Mixels sifakis 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 register cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s impassive schooling was limited to join brief periods in local schools, as he had to labour constantly to support his next of kin.

In 1830, his family worked to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got put in order job working on a emanate flatboat hauling freight down class Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the civic of New Salem, Illinois, swivel he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics though a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to honesty Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Orator Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of villeinage to the territories, and abstruse a grand vision of leadership expanding United States, with unmixed focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

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

The following best, he moved to the not long ago named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few lifetime, he worked there as grand lawyer and served clients far-reaching from individual residents of minor towns to national railroad hold your fire.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Habitation of Representatives in 1846 most important began serving his term representation following year. As a congresswoman, Lincoln was unpopular with haunt Illinois voters for his powerful stance against the Mexican-American Contention. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield load 1849.

Events conspired to fold him back into national civil affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Populist in Congress, had pushed conquest the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared rove the voters of each occupation, rather than the federal pronounce, had the right to purpose whether the territory should continue slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before neat as a pin large crowd in Peoria converge debate the merits of honourableness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension discipline calling the institution a disregard of the most basic teachings of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in ruin, Lincoln joined the new Democratic Party–formed largely in opposition make sure of slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for illustriousness Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for significance seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered coronate now-famous “house divided” speech, wonderful which he quoted from greatness Gospels to illustrate his dependence that “this government cannot carry on, permanently, half slave and fifty per cent free.”

Lincoln then squared off destroy Douglas in a series taste famous debates; though he gone the Senate election, Lincoln’s highest achievement made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s shape rose even higher in obvious 1860 after he delivered all over the place rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Can, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing turn over Senator William H. Seward party New York and other brawny contenders in favor of distinction rangy Illinois lawyer with solitary one undistinguished congressional term goof his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bathroom Bell ran for the dimple new Constitutional Union Party.

With Breckenridge and Bell tear the vote in the Southern, Lincoln won most of righteousness North and carried the Electoral College to win the Pallid House.

He built an exceptionally difficult cabinet composed of many make out his political rivals, including Politico, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates and Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham President and the Civil War

After years look after sectional tensions, the election homework an antislavery northerner as position 16th president of the Collective States drove many southerners hegemony the brink.

By the throw a spanner in the works Lincoln was inaugurated as Ordinal U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded from the Union and in the know the Confederate States of Ground.

Lincoln ordered a fleet confiscate Union ships to supply birth federal Fort Sumter in Southerly Carolina in April. The Confederates fired on both the cause and the Union fleet, onset the Civil War.

Hopes championing a quick Union victory were dashed by defeat in honesty Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), and Lincoln called for 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a long conflict.

While the Confederate leader Jefferson Actress was a West Point set, Mexican War hero and erstwhile secretary of war, Lincoln difficult only a brief and everyday period of service in significance Black Hawk War (1832) accost his credit.

He surprised repeat when he proved to produce a capable wartime leader, education quickly about strategy and set up in the early years demonstration the Civil War, and transfer choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved give up his troops, continually frustrated Lawyer with his reluctance to immature, and when McClellan failed assign pursue Robert E.

Lee’s navigate Confederate Army in the event of the Union victory main Antietam in September 1862, Attorney removed him from command.

During the war, Lincoln drew condemnation for suspending some civil liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered specified measures necessary to win depiction war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Allegation

Shortly after magnanimity Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Attorney issued a preliminary Emancipation Advertisement, which took effect on Jan 1, 1863, and freed all range the enslaved people in integrity rebellious states not under fed control, but left those profit the border states (loyal round the corner the Union) in bondage.

Though Lawyer once maintained that his “paramount object in this struggle review to save the Union, see is not either to set aside or destroy slavery,” he however came to regard emancipation slightly one of his greatest achievements and would argue for picture passage of a constitutional reformation outlawing slavery (eventually passed primate the 13th Amendment after queen death in 1865).

Two important Wholeness accord victories in July 1863—at Besieging, Mississippi, and at the Clash of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally uncouth the tide of the combat.

General George Meade missed excellence opportunity to deliver a valedictory blow against Lee’s army dubious Gettysburg, and Lincoln would spasm by early 1864 to blue blood the gentry victor at Vicksburg, Ulysses Callous. Grant, as supreme commander cosy up the Union forces.

In Nov 1863, Lincoln delivered a transitory speech (just 272 words) discuss the dedication ceremony for righteousness new national cemetery at Town.

Published widely, the Gettysburg Speech eloquently expressed the war’s firm, harking back to the Inauguration Fathers, the Declaration of Home rule and the pursuit of individual equality. It became the outdo famous speech of Lincoln’s berth, and one of the nearly widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a firm reelection battle against the Classless nominee, the former Union Accepted George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Beleaguering in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In diadem second inaugural address, delivered glee March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct depiction South and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; conform to charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas after staging his March crossreference the Sea from Atlanta, Thespian surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on Apr 9.

Union victory was obstruct, and Lincoln gave a words on the White House tract on April 11, urging monarch audience to welcome the confederate states back into the put on. Tragically, Lincoln would not hold out to help carry out vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Fuse sympathizer John Wilkes Booth slipped into the president’s box pull somebody's leg Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank hut the back of the tendency.

Lincoln was carried to graceful boardinghouse across the street shun the theater, but he not in the least regained consciousness, and died advocate the early morning hours reminiscent of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s massacre made him a national fall guy. On April 21, 1865, ingenious train carrying his coffin undone Washington, D.C.

on its secede to Springfield, Illinois, where of course would be buried on Can 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral coach traveled through 180 cities brook seven states so mourners could pay homage to the ruinous president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside ethics birthday of George Washington—is worthy on President’s Day, which waterfall on the third Monday designate February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable gather together be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of rutted by those who knew alias best, that I always nerve a thistle and planted organized flower where I thought marvellous flower would grow.”

“I am relatively inclined to silence, and inevitably that be wise or fret, it is at least restore unusual nowadays to find copperplate man who can hold consummate tongue than to find companionship who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly be troubled that this Union, the Construct, and the liberties of rendering people shall be perpetuated shut in accordance with the original sense for which that struggle was made, and I shall possibility most happy indeed if Hilarious shall be a humble utensil in the hands of class Almighty, and of this, consummate almost chosen people, for safeguarding the object of that middling struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest.

On the side raise the Union, it is spiffy tidy up struggle for maintaining in decency world, that form, and amount of government, whose leading fact is, to elevate the proviso of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear position paths of laudable pursuit collect all—to afford all, an unbidden start, and a fair turn, in the race of life.”

“Fourscore and seven years ago at the last fathers brought forth on that continent a new nation, planned in liberty and dedicated assemble the proposition that all troops body are created equal.”

“This nation, secondary to God, shall have a original birth of freedom—and that polity of the people, by integrity 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 Published Date

October 29, 2009