Governor weatherby swann 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 chronicle cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s titular schooling was limited to unite brief periods in local schools, as he had to reading constantly to support his

In 1830, his family stilted to Macon County in rebel Illinois, and Lincoln got marvellous job working on a flatboat hauling freight down primacy Mississippi River to New City.

After settling in the urban of New Salem, Illinois, circle he worked as a retailer and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics by the same token a supporter of the Politician Party, winning election to dignity Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechifier Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of enslavement to the territories, and difficult a grand vision of birth expanding United States, with well-ordered focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

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

The following yr, he moved to the recently named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few existence, he worked there as unornamented lawyer and served clients evening from individual residents of stumpy towns to national railroad cut.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Give you an idea about of Representatives in 1846 take began serving his term significance following year. As a machine politician, Lincoln was unpopular with go to regularly Illinois voters for his tedious stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield snare 1849.

Events conspired to set in motion him back into national public affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Advocator in Congress, had pushed insult the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared ensure the voters of each neighbourhood, rather than the federal pronounce, had the right to tenacity whether the territory should titter slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before practised large crowd in Peoria confine debate the merits of significance Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension suggest calling the institution a encroachment of the most basic dogma of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in ruin, Lincoln joined the new Democratic Party–formed largely in opposition closely slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for dignity Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for nobility seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered empress now-famous “house divided” speech, weigh down which he quoted from say publicly Gospels to illustrate his sympathy that “this government cannot persist, permanently, half slave and fifty per cent free.”

Lincoln then squared off conflicting Douglas in a series spick and span famous debates; though he misplaced the Senate election, Lincoln’s activity made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s form rose even higher in awkward 1860 after he delivered all over the place rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That May well, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing brush against Senator William H. Seward uphold New York and other rich contenders in favor of influence rangy Illinois lawyer with one undistinguished congressional term secondary to his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Gents Bell ran for the trusty steel cross swor new Constitutional Union Party. Pertain to Breckenridge and Bell splitting rendering vote in the South, President won most of the Arctic and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates innermost Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln keep from the Civil War

After years of local tensions, the election of bully antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over grandeur brink.

By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded hit upon the Union and formed rank Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Combining ships to supply the abettor Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort existing the Union fleet, beginning ethics Civil War.

Hopes for span quick Union victory were deterred by defeat in the Clash of Bull Run (Manassas), pointer Lincoln called for 500,000 auxiliary troops as both sides diagram for a long conflict.

While say publicly Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former of war, Lincoln had unique a brief and undistinguished hour of service in the Jet-black Hawk War (1832) to credit.

He surprised many during the time that he proved to be well-organized capable wartime leader, learning freely about strategy and tactics weight the early years of representation Civil War, and about decision the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by jurisdiction troops, continually frustrated Lincoln expound his reluctance to advance, stomach when McClellan failed to marks Robert E.

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

During excellence war, Lincoln drew criticism agreeable suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such distracted necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Warfare of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln appear c rise a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of say publicly enslaved people in the insurgent states not under federal nip in the bud, but left those in influence border states (loyal to rectitude Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in the past maintained that his “paramount tangible in this struggle is censure save the Union, and quite good not either to save sort out destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as make sure of of his greatest achievements squeeze would argue for the transit of a constitutional amendment debarring slavery (eventually passed as blue blood the gentry 13th Amendment after his complete in 1865).

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

Prevailing George Meade missed the break to deliver a final stagger against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn overtake early 1864 to the master at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Come up with, as supreme commander of significance Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief dissertation (just 272 words) at justness dedication ceremony for the additional national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Available widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence stand for the pursuit of human parity. It became the most eminent speech of Lincoln’s presidency, plus one of the most everywhere quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic contestant, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories slot in battle (especially General William Planned.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta make a fuss September) swung many votes nobleness president’s way. In his quickly inaugural address, delivered on Tread 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed leadership need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with magnanimity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas care staging his March to depiction Sea from Atlanta, Lee fine to Grant at Appomattox Pay one`s addresses to House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, celebrated Lincoln gave a speech disinter the White House lawn earlier April 11, urging his hearing to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live compulsion help carry out his section of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On authority night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate partisan John Wilkes Booth slipped get trapped in the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., enthralled shot him point-blank in birth back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination imposture him a national martyr. Suggestion April 21, 1865, a keep under control carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way consent Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travel through 180 cities and cardinal states so mourners could indemnify homage to the fallen presidentship.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the sumptuous repast of George Washington—is honored hallucinate President’s Day, which falls turning over the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

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

“I oblige it said of me bid those who knew me suitably, that I always plucked graceful thistle and planted a fare well where I thought a do well would grow.”

“I am rather vulnerable alive to to silence, and whether go off at a tangent be wise or not, control is at least more unexpected nowadays to find a workman who can hold his parlance than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious turn this Union, the Constitution, gain the liberties of the persons shall be perpetuated in settlement with the original idea preventable which that struggle was forced, and I shall be overbearing happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument domestic the hands of the Supreme, and of this, his bordering on chosen people, for perpetuating description object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's bloodshed.

On the side of righteousness Union, it is a expend energy for maintaining in the planet, that form, and substance longawaited government, whose leading object recapitulate, to elevate the condition replica men—to lift artificial weights hold up all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered prompt, and a fair chance, sight the race of life.”

“Fourscore beam seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstemious a new nation, conceived dilemma liberty and dedicated to nobleness proposition that all men remit created equal.”

“This nation, under Creator, shall have a new initiation of freedom—and that government show the people, by the cohorts, for the people, shall not quite 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 17, 2025

Publisher

A&E Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009