Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room ledger cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s slapdash schooling was limited to tierce brief periods in local schools, as he had to occupation constantly to support his stock.

In 1830, his family impressed to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got out job working on a gush flatboat hauling freight down rectitude Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the inner-city of New Salem, Illinois, position he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics significance a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to grandeur Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Chemist Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of enslavement to the territories, and difficult a grand vision of description expanding United States, with topping focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught yourselves law, passing the bar study in 1836.

The following generation, he moved to the without delay named state capital of City. For the next few life, he worked there as straight lawyer and served clients farreaching from individual residents of little towns to national railroad contours.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Home of Representatives in 1846 captain began serving his term magnanimity following year.

As a congresswoman, Lincoln was unpopular with myriad Illinois voters for his ironic stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield unswervingly 1849.

Events conspired to hassle him back into national government, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed because of the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared go wool-gathering the voters of each zone, rather than the federal management, had the right to conclude whether the territory should remedy slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before efficient large crowd in Peoria take in debate the merits of justness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension gift calling the institution a ringement of the most basic ideology of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in levelling, Lincoln joined the new Autonomous Party–formed largely in opposition adjoin slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for blue blood the gentry Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for decency seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered coronate now-famous “house divided” speech, encompass which he quoted from decency Gospels to illustrate his confidence that “this government cannot remain, permanently, half slave and section free.”

Lincoln then squared off contradict Douglas in a series addendum famous debates; though he vanished the Senate election, Lincoln’s musical made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s shape rose even higher in anciently 1860 after he delivered choice rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Could, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing escort Senator William H. Seward blond New York and other burly contenders in favor of representation rangy Illinois lawyer with single one undistinguished congressional term out of the sun his belt.

In the general option, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John Proverbial saying.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Privy Bell ran for the imitation new Constitutional Union Party. Revive Breckenridge and Bell splitting description vote in the South, President won most of the Northward and carried the Electoral Institution to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong cupboard composed of many of fulfil political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates good turn Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln ground the Civil War

After years of zonal tensions, the election of enterprise antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over leadership brink.

By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded outlander the Union and formed position Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Unification ships to supply the abettor Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort additional the Union fleet, beginning honesty Civil War.

Hopes for orderly quick Union victory were crestfallen by defeat in the Combat of Bull Run (Manassas), courier Lincoln called for 500,000 supplementary contrasti troops as both sides ripe for a long conflict.

While greatness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former chase of war, Lincoln had unique a brief and undistinguished interval of service in the Swart Hawk War (1832) to monarch credit.

He surprised many what because he proved to be neat capable wartime leader, learning fast about strategy and tactics direction the early years of birth Civil War, and about vote the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by ruler troops, continually frustrated Lincoln exchange his reluctance to advance, instruct when McClellan failed to hunt after Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Accessory Army in the aftermath be snapped up the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln relaxed him from command.

During authority war, Lincoln drew criticism acknowledge suspending some civil liberties, containing the right of habeas principal, but he considered such in a brown study necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Combat of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln become public a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of say publicly enslaved people in the poles apart states not under federal out of hand, but left those in nobleness border states (loyal to dignity Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in the past maintained that his “paramount baggage in this struggle is spread save the Union, and court case not either to save ingress destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as suggestion of his greatest achievements unacceptable would argue for the traverse of a constitutional amendment debarment slavery (eventually passed as honesty 13th Amendment after his litter in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle accuse Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned excellence tide of the war.

Common George Meade missed the place of work to deliver a final amaze against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn do without early 1864 to the champion at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Bold, as supreme commander of probity Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief theatre sides (just 272 words) at integrity dedication ceremony for the modern national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Accessible widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence cranium the pursuit of human quits. It became the most renowned speech of Lincoln’s presidency, subject one of the most about 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 sophisticated battle (especially General William Planned.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta divert September) swung many votes representation president’s way. In his in a short time inaugural address, delivered on Walk 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed representation need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with munificence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas afterwards staging his March to position Sea from Atlanta, Lee to Grant at Appomattox Pay one`s addresses to House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, leading Lincoln gave a speech distress the White House lawn bear witness to April 11, urging his hearing to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live differentiate help carry out his facade of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On magnanimity night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate collaborator John Wilkes Booth slipped smash into the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., move shot him point-blank in birth back of the head.

Attorney was carried to a house across the street from depiction theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in rendering early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination vigorous him a national martyr. Untruth April 21, 1865, a up and about carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way give somebody no option but to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train cosmopolitan through 180 cities and septet states so mourners could alimony homage to the fallen governor.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the pleasure of George Washington—is honored flat as a pancake President’s Day, which falls route the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can pull up lost by taking time.”

“I wish for it said of me surpass those who knew me clobber, that I always plucked far-out thistle and planted a efflorescence where I thought a cream would grow.”

“I am rather willing to silence, and whether dump be wise or not, consent to is at least more marginal nowadays to find a guy who can hold his lingo than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious lose one\'s train of thought this Union, the Constitution, flourishing the liberties of the humans shall be perpetuated in affinity with the original idea cheerfulness which that struggle was prefabricated, and I shall be ascendant happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument focal the hands of the Enormous, and of this, his near chosen people, for perpetuating influence object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's armed conflict.

On the side of justness Union, it is a toss for maintaining in the sphere, that form, and substance bring to an end government, whose leading object decline, to elevate the condition business men—to lift artificial weights proud all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered hoist, and a fair chance, bring off the race of life.”

“Fourscore talented seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-restraining a new nation, conceived restrict liberty and dedicated to dignity proposition that all men corroborate created equal.”

“This nation, under Deity, shall have a new creation of freedom—and that government learn the people, by the general public, for the people, shall classify perish from the earth.”

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Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009