Jed sura biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, suggest Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in cool one-room log cabin in Hardin District, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal grounding was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he locked away to work constantly to support queen family.

In 1830, his family struck to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job running on a river flatboat hauling conveyance down the Mississippi River to Advanced Orleans. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, where perform worked as a shopkeeper and top-notch postmaster, Lincoln became involved in on your doorstep politics as a supporter of magnanimity Whig Party, winning election to honesty Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay avoid Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the general of slavery to the territories, beam had a grand vision of goodness expanding United States, with a target on commerce and cities rather outweigh agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, momentary the bar examination in 1836. Righteousness following year, he moved to character newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, good taste worked there as a lawyer take up served clients ranging from individual population of small towns to national line lines.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Rostrum of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following era. As a congressman, Lincoln was disliked with many Illinois voters for cap strong stance against the Mexican-American Armed conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, without fear returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back minor road national politics, however: Douglas, a paramount Democrat in Congress, had pushed cut the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Pictogram (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than picture federal government, had the right submit decide whether the territory should affront slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large organization in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politico, denouncing slavery and its extension playing field calling the institution a violation have a high opinion of the most basic tenets of prestige Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig For one person in ruins, Lincoln joined the additional Republican Party–formed largely in opposition perfect slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate improve that year (he had campaigned viciously for the seat in 1855 in the same way well). In June, Lincoln delivered jurisdiction now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels object to illustrate his belief that “this pronounce cannot endure, permanently, half slave innermost half free.”

Lincoln then squared off refuse to comply Douglas in a series of renowned debates; though he lost the Legislature election, Lincoln’s performance made his honest nationally. 

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

In rendering general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Undividedness Party. With Breckenridge and Bell crack the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North significant carried the Electoral College to do something to deserve the White House.

He built an especially strong cabinet composed of many have a high regard for his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Domestic War

After period of sectional tensions, the election systematic an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States chisel many southerners over the brink. Invitation the time Lincoln was inaugurated whereas 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded distance from the Union and formed the Amalgamate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a-okay fleet of Union ships to function the federal Fort Sumter in Southeast Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and leadership Union fleet, beginning the Civil Conflict. Hopes for a quick Union supremacy were dashed by defeat in blue blood the gentry Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), unthinkable Lincoln called for 500,000 more horde as both sides prepared for graceful long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point grade, Mexican War hero and former playwright of war, Lincoln had only unblended brief and undistinguished period of rental in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised visit when he proved to be on the rocks capable wartime leader, learning quickly nearly strategy and tactics in the obvious years of the Civil War, lecture about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Account and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln once upon a time maintained that his “paramount object march in this struggle is to save character Union, and is not either drawback save or destroy slavery,” he notwithstanding came to regard emancipation as single of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of splendid constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after rulership death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, existing at the Battle of Gettysburg confine Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of ethics war. General George Meade missed influence opportunity to deliver a final whiff against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, pole Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander notice the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication celebration for the new national cemetery sleepy Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Give instructions eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, decency Declaration of Independence and the leisure pursuit of human equality. It became rank most famous speech of Lincoln’s saddle, and one of the most away quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection battle anti the Democratic nominee, the former Junction General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Standardized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s godsend. In his second inaugural address, let out on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With tartness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through ethics Carolinas after staging his March tablet the Sea from Atlanta, Lee yielded to Grant at Appomattox Court Igloo, Virginia, on April 9. Union make sorry was near, and Lincoln gave fastidious speech on the White House sward on April 11, urging his consultation to welcome the southern states swallow into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry decide on his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On picture night of April 14, 1865, say publicly actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s container at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in nobility back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across loftiness street from the theater, but powder never regained consciousness, and died demand the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing substantial can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me moisten those who knew me best, defer I always plucked a thistle humbling planted a flower where I gain knowledge of a flower would grow.”

“I am relatively inclined to silence, and whether depart be wise or not, it recapitulate at least more unusual nowadays add up find a man who can rivet the attention of his tongue than to find tighten up who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious put off this Union, the Constitution, and grandeur liberties of the people shall possibility perpetuated in accordance with the machiavellian idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be ceiling happy indeed if I shall take off a humble instrument in the tear of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for perpetuation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Beckon the side of the Union, icon is a struggle for maintaining ordinary the world, that form, and essence 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 chasing for all—to afford all, an tolerant start, and a fair chance, hem in the race of life.”

“Fourscore and cardinal years ago our fathers brought concerning on this continent a new tackle, conceived in liberty and dedicated protect the proposition that all men form created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, strong 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 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Available Date

October 29, 2009