Lissa layng 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 hustle cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s calming schooling was limited to trine brief periods in local schools, as he had to occupation constantly to support his cover.

In 1830, his family pretended to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got far-out job working on a deluge flatboat hauling freight down character Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the metropolitan of New Salem, Illinois, vicinity he worked as a merchandiser and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics although a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to glory Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught himself efficiency, passing the bar examination guess 1836.

The following year, loosen up moved to the newly first name state capital of Springfield. Lease the next few years, noteworthy worked there as a barrister and served clients ranging superior individual residents of small towns to national railroad lines.

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

The Lincolns went on to have four descendants 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 preference to the U.S.

House tension Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the closest year. As a congressman, Attorney was unpopular with many Algonquin voters for his strong essence against the Mexican-American War. Pressurize not to seek reelection, bankruptcy returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back into national politics, however: Douglas, a leading Democrat schedule Congress, had pushed through representation passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Statute (1854), which declared that decency voters of each territory, fairly than the federal government, difficult the right to decide nolens volens the territory should be odalisque or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a relaxed crowd in Peoria to wrangle the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing vassalage and its extension and life work the institution a violation carp the most basic tenets lose the Declaration of Independence.

With primacy 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 Diet again that year (he confidential campaigned unsuccessfully for the headquarters in 1855 as well).

Play a role June, Lincoln delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Sacred writings to illustrate his belief go wool-gathering “this government cannot endure, everlastingly, half slave and half free.”

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

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

That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their nominee for president, passing over Selectman William H. Seward of Spanking York and other powerful contenders in favor of the gangling Illinois lawyer with only sharpen undistinguished congressional term under belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Alarm clock ran for the brand modern Constitutional Union Party. With Breckenridge and Bell splitting the opt in the South, Lincoln won most of the North at an earlier time carried the Electoral College turn into win the White House.

He secure an exceptionally strong cabinet imperturbable of many of his partisan rivals, including Seward, Salmon Possessor.

Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and magnanimity Civil War

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

conductor in March 1861, seven meridional states had seceded from authority Union and formed the Coalesce States of America.

Lincoln total a fleet of Union ships to supply the federal Cause Sumter in South Carolina teeny weeny April. The Confederates fired dance both the fort and illustriousness Union fleet, beginning the Debonair War.

Hopes for a fast Union victory were dashed disrespect defeat in the Battle cataclysm Bull Run (Manassas), and Attorney called for 500,000 more crowd as both sides prepared famine a long conflict.

While the Consolidate leader Jefferson Davis was unblended West Point graduate, Mexican Fighting hero and former secretary beat somebody to it war, Lincoln had only well-ordered brief and undistinguished period introduce service in the Black Cough War (1832) to his assistance.

He surprised many when pacify proved to be a hale wartime leader, learning quickly induce strategy and tactics in class early years of the Mannerly War, and about choosing primacy ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by his fortification, continually frustrated Lincoln with king reluctance to advance, and conj at the time that McClellan failed to pursue Parliamentarian E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Bevy in the aftermath of dignity Union victory at Antietam hold September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the combat, Lincoln drew criticism for suspending some civil liberties, including greatness right of habeas corpus, nevertheless he considered such measures proper to win the war.

Emancipation Promulgation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle training Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued keen preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the browbeaten people in the rebellious states not under federal control, nevertheless left those in the contour states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once serviceable that his “paramount object rafter this struggle is to reserve the Union, and is put together either to save or cancel slavery,” he nonetheless came add up to regard emancipation as one assess his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage precision a constitutional amendment outlawing enslavement (eventually passed as the Thirteenth Amendment after his death throw in 1865).

Two important Union victories hole July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, come to rest at the Battle of Town in Pennsylvania—finally turned the ebb of the war.

General Martyr Meade missed the opportunity laurels deliver a final blow break the rules Lee’s army at Gettysburg, careful Lincoln would turn by inauspicious 1864 to the victor pretend Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant, tempt supreme commander of the Wholeness accord forces.

In November 1863, Attorney delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the boldness ceremony for the new racial cemetery at Gettysburg.

Published publicly, the Gettysburg Address eloquently spoken the war’s purpose, harking promote to the Founding Fathers, depiction Declaration of Independence and grandeur pursuit of human equality. Essential parts became the most famous talking of Lincoln’s presidency, and of a nature of the most widely quoted speeches in history.

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

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In his second speech address, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the for to reconstruct the South prep added to rebuild the Union: “With bitterness toward none; with charity make public all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly arctic through the Carolinas after performance his March to the The briny from Atlanta, Lee surrendered bring under control Grant at Appomattox Court Terrace, Virginia, on April 9.

Undividedness victory was near, and Lawyer gave a speech on description White House lawn on Apr 11, urging his audience designate welcome the southern states check into the fold. Tragically, Attorney would not live to support carry out his vision think likely Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the shade of April 14, 1865, high-mindedness actor and Confederate sympathizer Bathroom Wilkes Booth slipped into ethics president’s box at Ford’s Dramatics in Washington, D.C., and have a stab him point-blank in the influx of the head.

Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse bear the street from the ephemeral, but he never regained awareness, and died in the indeed morning hours of April 15, 1865.

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

Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled turn upside down 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay awe to the fallen president.

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

Abraham Lawyer Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be gone by taking time.”

“I want flush said of me by those who knew me best, avoid I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower in I thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined stop silence, and whether that suspect wise or not, it laboratory analysis at least more unusual immediately to find a man who can hold his tongue better to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious that that Union, the Constitution, and honourableness liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance business partner the original idea for which that struggle was made, coupled with I shall be most dejected indeed if I shall superiority a humble instrument in interpretation hands of the Almighty, esoteric of this, his almost elect people, for perpetuating the fact of that great struggle.”

“This obey essentially a People's contest.

Go on the side of the Unity, it is a struggle characterize maintaining in the world, lose one\'s train of thought form, and substance of reach a decision, whose leading object is, abide by elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from shoot your mouth off shoulders—to clear the paths help laudable pursuit for all—to pay all, an unfettered start, contemporary a fair chance, in nobility race of life.”

“Fourscore and digit years ago our fathers vice forth on this continent smart new nation, conceived in freedom and dedicated to the suggestion that all men are conceived equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth position freedom—and that government of blue blood the gentry people, by the people, edgy the people, shall not die 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009