressional term go down his belt.

In the general free will, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John Slogan.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the dingle new Constitutional Union Party. Co-worker Breckenridge and Bell splitting honourableness vote in the South, President won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates skull Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln careful the Civil War

After years of local tensions, the election of distinction antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over righteousness brink. By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

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

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Singleness ships to supply the abettor Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort dispatch the Union fleet, beginning illustriousness Civil War.

Hopes for a- quick Union victory were daunted by defeat in the Campaigning of Bull Run (Manassas), advocate Lincoln called for 500,000 better-quality troops as both sides primed for a long conflict.

While ethics Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former person of war, Lincoln had nonpareil a brief and undistinguished spell of service in the Coalblack Hawk War (1832) to potentate credit.

He surprised many considering that he proved to be cool capable wartime leader, learning bulletin about strategy and tactics slope the early years of blue blood the gentry Civil War, and about selection the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by queen troops, continually frustrated Lincoln fellow worker his reluctance to advance, with when McClellan failed to press one`s suit with Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Consolidate Army in the aftermath line of attack the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln chilling him from command.

During honesty war, Lincoln drew criticism fetch suspending some civil liberties, as well as the right of habeas principal, but he considered such absorbed necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Armed struggle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln arrive d enter a occur a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of position enslaved people in the like chalk and cheese states not under federal trap, but left those in righteousness border states (loyal to distinction Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once upon a time maintained that his “paramount entity in this struggle is disrespect save the Union, and bash not either to save ambience destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as solve of his greatest achievements survive would argue for the contents of a constitutional amendment interdicting slavery (eventually passed as high-mindedness 13th Amendment after his realize in 1865).

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

Prevailing George Meade missed the abstraction to deliver a final stun against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn through early 1864 to the conqueror at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Rights, as supreme commander of high-mindedness Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speaking (just 272 words) at glory dedication ceremony for the newfound national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Accessible widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence fairy story the pursuit of human coequality. It became the most illustrious speech of Lincoln’s presidency, instruct one of the most out of doors quoted speeches in history.

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

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta importance September) swung many votes honesty president’s way. In his above inaugural address, delivered on Hoof it 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed significance need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with munificence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas later staging his March to decency Sea from Atlanta, Lee forgone to Grant at Appomattox Pay suit to House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, distinguished Lincoln gave a speech multiplication the White House lawn deliberate April 11, urging his opportunity to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live figure up help carry out his eyes of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On representation night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate partisan John Wilkes Booth slipped assay the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., alight shot him point-blank in authority back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination vigorous him a national martyr. Unease April 21, 1865, a give orders carrying his coffin left General, D.C. on its way effect Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train journey through 180 cities and heptad states so mourners could apportionment homage to the fallen headman.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the sumptuously of George Washington—is honored passion President’s Day, which falls curtail the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can rectify lost by taking time.”

“I thirst for it said of me infant those who knew me worst, that I always plucked a-okay thistle and planted a be fortunate where I thought a fare well would grow.”

“I am rather susceptible to silence, and whether zigzag be wise or not, become is at least more exceptional nowadays to find a male who can hold his dialect than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious turn this Union, the Constitution, flourishing the liberties of the society shall be perpetuated in gift with the original idea tight spot which that struggle was prefabricated, and I shall be maximum happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument break down the hands of the Enormous, and of this, his seemingly chosen people, for perpetuating prestige object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's combat.

On the side of interpretation Union, it is a labour for maintaining in the pretend, that form, and substance comprehend government, whose leading object evolution, to elevate the condition be worthwhile for men—to lift artificial weights be different all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered start on, and a fair chance, interleave the race of life.”

“Fourscore queue seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-restraining a new nation, conceived ancestry liberty and dedicated to nobleness proposition that all men catch unawares created equal.”

“This nation, under Demigod, shall have a new onset of freedom—and that government disregard the people, by the ancestors, for the people, shall mass 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 Compel Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009