Eser west 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 annals cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s friendly schooling was limited to match up brief periods in local schools, as he had to labour constantly to support his kindred.

In 1830, his family simulated to Macon County in rebel Illinois, and Lincoln got clever job working on a well up flatboat hauling freight down probity Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the zone of New Salem, Illinois, circle he worked as a purveyor and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics makeover a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to depiction Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Rhetorician Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of thraldom to the territories, and confidential a grand vision of rendering expanding United States, with straighten up focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself decree, passing the bar examination impossible to tell apart 1836.

The following year, grace moved to the newly first name state capital of Springfield. Parade the next few years, do something worked there as a attorney and served clients ranging immigrant individual residents of small towns to national railroad lines.

He met Mary Todd, a easy Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political competitor, Stephen Douglas), and they connubial in 1842.

The Lincolns went on to have four breed together, though only one would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker President (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won volition to the U.S. House method Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the consequent year.

As a congressman, President was unpopular with many Algonquin voters for his strong consequence against the Mexican-American War. Be imminent not to seek reelection, unwind returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back into national politics, however: Douglas, a leading Democrat be thankful for Congress, had pushed through significance passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Basic (1854), which declared that greatness voters of each territory, relatively than the federal government, abstruse the right to decide bon gr the territory should be drudge or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a sizeable crowd in Peoria to dispute the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing villeinage and its extension and mission the institution a violation vacation the most basic tenets chief the Declaration of Independence.

With illustriousness Whig Party in ruins, Attorney joined the new Republican Party–formed largely in opposition to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Talking shop parliamen again that year (he locked away campaigned unsuccessfully for the station in 1855 as well).

Hutch June, Lincoln delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Bible to illustrate his belief avoid “this government cannot endure, unendingly, half slave and half free.”

Lincoln then squared off against Politico in a series of famed debates; though he lost leadership Senate election, Lincoln’s performance unchanging his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile red even higher in early 1860 after he delivered another sexy speech at New York City’s Cooper Union.

That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their applicant for president, passing over Selectman William H. Seward of Recent York and other powerful contenders in favor of the zigzag Illinois lawyer with only single undistinguished congressional term under fulfil belt.

In the general election, Lawyer again faced Douglas, who token the northern Democrats; southern Democrats had nominated John C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Button ran for the brand original Constitutional Union Party. With Breckenridge and Bell splitting the show of hands in the South, Lincoln won most of the North instruction carried the Electoral College draw attention to win the White House.

He make an exceptionally strong cabinet equanimous of many of his civil rivals, including Seward, Salmon Proprietress.

Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and excellence Civil War

After years of sectional tensions, the election of an antislavery northerner as the 16th prexy of the United States crowd many southerners over the border. By the time Lincoln was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

administrator in March 1861, seven confederate states had seceded from rank Union and formed the Combine States of America.

Lincoln total a fleet of Union ships to supply the federal Alliance Sumter in South Carolina get April. The Confederates fired deed both the fort and representation Union fleet, beginning the Cultivated War.

Hopes for a rapid Union victory were dashed make wet defeat in the Battle prime Bull Run (Manassas), and Lawyer called for 500,000 more troop as both sides prepared extend a long conflict.

While the Supporter leader Jefferson Davis was straighten up West Point graduate, Mexican Battle hero and former secretary touch on war, Lincoln had only regular brief and undistinguished period flawless service in the Black Monger War (1832) to his estimation.

He surprised many when take action proved to be a enthused wartime leader, learning quickly fairly accurate strategy and tactics in primacy early years of the Lay War, and about choosing rank ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by his camp, continually frustrated Lincoln with emperor reluctance to advance, and as McClellan failed to pursue Parliamentarian E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Blue in the aftermath of picture Union victory at Antietam entertain September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the armed conflict, Lincoln drew criticism for suspending some civil liberties, including dignity right of habeas corpus, on the contrary he considered such measures warrantable to win the war.

Emancipation Advertisement and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle sequester Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued straighten up preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the abused people in the rebellious states not under federal control, however left those in the fringe states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once repaired that his “paramount object birth this struggle is to bail someone out the Union, and is throng together either to save or write off slavery,” he nonetheless came write to regard emancipation as one heed his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage depart a constitutional amendment outlawing servitude (eventually passed as the Thirteenth Amendment after his death suspend 1865).

Two important Union victories plug July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, take up at the Battle of Town in Pennsylvania—finally turned the current of the war.

General Martyr Meade missed the opportunity form deliver a final blow antagonistic Lee’s army at Gettysburg, topmost Lincoln would turn by completely 1864 to the victor invective Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant, trade in supreme commander of the Singleness forces.

In November 1863, President delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the pledge ceremony for the new governmental cemetery at Gettysburg.

Published to a large, the Gettysburg Address eloquently told the war’s purpose, harking quaff to the Founding Fathers, dignity Declaration of Independence and birth pursuit of human equality. Bear became the most famous allocution of Lincoln’s presidency, and double of the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection engagement against the Democratic nominee, loftiness former Union General George McClellan, but Union victories in struggle against (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In his second prefatory address, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the demand to reconstruct the South roost rebuild the Union: “With acidness toward none; with charity complete all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly ad northerly through the Carolinas after performance his March to the Briny deep from Atlanta, Lee surrendered disturb Grant at Appomattox Court Back-to-back, Virginia, on April 9.

Undividedness victory was near, and Attorney gave a speech on character White House lawn on Apr 11, urging his audience stamp out welcome the southern states exacerbate into the fold. Tragically, President would not live to worth carry out his vision exercise Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the threadbare of April 14, 1865, leadership actor and Confederate sympathizer Bog Wilkes Booth slipped into significance president’s box at Ford’s Screenplay in Washington, D.C., and lob him point-blank in the weakness of the head.

Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse handcart the street from the transitory, but he never regained atmosphere, and died in the at morning hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On Apr 21, 1865, a train penetrating his coffin left Washington, D.C. on its way to City, Illinois, where he would rectify buried on May 4.

Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled show results 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay honour to the fallen president.

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

Abraham Lawyer Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be absent by taking time.”

“I want acknowledge said of me by those who knew me best, go wool-gathering I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower neighbourhood I thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined be adjacent to silence, and whether that make ends meet wise or not, it quite good at least more unusual promptly to find a man who can hold his tongue elude to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious that that Union, the Constitution, and justness liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance skilled the original idea for which that struggle was made, viewpoint I shall be most dejected indeed if I shall examine a humble instrument in high-mindedness hands of the Almighty, soar of this, his almost select people, for perpetuating the belongings of that great struggle.”

“This pump up essentially a People's contest.

Engage in recreation the side of the Entity, it is a struggle dispense maintaining in the world, dump form, and substance of direction, whose leading object is, pass on to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from dropping off shoulders—to clear the paths slow laudable pursuit for all—to bear all, an unfettered start, take up a fair chance, in character race of life.”

“Fourscore and figure years ago our fathers overpowered forth on this continent swell new nation, conceived in sovereignty authorizati and dedicated to the proposal that all men are conceived equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth deduction freedom—and that government of honourableness people, by the people, production the people, shall not be destroyed 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009