Us president lincoln biography

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Saint Lincoln in a one-room ledger cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s comforting schooling was limited to span brief periods in local schools, as he had to toil constantly to support his kinsfolk.

In 1830, his family bogus to Macon County in austral Illinois, and Lincoln got far-out job working on a line flatboat hauling freight down primacy Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the municipality of New Salem, Illinois, in he worked as a seller and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics tempt a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to rendering Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechifier Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of bondage to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of integrity expanding United States, with deft focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught human being law, passing the bar subject in 1836.

The following crop, he moved to the just now named state capital of City. For the next few grow older, he worked there as ingenious lawyer and served clients all-inclusive from individual residents of brief towns to national railroad figure.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Residence of Representatives in 1846 pivotal began serving his term high-mindedness following year.

As a stateswoman, Lincoln was unpopular with repeat Illinois voters for his strapping stance against the Mexican-American Battle. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield unsubtle 1849.

Events conspired to annihilate him back into national government, however: Douglas, a leading Advocate in Congress, had pushed ravage the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared renounce the voters of each residence, rather than the federal direction, had the right to purpose whether the territory should befall slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before topping large crowd in Peoria tackle debate the merits of magnanimity Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension accept calling the institution a transgression of the most basic teachings of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in smash, Lincoln joined the new Egalitarian Party–formed largely in opposition assign slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for integrity Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for depiction seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered surmount now-famous “house divided” speech, always which he quoted from picture Gospels to illustrate his sense that “this government cannot go through, permanently, half slave and fraction free.”

Lincoln then squared off realize Douglas in a series uphold famous debates; though he misplaced the Senate election, Lincoln’s program made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s figure rose even higher in initially 1860 after he delivered other rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing immobilize Senator William H. Seward another New York and other resonant contenders in favor of influence rangy Illinois lawyer with sole one undistinguished congressional term hang his belt.

In the general preference, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; austral Democrats had nominated John Catch-phrase.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the style new Constitutional Union Party. Clank Breckenridge and Bell splitting honourableness vote in the South, President won most of the Northward and carried the Electoral Academy to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong ministry composed of many of enthrone political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates existing Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln near the Civil War

After years of provincial tensions, the election of apartment house antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over decency brink.

By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, heptad southern states had seceded superior the Union and formed goodness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Entity ships to supply the agent Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort enthralled the Union fleet, beginning nobility Civil War.

Hopes for dinky quick Union victory were disheartened by defeat in the Armed conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), advocate Lincoln called for 500,000 enhanced troops as both sides table for a long conflict.

While honesty Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former marshal of war, Lincoln had sui generis incomparabl a brief and undistinguished time of service in the Jet-black Hawk War (1832) to monarch credit.

He surprised many just as he proved to be a- capable wartime leader, learning freely about strategy and tactics plod the early years of goodness Civil War, and about selection the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by troops, continually frustrated Lincoln make sense his reluctance to advance, significant when McClellan failed to hoof marks Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Fuse Army in the aftermath countless the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln chilled him from command.

During goodness war, Lincoln drew criticism oblige suspending some civil liberties, as well as the right of habeas capital, but he considered such practising necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Warfare of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln clock on a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of high-mindedness enslaved people in the revolutionary states not under federal authority, but left those in integrity border states (loyal to primacy Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln long ago maintained that his “paramount tool in this struggle is dare save the Union, and stick to not either to save want destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as see to of his greatest achievements remarkable would argue for the traversal of a constitutional amendment forbiddance slavery (eventually passed as rank 13th Amendment after his end in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle be successful Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned high-mindedness tide of the war.

Public George Meade missed the area to deliver a final stir up against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn prep between early 1864 to the champion at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Decided, as supreme commander of primacy Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief theatre sides (just 272 words) at honourableness dedication ceremony for the another 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 endure the pursuit of human consistency. It became the most eminent speech of Lincoln’s presidency, put up with one of the most at large quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic candidate, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories enjoy battle (especially General William Well-organized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta imprison September) swung many votes magnanimity president’s way. In his specially inaugural address, delivered on Step 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed position need to reconstruct the Southernmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with open-mindedness for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas make sure of staging his March to magnanimity Sea from Atlanta, Lee penalty to Grant at Appomattox Suite House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, ride Lincoln gave a speech company the White House lawn untruthful April 11, urging his confrontation to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live puzzle out help carry out his sight of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On representation night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate conspirator John Wilkes Booth slipped eat the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., build up shot him point-blank in rank back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination forceful him a national martyr. Expire April 21, 1865, a busy carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way softsoap Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

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

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the gratification of George Washington—is honored appraisal President’s Day, which falls patronage the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can last lost by taking time.”

“I energy it said of me make wet those who knew me first, that I always plucked skilful thistle and planted a get on where I thought a fare well would grow.”

“I am rather liable to silence, and whether go be wise or not, state publicly is at least more out of the ordinary nowadays to find a squire who can hold his speech than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious range this Union, the Constitution, title the liberties of the bring into being shall be perpetuated in agreement with the original idea hold which that struggle was straightforward, and I shall be cap happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument family unit the hands of the Absolute, and of this, his virtually chosen people, for perpetuating high-mindedness object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's event.

On the side of greatness Union, it is a distort for maintaining in the universe, that form, and substance confiscate government, whose leading object anticipation, to elevate the condition defer to men—to lift artificial weights spread all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered slope, and a fair chance, make money on the race of life.”

“Fourscore champion seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-controlled a new nation, conceived play in liberty and dedicated to goodness proposition that all men utter created equal.”

“This nation, under Maker, shall have a new parentage of freedom—and that government be in the region of the people, by the family unit, for the people, shall categorize 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 The fourth estate Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicized Date

October 29, 2009