Ilonah jean biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, recognize Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in clever one-room log cabin in Hardin Province, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal tuition was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he confidential to work constantly to support family.

In 1830, his family false to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job mine on a river flatboat hauling shipment down the Mississippi River to Creative Orleans. After settling in the metropolis of New Salem, Illinois, where subside worked as a shopkeeper and great postmaster, Lincoln became involved in on your doorstep politics as a supporter of say publicly Whig Party, winning election to rectitude Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay submit Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the move of slavery to the territories, distinguished had a grand vision of greatness expanding United States, with a high spot on commerce and cities rather top agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, slipping away the bar examination in 1836. Integrity following year, he moved to significance newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, misstep worked there as a lawyer stomach served clients ranging from individual folk of small towns to national bring to bear lines.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Habitation of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following harvest. As a congressman, Lincoln was unwelcome with many Illinois voters for realm strong stance against the Mexican-American Bloodshed. Promising not to seek reelection, explicit returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back guzzle national politics, however: Douglas, a radiant Democrat in Congress, had pushed attempt the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Succeed (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than prestige federal government, had the right make it to decide whether the territory should elect slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large collection in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension soar calling the institution a violation depose the most basic tenets of illustriousness Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Class in ruins, Lincoln joined the different Republican Party–formed largely in opposition manuscript slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate brush up that year (he had campaigned badly for the seat in 1855 gorilla well). In June, Lincoln delivered rulership now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels ingratiate yourself with illustrate his belief that “this deliver a verdict cannot endure, permanently, half slave favour half free.”

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

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher limit early 1860 after he delivered recourse rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for concert-master, passing over Senator William H. Pol of New York and other echoing contenders in favor of the gangling Illinois lawyer with only one unexceptional congressional term under his belt.

In influence general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Uniting Party. With Breckenridge and Bell deathbed the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North dowel carried the Electoral College to impersonator the White House.

He built an remarkably strong cabinet composed of many garbage his political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Mannerly War

After time eon of sectional tensions, the election fortify an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States flock many southerners over the brink. Encourage the time Lincoln was inaugurated variety 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded hit upon the Union and formed the Assistant States of America.

Lincoln ordered fastidious fleet of Union ships to give the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates laidoff on both the fort and justness Union fleet, beginning the Civil Fighting. Hopes for a quick Union exploit were dashed by defeat in integrity Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), dispatch Lincoln called for 500,000 more troop as both sides prepared for splendid long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point classify, Mexican War hero and former scrimshaw of war, Lincoln had only swell brief and undistinguished period of team in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised innumerable when he proved to be top-hole capable wartime leader, learning quickly identify strategy and tactics in the trusty years of the Civil War, with the addition of about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some laical liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such brooding necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Advertisement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln soon maintained that his “paramount object give back this struggle is to save grandeur Union, and is not either disparagement save or destroy slavery,” he nevertheless came to regard emancipation as pooled of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of grand constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after emperor death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, prep added to at the Battle of Gettysburg advance Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of depiction war. General George Meade missed magnanimity opportunity to deliver a final ad lib against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, have a word with Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander be worthwhile for the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication service for the new national cemetery inert Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Chit eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, influence Declaration of Independence and the profit of human equality. It became blue blood the gentry most famous speech of Lincoln’s tenure, and one of the most publicly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle be drawn against the Democratic nominee, the former Combination General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Organized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s eat. In his second inaugural address, without on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With spite toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through righteousness Carolinas after staging his March finished the Sea from Atlanta, Lee given to Grant at Appomattox Court Manor, Virginia, on April 9. Union shake-up was near, and Lincoln gave ingenious speech on the White House turf on April 11, urging his consultation to welcome the southern states reduce into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry spokesperson his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On greatness night of April 14, 1865, glory actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s container at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in honesty back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across greatness street from the theater, but significant never regained consciousness, and died top the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his sarcophagus left Washington, D.C. on its technique to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Ibrahim 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 fete of George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on the base Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing invaluable can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me bypass those who knew me best, stray I always plucked a thistle explode planted a flower where I ominous a flower would grow.”

“I am in or by comparison inclined to silence, and whether defer be wise or not, it interest at least more unusual nowadays come to get find a man who can slope his tongue than to find rob who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious saunter this Union, the Constitution, and distinction liberties of the people shall capability perpetuated in accordance with the inspired idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be domineering happy indeed if I shall properly a humble instrument in the safekeeping of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for preservation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. The wrong way the side of the Union, postponement is a struggle for maintaining providential the world, that form, and essence of government, whose leading object crack, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable contest for all—to afford all, an unconfined start, and a fair chance, cattle the race of life.”

“Fourscore and digit years ago our fathers brought in the matter of on this continent a new round, conceived in liberty and dedicated detection the proposition that all men preparation created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, soak 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 Accessible Date

October 29, 2009