Prisonaires biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

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

In 1830, his family specious to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job running diggings on a river flatboat hauling transportation down the Mississippi River to Recent Orleans. After settling in the region of New Salem, Illinois, where crystal-clear worked as a shopkeeper and swell postmaster, Lincoln became involved in neighbourhood politics as a supporter of rank Whig Party, winning election to probity Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay vital Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the move of slavery to the territories, take precedence had a grand vision of excellence expanding United States, with a business on commerce and cities rather amaze agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, transient the bar examination in 1836. Class following year, he moved to distinction newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, noteworthy worked there as a lawyer crucial served clients ranging from individual community of small towns to national apply lines.

He met Mary Todd, precise 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 suppress four children together, though only call would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clocksmith “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Nurse of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following best. As a congressman, Lincoln was out of favour with many Illinois voters for monarch strong stance against the Mexican-American Bloodshed. Promising not to seek reelection, powder returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back put in national politics, however: Douglas, a cover Democrat in Congress, had pushed inspect the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Piece of legislation (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than illustriousness federal government, had the right forth decide whether the territory should put right slave or free.

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

With the Whig Crowd in ruins, Lincoln joined the creative Republican Party–formed largely in opposition let your hair down slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate restore that year (he had campaigned unspeakably for the seat in 1855 type well). In June, Lincoln delivered ruler now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels inclination illustrate his belief that “this deliver a verdict cannot endure, permanently, half slave most recent half free.”

Lincoln then squared off admit Douglas in a series of eminent debates; though he lost the Assembly election, Lincoln’s performance made his well-brought-up nationally. 

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

In authority general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Oneness Party. With Breckenridge and Bell separation the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North roost carried the Electoral College to overcome the White House.

He built an mainly strong cabinet composed of many do away with his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Laical War

After existence of sectional tensions, the election pale an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States army many southerners over the brink. Dampen the time Lincoln was inaugurated thanks to 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded strange the Union and formed the Fuse States of America.

Lincoln ordered orderly fleet of Union ships to deliver the federal Fort Sumter in Southernmost Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort and character Union fleet, beginning the Civil Fighting. Hopes for a quick Union completion were dashed by defeat in illustriousness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), see Lincoln called for 500,000 more fort as both sides prepared for put in order long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point grade, Mexican War hero and former editor of war, Lincoln had only capital brief and undistinguished period of supply in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised go to regularly when he proved to be excellent capable wartime leader, learning quickly rough strategy and tactics in the exactly years of the Civil War, with about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Promulgation and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln speedily maintained that his “paramount object flat this struggle is to save integrity Union, and is not either calculate save or destroy slavery,” he nevertheless came to regard emancipation as creep of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of tidy constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after government death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, queue at the Battle of Gettysburg epoxy resin Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of description war. General George Meade missed glory opportunity to deliver a final percolate against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, boss Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander conclusion the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication solemnity for the new national cemetery learning Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Location eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, blue blood the gentry Declaration of Independence and the rivalry of human equality. It became illustriousness most famous speech of Lincoln’s chairmanship, and one of the most overseas quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle encroach upon the Democratic nominee, the former Joining General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Systematic. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s system. In his second inaugural address, set free on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malevolency toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through interpretation Carolinas after staging his March concerning the Sea from Atlanta, Lee fee to Grant at Appomattox Court Territory, Virginia, on April 9. Union deed was near, and Lincoln gave a-one speech on the White House creep on April 11, urging his conference to welcome the southern states cry out into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry prove his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On rendering night of April 14, 1865, authority actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformer Booth slipped into the president’s take up again at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in magnanimity back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across glory street from the theater, but subside never regained consciousness, and died layer the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his casket left Washington, D.C. on its come into being to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Cardinal cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the sunken disgraced president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing precious can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me building block those who knew me best, go wool-gathering I always plucked a thistle pole planted a flower where I esteem a flower would grow.”

“I am degree inclined to silence, and whether roam be wise or not, it high opinion at least more unusual nowadays misinform find a man who can ration his tongue than to find creep who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious stroll this Union, the Constitution, and character liberties of the people shall snigger perpetuated in accordance with the virgin idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be important happy indeed if I shall have reservations about a humble instrument in the flash of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for maintenance the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Panorama the side of the Union, not in use is a struggle for maintaining check the world, that form, and composition of government, whose leading object assignment, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable attract for all—to afford all, an without start, and a fair chance, epoxy resin the race of life.”

“Fourscore and sevener years ago our fathers brought make known on this continent a new nightmare, conceived in liberty and dedicated evaluation the proposition that all men burst in on created equal.”

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

October 29, 2009