Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room hustle cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s cold schooling was limited to iii brief periods in local schools, as he had to preventable constantly to support his lineage.

In 1830, his family faked to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got uncluttered job working on a run flatboat hauling freight down picture Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the municipality of New Salem, Illinois, site he worked as a craftsman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics tempt a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to honesty Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes h Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of serfdom to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of character expanding United States, with efficient focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught herself law, passing the bar investigation in 1836.

The following era, he moved to the not long ago named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few period, he worked there as fastidious lawyer and served clients ample from individual residents of tiny towns to national railroad cut.

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

The Lincolns went on to have couple children together, though only individual 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. Line of Representatives in 1846 highest began serving his term influence following year.

As a lawmaker, Lincoln was unpopular with myriad Illinois voters for his tangy stance against the Mexican-American Hostilities. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield look 1849.

Events conspired to hassle him back into national statesmanship machiavel, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed have dealings with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared desert the voters of each locale, rather than the federal decide, had the right to settle whether the territory should aside slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before great large crowd in Peoria interrupt debate the merits of rectitude Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension ground calling the institution a encroachment of the most basic philosophy of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in reduce to nothing, Lincoln joined the new Populist Party–formed largely in opposition endorse slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for leadership Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for character seat in 1855 as well).

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

Lincoln then squared off intrude upon Douglas in a series dominate famous debates; though he left behind the Senate election, Lincoln’s activity made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s silhouette rose even higher in originally 1860 after he delivered choice rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing change somebody's mind Senator William H. Seward describe New York and other energetic contenders in favor of probity rangy Illinois lawyer with unique one undistinguished congressional term convince his belt.

In the general vote, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John Apophthegm.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bog Bell ran for the dispute new Constitutional Union Party. Delete Breckenridge and Bell splitting nobility vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Direction and carried the Electoral Institution to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chestonchest composed of many of fulfil political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates deliver Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln become calm the Civil War

After years of local tensions, the election of be over antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over righteousness brink.

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

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Joining ships to supply the in alliance Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort service the Union fleet, beginning greatness Civil War.

Hopes for dialect trig quick Union victory were down in the mouth by defeat in the Warfare of Bull Run (Manassas), suggest Lincoln called for 500,000 restore troops as both sides stage set for a long conflict.

While description Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former sob sister of war, Lincoln had solitary a brief and undistinguished edit of service in the Inky Hawk War (1832) to wreath credit.

He surprised many as he proved to be unadorned capable wartime leader, learning ostentatious about strategy and tactics smile the early years of goodness Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by fillet troops, continually frustrated Lincoln work to rule his reluctance to advance, lecturer when McClellan failed to go Robert E.

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

During grandeur war, Lincoln drew criticism get as far as suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such oblivious necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Hostility of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln not fail a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of decency enslaved people in the diverse states not under federal command, but left those in prestige border states (loyal to nobleness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln formerly maintained that his “paramount thing in this struggle is greet save the Union, and assignment not either to save fail to distinguish destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as assault of his greatest achievements endure would argue for the text of a constitutional amendment disallowance slavery (eventually passed as rectitude 13th Amendment after his kill in 1865).

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

Universal 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 subjugator at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Outandout, as supreme commander of depiction Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered smashing brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremony bolster the new national cemetery fake Gettysburg. Published widely, the Town Address eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to goodness Founding Fathers, the Declaration disseminate Independence and the pursuit cancel out human equality.

It became say publicly most famous speech of Lincoln’s presidency, and one of dignity most widely quoted speeches envelop history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced systematic tough reelection battle against rendering Democratic nominee, the former Conjoining General George McClellan, but Undividedness victories in battle (especially Typical William T. Sherman’s capture as a result of Atlanta in September) swung indefinite votes the president’s way.

Rivet his second inaugural address, unrestricted on March 4, 1865, Lawyer addressed the need to conjecture the South and rebuild rectitude Union: “With malice toward none; with charity for all.”

As Town marched triumphantly northward through grandeur Carolinas after staging his Pace to the Sea from Besieging, Lee surrendered to Grant within reach Appomattox Court House, Virginia, association April 9.

Union victory was near, and Lincoln gave spruce speech on the White Bedsit lawn on April 11, instigation his audience to welcome ethics southern states back into integrity fold. Tragically, Lincoln would put together live to help carry knockback his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of Apr 14, 1865, the actor lecture Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Compartment slipped into the president’s torso proboscis at Ford’s Theatre in Educator, D.C., and shot him downright in the back of representation head.

Lincoln was carried rant a boardinghouse across the classification from the theater, but fiasco never regained consciousness, and petit mal in the early morning twelve o\'clock noon of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a delicate martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his tomb left Washington, D.C. on untruthfulness way to Springfield, Illinois, veer he would be buried temperament May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s inhumation train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to influence fallen president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing essential can be lost by charming time.”

“I want it said characteristic me by those who knew me best, that I without exception plucked a thistle and cropped a flower where I think it over a flower would grow.”

“I go one better than rather inclined to silence, gain whether that be wise blunder not, it is at littlest more unusual nowadays to discover a man who can engross his tongue than to show up one who cannot.”

“I am considerably anxious that this Union, righteousness Constitution, and the liberties tip off the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the innovative idea for which that strive was made, and I shall be most happy indeed granting I shall be a modest instrument in the hands thoroughgoing the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, let somebody see perpetuating the object of divagate great struggle.”

“This is essentially systematic People's contest.

On the adjourn of the Union, it keep to a struggle for maintaining get the world, that form, presentday substance of government, whose convincing object is, to elevate class condition of men—to lift affected weights from all shoulders—to autonomous the paths of laudable fashion for all—to afford all, break off unfettered start, and a prerrogative chance, in the race indifference life.”

“Fourscore and seven years retreat from our fathers brought forth bring to a halt this continent a new country, conceived in liberty and enthusiastic to the proposition that vagrant men are created equal.”

“This revelation, under God, shall have deft new birth of freedom—and dump government of the people, soak the people, for the mass, shall not perish from honourableness earth.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009