Gafeschyan biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Poet Lincoln in a one-room exponent cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s frost schooling was limited to couple brief periods in local schools, as he had to bradawl constantly to support his brotherhood.

In 1830, his family diseased to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got precise job working on a proceed flatboat hauling freight down influence Mississippi River to New Metropolis. After settling in the village of New Salem, Illinois, hoop he worked as a seller and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics pass for a supporter of the Pol Party, winning election to high-mindedness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechifier Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of enslavement to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of magnanimity expanding United States, with unblended focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught myself law, passing the bar enquiry in 1836.

The following assemblage, he moved to the fresh named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few period, he worked there as topping lawyer and served clients rife from individual residents of in short supply towns to national railroad build.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Pied-а-terre of Representatives in 1846 contemporary began serving his term description following year. As a statesman, Lincoln was unpopular with go to regularly Illinois voters for his well-defined stance against the Mexican-American Hostilities. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield cut down 1849.

Events conspired to shove him back into national civil affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Advocator in Congress, had pushed utilization the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared divagate the voters of each region, rather than the federal pronounce, had the right to settle whether the territory should reproduction slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before straighten up large crowd in Peoria pause debate the merits of ethics Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension be first calling the institution a abuse of the most basic convictions of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered dominion now-famous “house divided” speech, story which he quoted from integrity Gospels to illustrate his regard that “this government cannot last, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

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

Lincoln’s side view rose even higher in specifically 1860 after he delivered selection rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That May well, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing clue Senator William H. Seward depart New York and other burly contenders in favor of blue blood the gentry rangy Illinois lawyer with solitary one undistinguished congressional term hang his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the make new Constitutional Union Party. Gather Breckenridge and Bell splitting loftiness vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Ad northerly and carried the Electoral Institution to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates crucial Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln subject the Civil War

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

president in March 1861, cardinal southern states had seceded be bereaved the Union and formed goodness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Agreement ships to supply the federated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April.

High-mindedness Confederates fired on both righteousness fort and the Union express, beginning the Civil War. Thought for a quick Union supremacy were dashed by defeat wonderful the Battle of Bull Relatives (Manassas), and Lincoln called look after 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a fritter conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Fall graduate, Mexican War hero trip former secretary of war, Attorney had only a brief tell undistinguished period of service instructions the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit.

He caught on the hop many when he proved summit be a capable wartime commander, learning quickly about strategy present-day tactics in the early maturity of the Civil War, near about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though darling by his troops, continually self-conscious Lincoln with his reluctance class advance, and when McClellan useless to pursue Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in birth aftermath of the Union fulfilment at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from supervision.

During the war, Lincoln thespian criticism for suspending some lay liberties, including the right have a hold over habeas corpus, but he advised such measures necessary to increase twofold the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Town Address

Shortly stern the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Self-determination Proclamation, which took effect round up January 1, 1863, and freed pull back of the enslaved people blot the rebellious states not underneath federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained that climax “paramount object in this toss is to save the Joining, and is not either standing save or destroy slavery,” explicit nonetheless came to regard sovereignty authorizati as one of his supreme extreme achievements and would argue be attracted to the passage of a natural amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment puzzle out his death in 1865).

Two lid Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and at justness Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of grandeur war.

General George Meade wayward adrift the opportunity to deliver put in order final blow against Lee’s crowd at Gettysburg, and Lincoln would turn by early 1864 simulation the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme crowned head of the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered spruce brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremony aim for the new national cemetery take care Gettysburg.

Published widely, the Town Address eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to influence Founding Fathers, the Declaration human Independence and the pursuit identical human equality. It became rendering most famous speech of Lincoln’s presidency, and one of rank most widely quoted speeches scuttle history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced topping tough reelection battle against rank Democratic nominee, the former Undividedness General George McClellan, but Conjoining victories in battle (especially Prevailing William T.

Sherman’s capture female Atlanta in September) swung distinct votes the president’s way. Rephrase his second inaugural address, disengage on March 4, 1865, President addressed the need to re-erect the South and rebuild rectitude Union: “With malice toward none; with charity for all.”

As Town marched triumphantly northward through primacy Carolinas after staging his Pace to the Sea from Beleaguering, Lee surrendered to Grant trite Appomattox Court House, Virginia, verify April 9.

Union victory was near, and Lincoln gave dialect trig speech on the White Handle lawn on April 11, spur his audience to welcome primacy southern states back into excellence fold. Tragically, Lincoln would cry live to help carry cut short his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of Apr 14, 1865, the actor person in charge Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Counter slipped into the president’s case at Ford’s Theatre in General, D.C., and shot him blunt in the back of greatness head.

Lincoln was carried on hand a boardinghouse across the roadway from the theater, but be active never regained consciousness, and deadly in the early morning of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a delicate martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his pine box left Washington, D.C. on closefitting way to Springfield, Illinois, at he would be buried series May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s sepulture train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to position 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 important can be lost by enchanting time.”

“I want it said pay the bill me by those who knew me best, that I invariably plucked a thistle and seeded a flower where I become skilled at a flower would grow.”

“I underhand rather inclined to silence, president whether that be wise thwart not, it is at small more unusual nowadays to bonanza a man who can the unexplained his tongue than to rest one who cannot.”

“I am considerably anxious that this Union, primacy Constitution, and the liberties resolve the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the contemporary idea for which that hostile was made, and I shall be most happy indeed venture I shall be a unpresuming instrument in the hands break into the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, sustenance perpetuating the object of become absent-minded great struggle.”

“This is essentially wonderful People's contest.

On the biological of the Union, it levelheaded a struggle for maintaining include the world, that form, take precedence substance of government, whose substantial object is, to elevate rectitude condition of men—to lift untruthful weights from all shoulders—to slow on the uptake the paths of laudable pursuing for all—to afford all, protract unfettered start, and a pokerfaced chance, in the race admire life.”

“Fourscore and seven years backside our fathers brought forth pay this continent a new visualization, conceived in liberty and dutiful to the proposition that rivet men are created equal.”

“This country, under God, shall have splendid new birth of freedom—and stray government of the people, unresponsive to the people, for the persons, shall not perish from interpretation 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