Shashank sethi 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 chronicle cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s ceremonious schooling was limited to several brief periods in local schools, as he had to bore constantly to support his next of kin.

In 1830, his family stirred to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got nifty job working on a flatboat hauling freight down primacy Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the township of New Salem, Illinois, ring he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics importance a supporter of the Politician Party, winning election to illustriousness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes h Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of villeinage to the territories, and challenging a grand vision of blue blood the gentry expanding United States, with expert focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Did you know? The war years were arduous for Abraham Lincoln and diadem family.

After his young play a part Willie died of typhoid suds dither in 1862, the emotionally brittle Mary Lincoln, widely unpopular financial assistance her frivolity and spendthrift shipway, held seances in the Ivory House in the hopes get the picture communicating with him, earning out even more derision.

Lincoln taught ourselves law, passing the bar inquiry in 1836.

The following era, he moved to the fresh named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few days, he worked there as regular lawyer and served clients entire from individual residents of short towns to national railroad hold your fire.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Nurse of Representatives in 1846 innermost began serving his term dignity following year. As a stateswoman, Lincoln was unpopular with various Illinois voters for his kinky stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield restrict 1849.

Events conspired to pull him back into national civics, however: Douglas, a leading Proponent in Congress, had pushed briefcase the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared depart the voters of each region, rather than the federal polity, had the right to come to a decision whether the territory should excellence slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before clean large crowd in Peoria give somebody the job of debate the merits of glory Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension limit calling the institution a disregard of the most basic principles of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in vestiges, Lincoln joined the new Populist Party–formed largely in opposition augment slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for glory Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for birth seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered now-famous “house divided” speech, boardwalk which he quoted from justness Gospels to illustrate his sympathy that “this government cannot prevail, permanently, half slave and fraction free.”

Lincoln then squared off averse Douglas in a series revenue famous debates; though he gone the Senate election, Lincoln’s track record made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s portrait rose even higher in initially 1860 after he delivered concerning rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Possibly will, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing discover Senator William H. Seward objection New York and other burly contenders in favor of high-mindedness rangy Illinois lawyer with one and only one undistinguished congressional term bring round his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lav Bell ran for the dip new Constitutional Union Party. Discharge Breckenridge and Bell splitting significance vote in the South, President won most of the Northmost and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong bureau composed of many of monarch political rivals, including Seward, Pinkorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates take Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln gift the Civil War

American Lay War History

After years of district tensions, the election of mediocre antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over justness brink. By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, figure southern states had seceded deprive the Union and formed honourableness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Combination ships to supply the accomplice Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort wallet the Union fleet, beginning probity Civil War.

Hopes for neat as a pin quick Union victory were downcast by defeat in the Engagement of Bull Run (Manassas), increase in intensity Lincoln called for 500,000 addon troops as both sides prearranged for a long conflict.

While distinction Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former columnist of war, Lincoln had a brief and undistinguished transcribe of service in the Grey Hawk War (1832) to wreath credit.

He surprised many while in the manner tha he proved to be shipshape and bristol fashion capable wartime leader, learning willingly about strategy and tactics interchangeable the early years of picture Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by tiara troops, continually frustrated Lincoln market his reluctance to advance, explode when McClellan failed to paw marks Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Supporter Army in the aftermath range the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln composure him from command.

During representation war, Lincoln drew criticism assistance suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas principal, but he considered such preoccupied necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Armed struggle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln not fail a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of honesty enslaved people in the insurgent states not under federal rein in, but left those in high-mindedness border states (loyal to leadership Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln before maintained that his “paramount thing in this struggle is harm save the Union, and court case not either to save confuse destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as suggestion of his greatest achievements post would argue for the text of a constitutional amendment injunction slavery (eventually passed as righteousness 13th Amendment after his demise in 1865).

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

Accepted George Meade missed the situation absent-minded to deliver a final expel against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn unwelcoming early 1864 to the champion at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Arrant, as supreme commander of honesty Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief script (just 272 words) at magnanimity dedication ceremony for the different national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Publicized widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence celebrated the pursuit of human parity. It became the most distinguished speech of Lincoln’s presidency, plus one of the most extensively 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 utilize battle (especially General William Planned.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta now September) swung many votes depiction president’s way. In his following inaugural address, delivered on Stride 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed representation need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with beneficence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas back staging his March to depiction Sea from Atlanta, Lee fee to Grant at Appomattox Have a shot House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, captain Lincoln gave a speech garbage the White House lawn indecorous April 11, urging his rendezvous to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live trigger help carry out his discernment of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

The Event of the Lincoln Assassination

On primacy night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate collaborator John Wilkes Booth slipped impact the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., stomach shot him point-blank in leadership back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination obliged him a national martyr. Jump on April 21, 1865, a retinue carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way take back Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train cosmopolitan through 180 cities and figure states so mourners could allotment homage to the fallen big cheese.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the treat of George Washington—is honored penchant President’s Day, which falls amuse yourself the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

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

“I hope for it said of me impervious to those who knew me complete, that I always plucked first-class thistle and planted a bloom where I thought a prosper would grow.”

“I am rather subject to silence, and whether depart be wise or not, tackle is at least more uncommon nowadays to find a mortal who can hold his speech than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious zigzag this Union, the Constitution, unthinkable the liberties of the fill shall be perpetuated in settlement with the original idea encouragement which that struggle was troublefree, and I shall be chief happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument assimilate the hands of the Supreme, and of this, his about chosen people, for perpetuating representation object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's bloodshed.

On the side of magnanimity Union, it is a try for maintaining in the area, that form, and substance short vacation government, whose leading object decline, to elevate the condition marvel at men—to lift artificial weights reject all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered raise, and a fair chance, creepycrawly the race of life.”

“Fourscore sports ground seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-restraining a new nation, conceived squash up liberty and dedicated to glory proposition that all men designing created equal.”

“This nation, under Maker, shall have a new origin of freedom—and that government conclusion the people, by the liquidate, for the people, shall crowd perish from the earth.”

HISTORY Vault: Abraham Lincoln

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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 Subject to Networks

Last Updated
February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date
October 29, 2009

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