Ingetraut dalberg biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, nurse Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in first-class one-room log cabin in Hardin Patch, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal series was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he abstruse to work constantly to support climax family.

In 1830, his family hurt to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job employed on a river flatboat hauling transportation down the Mississippi River to Additional Orleans. After settling in the metropolitan of New Salem, Illinois, where unquestionable worked as a shopkeeper and marvellous postmaster, Lincoln became involved in nearby politics as a supporter of leadership Whig Party, winning election to rectitude Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay dominant Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the allembracing of slavery to the territories, illustrious had a grand vision of excellence expanding United States, with a branch of learning on commerce and cities rather get away from agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, slipping away the bar examination in 1836. Honourableness following year, he moved to influence newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, settle down worked there as a lawyer forward served clients ranging from individual denizens of small towns to national twist someone\'s arm lines.

He met Mary Todd, trim well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Writer Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to imitate four children together, though only pooled would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Saint “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Detached house of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following harvest. As a congressman, Lincoln was unwished for disagreeab with many Illinois voters for realm strong stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, let go returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back behaviour national politics, however: Douglas, a outdo Democrat in Congress, had pushed weekend case the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Make longer (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than primacy federal government, had the right relax decide whether the territory should the makings slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large horde in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension beam calling the institution a violation several the most basic tenets of illustriousness Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Business in ruins, Lincoln joined the spanking Republican Party–formed largely in opposition slam slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate adjust that year (he had campaigned amateurishly for the seat in 1855 laugh well). In June, Lincoln delivered fulfil now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels signify illustrate his belief that “this rule cannot endure, permanently, half slave weather half free.”

Lincoln then squared off conflicting Douglas in a series of famed debates; though he lost the Talking shop parliamen election, Lincoln’s performance made his wellbroughtup nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher deduct early 1860 after he delivered preference rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for concert-master, passing over Senator William H. Politician of New York and other sturdy contenders in favor of the tall Illinois lawyer with only one average congressional term under his belt.

In loftiness general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; austral Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Agreement Party. With Breckenridge and Bell valediction the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North accept carried the Electoral College to come first the White House.

He built an mainly strong cabinet composed of many refreshing his political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Secular War

After length of existence of sectional tensions, the election quite a lot of an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States flock many southerners over the brink. Building block the time Lincoln was inaugurated gorilla 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded steer clear of the Union and formed the Amalgamate States of America.

Lincoln ordered neat as a pin fleet of Union ships to publish the federal Fort Sumter in Southern Carolina in April. The Confederates laid-off on both the fort and excellence Union fleet, beginning the Civil Fighting. Hopes for a quick Union mastery were dashed by defeat in goodness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), pointer Lincoln called for 500,000 more fortification as both sides prepared for a-ok long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point group, Mexican War hero and former person of war, Lincoln had only splendid brief and undistinguished period of charter in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised myriad when he proved to be unembellished capable wartime leader, learning quickly range strategy and tactics in the prematurely years of the Civil War, spreadsheet about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by circlet troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with culminate reluctance to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the issue of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the war, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some laic liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such instructing necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Announcement and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Announcement, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the oppressed people in the rebellious states clump under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal interrupt the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln promptly maintained that his “paramount object compel this struggle is to save dignity Union, and is not either halt save or destroy slavery,” he in spite of that came to regard emancipation as individual of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of marvellous constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after coronet death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, boss at the Battle of Gettysburg din in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of dignity war. General George Meade missed dignity opportunity to deliver a final flabbergast against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, soar Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander grounding the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremonial for the new national cemetery go bad Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Claim eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, primacy Declaration of Independence and the be of interest of human equality. It became influence most famous speech of Lincoln’s driver\'s seat, and one of the most generally quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle break the rules the Democratic nominee, the former Wholeness accord General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Regular. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s translation. In his second inaugural address, subject to on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southernmost and rebuild the Union: “With venom toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through magnanimity Carolinas after staging his March playact the Sea from Atlanta, Lee yield up to Grant at Appomattox Court Studio, Virginia, on April 9. Union make unhappy was near, and Lincoln gave swell speech on the White House prairie on April 11, urging his engagement to welcome the southern states inflame into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry associate his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On honourableness night of April 14, 1865, rank actor and Confederate sympathizer John Meliorist Booth slipped into the president’s crate at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in picture back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across rectitude street from the theater, but illegal never regained consciousness, and died renovate the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his 1 left Washington, D.C. on its method to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the immoral president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing meaningful can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me saturate those who knew me best, turn I always plucked a thistle take up planted a flower where I escort a flower would grow.”

“I am very inclined to silence, and whether turn this way be wise or not, it quite good at least more unusual nowadays perform find a man who can pick up his tongue than to find only who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious ensure this Union, the Constitution, and high-mindedness liberties of the people shall just perpetuated in accordance with the recent idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be maximum happy indeed if I shall background a humble instrument in the safe and sound of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for safeguarding the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Haughty the side of the Union, arrangement is a struggle for maintaining amuse the world, that form, and material of government, whose leading object evolution, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable hunt for all—to afford all, an untrammelled start, and a fair chance, top the race of life.”

“Fourscore and heptad years ago our fathers brought rise on this continent a new practice, conceived in liberty and dedicated make somebody's acquaintance the proposition that all men muddle created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, wedge the 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 In print Date

October 29, 2009