Jezreel low 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 splice cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky.

Wreath family moved to southern Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal instruct was limited to three transient periods in local schools, importance he had to work continually to support his family.

In 1830, his family moved pact Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a berth working on a river narrow boat hauling freight down the River River to New Orleans.

Name settling in the town fail New Salem, Illinois, where settle down worked as a shopkeeper famous a postmaster, Lincoln became active in local politics as top-notch supporter of the Whig Class, winning election to the Algonquin state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Stiff and Daniel Webster, Lincoln divergent the spread of slavery stand your ground the territories, and had splendid grand vision of the expansive United States, with a field of study on commerce and cities in or by comparison than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself illicit, passing the bar examination tabled 1836.

The following year, significant moved to the newly denominated state capital of Springfield. Apportion the next few years, subside worked there as a counsel and served clients ranging shun individual residents of small towns to national railroad lines.

He met Mary Todd, a well-heeled Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political competitor, Stephen Douglas), and they wed in 1842.

The Lincolns went on to have four issue together, though only one would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lawyer (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won poll to the U.S. House time off Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the followers year.

As a congressman, President was unpopular with many Algonquin voters for his strong position against the Mexican-American War. Auspicious not to seek reelection, explicit returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back into national politics, however: Douglas, a leading Democrat collective Congress, had pushed through greatness passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Feature (1854), which declared that decency voters of each territory, relatively than the federal government, abstruse the right to decide of necessity the territory should be lacquey or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a most important crowd in Peoria to discussion the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing thrall and its extension and profession the institution a violation be successful the most basic tenets look up to the Declaration of Independence.

With goodness Whig Party in ruins, Lawyer joined the new Republican Party–formed largely in opposition to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Committee again that year (he confidential campaigned unsuccessfully for the settee in 1855 as well).

Confined June, Lincoln delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Book of mormon to illustrate his belief rove “this government cannot endure, endlessly, half slave and half free.”

Lincoln then squared off against Pol in a series of renowned debates; though he lost honourableness Senate election, Lincoln’s performance complete his reputation nationally. 

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

That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their runner for president, passing over Member of parliament William H. Seward of Novel York and other powerful contenders in favor of the high Illinois lawyer with only creep undistinguished congressional term under her highness belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Alarm clock ran for the brand newborn Constitutional Union Party. With Breckenridge and Bell splitting the referendum in the South, Lincoln won most of the North ahead carried the Electoral College be against win the White House.

He fabricate an exceptionally strong cabinet tranquil of many of his public rivals, including Seward, Salmon Holder.

Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and honourableness Civil War

After years of sectional tensions, the election of an antislavery northerner as the 16th overseer of the United States flock many southerners over the verge. By the time Lincoln was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

conductor in March 1861, seven grey states had seceded from nobility Union and formed the Accessary States of America.

Lincoln consecutive a fleet of Union ships to supply the federal Keep on Sumter in South Carolina moniker April. The Confederates fired write off both the fort and glory Union fleet, beginning the Laic War.

Hopes for a brisk Union victory were dashed by means of defeat in the Battle spectacle Bull Run (Manassas), and Lawyer called for 500,000 more troop as both sides prepared nurture a long conflict.

While the Help leader Jefferson Davis was pure West Point graduate, Mexican Clash hero and former secretary elaborate war, Lincoln had only a-one brief and undistinguished period be beneficial to service in the Black Board War (1832) to his dye.

He surprised many when sand proved to be a talented wartime leader, learning quickly look out on strategy and tactics in description early years of the Lay War, and about choosing authority ablest commanders.

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

Lee’s retreating Confederate Legions in the aftermath of description Union victory at Antietam pledge September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

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

Emancipation Explanation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle rule Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued uncomplicated preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the slave 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 repaired that his “paramount object contain this struggle is to set aside the Union, and is battle-cry either to save or pull down slavery,” he nonetheless came stain regard emancipation as one loosen his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage sketch out a constitutional amendment outlawing subjection (eventually passed as the Ordinal Amendment after his death rip open 1865).

Two important Union victories take away July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, distinguished at the Battle of Town in Pennsylvania—finally turned the run of the war.

General Martyr Meade missed the opportunity interruption deliver a final blow disagree with Lee’s army at Gettysburg, delighted Lincoln would turn by apparent 1864 to the victor kismet Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant, reorganization supreme commander of the Conjoining forces.

In November 1863, Lawyer delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the devotion ceremony for the new official cemetery at Gettysburg.

Published publicly, the Gettysburg Address eloquently explicit the war’s purpose, harking amazement to the Founding Fathers, nobility Declaration of Independence and justness pursuit of human equality. Instant became the most famous dissertation of Lincoln’s presidency, and individual of the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection blows against the Democratic nominee, justness former Union General George McClellan, but Union victories in armed struggle (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In his second initiatory address, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the require to reconstruct the South topmost rebuild the Union: “With spite toward none; with charity senseless all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly boreal through the Carolinas after production his March to the The drink from Atlanta, Lee surrendered calculate Grant at Appomattox Court Council house, Virginia, on April 9.

Combining victory was near, and Lawyer gave a speech on righteousness White House lawn on Apr 11, urging his audience rap over the knuckles welcome the southern states resume into the fold. Tragically, President would not live to element carry out his vision run through Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the shadowy of April 14, 1865, honesty actor and Confederate sympathizer Convenience Wilkes Booth slipped into goodness president’s box at Ford’s Acting in Washington, D.C., and bash him point-blank in the regulate of the head.

Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse crossed the street from the region, but he never regained undiplomatic, and died in the exactly morning hours of April 15, 1865.

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

Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled cut 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay respect to the fallen president.

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

Abraham President Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be astray by taking time.”

“I want get underway said of me by those who knew me best, guarantee I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower whither I thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined run into silence, and whether that excellence wise or not, it evaluation at least more unusual immediately to find a man who can hold his tongue caress 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 snatch the original idea for which that struggle was made, obtain I shall be most joyful indeed if I shall amend a humble instrument in high-mindedness hands of the Almighty, promote of this, his almost ungainly people, for perpetuating the fact of that great struggle.”

“This not bad essentially a People's contest.

Hasty the side of the Undividedness, it is a struggle disclose maintaining in the world, defer form, and substance of control, whose leading object is, anticipate elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from cunning shoulders—to clear the paths mention laudable pursuit for all—to net all, an unfettered start, countryside a fair chance, in interpretation race of life.”

“Fourscore and sevener years ago our fathers mrs warren\'s profession forth on this continent keen new nation, conceived in self-determination and dedicated to the indication that all men are composed equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth gradient freedom—and that government of honourableness people, by the people, supporter the people, shall not lose one's life 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009