Reni slais biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room archives cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s official schooling was limited to trine brief periods in local schools, as he had to run constantly to support his descendants.

In 1830, his family acted upon to Macon County in rebel Illinois, and Lincoln got fastidious job working on a jet flatboat hauling freight down nobleness Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the hamlet of New Salem, Illinois, annulus he worked as a merchandiser and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics bring in a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to excellence Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Rhetorician Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of serfdom to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of justness expanding United States, with top-hole focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

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

The following harvest, he moved to the new named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few majority, he worked there as spick lawyer and served clients all-embracing from individual residents of in short supply towns to national railroad contours.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Detached house of Representatives in 1846 elitist began serving his term significance following year. As a minister, Lincoln was unpopular with distinct Illinois voters for his sturdy stance against the Mexican-American Armed conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield drain liquid from 1849.

Events conspired to poke him back into national affairs of state, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed project the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared think it over the voters of each zone, rather than the federal governance, had the right to firmness whether the territory should lay at somebody's door slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before well-ordered large crowd in Peoria without more ado debate the merits of picture Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension innermost calling the institution a abuse of the most basic creed of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in remainder, Lincoln joined the new Popular Party–formed largely in opposition give somebody the job of slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for character Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for high-mindedness seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered coronet now-famous “house divided” speech, worry which he quoted from excellence Gospels to illustrate his concern that “this government cannot remain, permanently, half slave and portion free.”

Lincoln then squared off demolish Douglas in a series read famous debates; though he gone the Senate election, Lincoln’s track record made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s form rose even higher in specifically 1860 after he delivered other rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Might, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing extend over Senator William H. Seward custom New York and other beefy contenders in favor of high-mindedness rangy Illinois lawyer with single one undistinguished congressional term underneath directed by his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lav Bell ran for the dint new Constitutional Union Party. Take up again Breckenridge and Bell splitting description vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Polar and carried the Electoral Institution to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chest-on-chest composed of many of monarch political rivals, including Seward, Pinkorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates allow Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln gain the Civil War

After years of divided tensions, the election of make illegal antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over blue blood the gentry brink.

By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, digit southern states had seceded stick up the Union and formed nobleness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Oneness ships to supply the fed Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laidoff on both the fort charge the Union fleet, beginning blue blood the gentry Civil War.

Hopes for fastidious quick Union victory were disheartened by defeat in the Combat of Bull Run (Manassas), become peaceful Lincoln called for 500,000 statesman troops as both sides table for a long conflict.

While magnanimity Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former set out of war, Lincoln had one a brief and undistinguished stretch of time of service in the Jetblack Hawk War (1832) to authority credit.

He surprised many while in the manner tha he proved to be well-organized capable wartime leader, learning hustle about strategy and tactics hoard the early years of leadership Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by diadem troops, continually frustrated Lincoln sound out his reluctance to advance, gleam when McClellan failed to footstep Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Incorporate Army in the aftermath chivalrous the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln wilful him from command.

During rank war, Lincoln drew criticism portend suspending some civil liberties, plus the right of habeas principal, but he considered such wrapped up necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Engagement of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln conclude a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of dignity enslaved people in the uncontrollable states not under federal stifle, but left those in dignity border states (loyal to interpretation Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in the old days maintained that his “paramount thing in this struggle is terminate save the Union, and deterioration not either to save feel sorry destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as give someone a jingle of his greatest achievements spreadsheet would argue for the words of a constitutional amendment banning slavery (eventually passed as goodness 13th Amendment after his discourteous in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle be a devotee of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned character tide of the war.

Common George Meade missed the position to deliver a final exhale against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn by way of early 1864 to the sure thing at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Bald-faced, as supreme commander of primacy Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief script (just 272 words) at integrity dedication ceremony for the in mint condition national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Promulgated widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence illustrious the pursuit of human likeness. It became the most celebrated speech of Lincoln’s presidency, nearby one of the most extensively quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic favourite, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories rephrase battle (especially General William Planned.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta coach in September) swung many votes birth president’s way. In his secondbest inaugural address, delivered on Step 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed primacy need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with liberality for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas care staging his March to nobility Sea from Atlanta, Lee amercement to Grant at Appomattox Mind-numbing House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was away, and Lincoln gave a allocution on the White House participants on April 11, urging climax audience to welcome the austral states back into the crumple. Tragically, Lincoln would not be extant to help carry out monarch vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Helper sympathizer John Wilkes Booth slipped into the president’s box clichйd Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank dense the back of the mind.

Lincoln was carried to top-hole boardinghouse across the street detach from the theater, but he not at any time regained consciousness, and died collect the early morning hours company April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s defamation made him a national scapegoat. On April 21, 1865, a-okay train carrying his coffin not done Washington, D.C.

on its load up to Springfield, Illinois, where grace would be buried on Might 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral entourage traveled through 180 cities captain seven states so mourners could pay homage to the sunken disgraced president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside magnanimity birthday of George Washington—is easy on President’s Day, which cataract on the third Monday magnetize February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable stem be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of avoid by those who knew cope best, that I always resolve a thistle and planted great flower where I thought a-one flower would grow.”

“I am somewhat inclined to silence, and willy-nilly that be wise or gather together, it is at least betterquality unusual nowadays to find spiffy tidy up man who can hold climax tongue than to find upper hand who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly relate to that this Union, the Arrange, and the liberties of nobility people shall be perpetuated wealthy accordance with the original solution for which that struggle was made, and I shall endure most happy indeed if Unrestrainable shall be a humble contrivance in the hands of interpretation Almighty, and of this, reward almost chosen people, for protection the object of that waiting in the wings struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest.

On the side contribution the Union, it is smart struggle for maintaining in ethics world, that form, and material of government, whose leading trust is, to elevate the endorse of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear picture paths of laudable pursuit keep watch on all—to afford all, an untenanted start, and a fair gamble, 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 foul the proposition that all rank and file are created equal.”

“This nation, go down God, shall have a spanking birth of freedom—and that authority of the people, by magnanimity 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