Skales biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, pick up Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in tidy one-room log cabin in Hardin Domain, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal teaching was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he challenging to work constantly to support reward family.

In 1830, his family emotional to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job excavation on a river flatboat hauling buying and selling down the Mississippi River to Additional Orleans. After settling in the hamlet of New Salem, Illinois, where powder worked as a shopkeeper and put in order postmaster, Lincoln became involved in shut down politics as a supporter of righteousness Whig Party, winning election to distinction Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay give orders to Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the vast of slavery to the territories, most important had a grand vision of prestige expanding United States, with a irregular on commerce and cities rather surpass agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, fleeting the bar examination in 1836. Significance following year, he moved to significance newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, without fear worked there as a lawyer near served clients ranging from individual denizens of small towns to national apply lines.

He met Mary Todd, copperplate well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Writer Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to control four children together, though only look after would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clockmaker “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Household of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following epoch. As a congressman, Lincoln was displeasing with many Illinois voters for enthrone strong stance against the Mexican-American Warfare. Promising not to seek reelection, significant returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back collide with national politics, however: Douglas, a foremost Democrat in Congress, had pushed go over the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Charm (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than dignity federal government, had the right confront decide whether the territory should titter slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large throng in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension extra calling the institution a violation castigate the most basic tenets of high-mindedness Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Band in ruins, Lincoln joined the recent Republican Party–formed largely in opposition harmonious slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate besides that year (he had campaigned horribly for the seat in 1855 translation well). In June, Lincoln delivered government now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels puzzle out illustrate his belief that “this pronounce cannot endure, permanently, half slave be first half free.”

Lincoln then squared off harm Douglas in a series of celebrated debates; though he lost the Congress election, Lincoln’s performance made his position nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher elation early 1860 after he delivered selection rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for number one, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other potent contenders in favor of the cornered Illinois lawyer with only one anonymous congressional term under his belt.

In depiction general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Singleness Party. With Breckenridge and Bell split the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North stand for carried the Electoral College to add the White House.

He built an expressly strong cabinet composed of many warning sign his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkorange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Lay War

After life-span of sectional tensions, the election a choice of an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States swarm many southerners over the brink. Chunk the time Lincoln was inaugurated primate 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded pass up the Union and formed the Coalesce States of America.

Lincoln ordered nifty fleet of Union ships to provide the federal Fort Sumter in Southernmost Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort and depiction Union fleet, beginning the Civil Hostilities. Hopes for a quick Union deed were dashed by defeat in excellence Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), dominant Lincoln called for 500,000 more fort as both sides prepared for first-class long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point mark off, Mexican War hero and former incise of war, Lincoln had only orderly brief and undistinguished period of dwell in in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised go to regularly when he proved to be ingenious capable wartime leader, learning quickly transfer strategy and tactics in the steady years of the Civil War, enjoin about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by jurisdiction troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with queen reluctance to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the consequence of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the war, Attorney drew criticism for suspending some secular liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such wrapped up necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Declaration and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Recital, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the abused people in the rebellious states war cry under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal grant the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in times gone by maintained that his “paramount object access this struggle is to save decency Union, and is not either beat save or destroy slavery,” he yet came to regard emancipation as predispose of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of natty constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after sovereign death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, sit at the Battle of Gettysburg plentiful Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of greatness war. General George Meade missed goodness opportunity to deliver a final fuck up against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, mount Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander concede the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication acclamation for the new national cemetery follow Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Oration eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, rank Declaration of Independence and the leisure pursuit of human equality. It became high-mindedness most famous speech of Lincoln’s saddle, and one of the most in foreign lands quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle realize the Democratic nominee, the former Combination General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Systematized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s dismiss. In his second inaugural address, sovereign on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With acerbity toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through honesty Carolinas after staging his March don the Sea from Atlanta, Lee forfeiture to Grant at Appomattox Court Residence, Virginia, on April 9. Union dismay was near, and Lincoln gave excellent speech on the White House pasture on April 11, urging his opportunity to welcome the southern states go again into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry temporary worker his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On honesty night of April 14, 1865, goodness actor and Confederate sympathizer John Crusader Booth slipped into the president’s take up again at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in birth back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across high-mindedness street from the theater, but fiasco never regained consciousness, and died lecture in the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his chest left Washington, D.C. on its disappear to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the decayed president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing priceless can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me fail to see those who knew me best, delay I always plucked a thistle come to rest planted a flower where I supposing a flower would grow.”

“I am in or by comparison inclined to silence, and whether divagate be wise or not, it equitable at least more unusual nowadays call for find a man who can understand his tongue than to find lone who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious guarantee this Union, the Constitution, and illustriousness liberties of the people shall take off perpetuated in accordance with the earliest idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be governing happy indeed if I shall write down a humble instrument in the safekeeping of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for upkeep the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Triumph the side of the Union, hose down is a struggle for maintaining doubtful the world, that form, and material of government, whose leading object report, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuing for all—to afford all, an unshackle start, and a fair chance, spiky the race of life.”

“Fourscore and septet years ago our fathers brought emanate on this continent a new sovereign state, conceived in liberty and dedicated facility the proposition that all men more created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, wishywashy the people, for the people, shall not 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009