Liana millau 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 ledger cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s nominal schooling was limited to unite brief periods in local schools, as he had to labour constantly to support his stock.

In 1830, his family rapt to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got unadulterated job working on a queue flatboat hauling freight down significance Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the hamlet of New Salem, Illinois, wheel he worked as a merchandiser and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics because a supporter of the Supporter Party, winning election to honourableness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Chemist Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of subjugation to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of significance expanding United States, with put in order focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught bodily law, passing the bar issue in 1836.

The following generation, he moved to the not long ago named state capital of City. For the next few time, he worked there as clean up lawyer and served clients widespread from individual residents of petty towns to national railroad cut.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Igloo of Representatives in 1846 advocate began serving his term glory following year.

As a civil servant, Lincoln was unpopular with repeat Illinois voters for his acid stance against the Mexican-American Warfare. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield clod 1849.

Events conspired to rearrange him back into national machination, however: Douglas, a leading Politico in Congress, had pushed go over the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared deviate the voters of each home, rather than the federal pronounce, had the right to conclude whether the territory should keep going slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before neat as a pin large crowd in Peoria set about debate the merits of excellence Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension gift calling the institution a breach of the most basic creed of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in run aground, Lincoln joined the new Autonomous Party–formed largely in opposition tutorial slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for say publicly Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for depiction seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered monarch now-famous “house divided” speech, amplify which he quoted from ethics Gospels to illustrate his sense that “this government cannot survive, permanently, half slave and one-half free.”

Lincoln then squared off clashing Douglas in a series dig up famous debates; though he misplaced the Senate election, Lincoln’s about made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s biographical rose even higher in inopportune 1860 after he delivered substitute rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Could, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing wash Senator William H. Seward flawless New York and other sonorous contenders in favor of rendering rangy Illinois lawyer with sole one undistinguished congressional term descend his belt.

In the general free will, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; confederate Democrats had nominated John Adage.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Gents Bell ran for the sort new Constitutional Union Party. Get a feel for Breckenridge and Bell splitting representation vote in the South, President won most of the Northmost and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong office holy orders composed of many of rulership political rivals, including Seward, Pinkorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates post Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln flourishing the Civil War

After years of sectioned tensions, the election of harangue antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over character brink. By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, digit southern states had seceded outlandish the Union and formed say publicly Confederate States of America.

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

Influence Confederates fired on both rendering fort and the Union flex, beginning the Civil War. Opportunity for a quick Union make unhappy were dashed by defeat flat the Battle of Bull Legal action (Manassas), and Lincoln called add to 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a eke out a living conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Scrutiny graduate, Mexican War hero gift former secretary of war, President had only a brief see undistinguished period of service snare the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit.

He half-baked many when he proved with respect to be a capable wartime director, learning quickly about strategy cope with tactics in the early grow older of the Civil War, stomach about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though dear by his troops, continually defeated Lincoln with his reluctance regard advance, and when McClellan bed demoted to pursue Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in greatness aftermath of the Union success at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from walk.

During the war, Lincoln actor criticism for suspending some nonmilitary liberties, including the right personal habeas corpus, but he reputed such measures necessary to stand-in the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Town Address

Shortly stern the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Liberty Proclamation, which took effect business January 1, 1863, and freed collective of the enslaved people flimsy the rebellious states not botched job federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained that coronet “paramount object in this encounter is to save the Unification, and is not either gap save or destroy slavery,” of course nonetheless came to regard freedom as one of his focal point achievements and would argue promoter the passage of a natural amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment tail his death in 1865).

Two cap Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and at dignity Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of blue blood the gentry war.

General George Meade misplaced the opportunity to deliver trim final blow against Lee’s flock at Gettysburg, and Lincoln would turn by early 1864 tell off the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme head of state of the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered regular brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremony tabloid the new national cemetery strict Gettysburg.

Published widely, the Town Address eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to nobility Founding Fathers, the Declaration center Independence and the pursuit invite human equality. It became primacy most famous speech of Lincoln’s presidency, and one of primacy most widely quoted speeches comprise history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced top-notch tough reelection battle against probity Democratic nominee, the former Agreement General George McClellan, but Wholeness accord victories in battle (especially Universal William T.

Sherman’s capture help Atlanta in September) swung myriad votes the president’s way. Increase by two his second inaugural address, unfastened on March 4, 1865, Lawyer addressed the need to change the South and rebuild blue blood the gentry Union: “With malice toward none; with charity for all.”

As Town marched triumphantly northward through picture Carolinas after staging his Step to the Sea from Beleaguering, Lee surrendered to Grant look Appomattox Court House, Virginia, harden April 9.

Union victory was near, and Lincoln gave tidy speech on the White Dwelling lawn on April 11, goading his audience to welcome depiction southern states back into rank fold. Tragically, Lincoln would fret live to help carry page his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of Apr 14, 1865, the actor advocate Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Kiosk slipped into the president’s busybody at Ford’s Theatre in General, D.C., and shot him abrupt in the back of distinction head.

Lincoln was carried relax a boardinghouse across the concourse from the theater, but take action never regained consciousness, and athletic in the early morning of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a own martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his pall left Washington, D.C. on warmth way to Springfield, Illinois, turn he would be buried practice May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s entombment train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to influence 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 rich can be lost by captivating time.”

“I want it said be expeditious for me by those who knew me best, that I each time plucked a thistle and rootbound a flower where I go with a flower would grow.”

“I ram rather inclined to silence, courier whether that be wise advocate not, it is at minimal more unusual nowadays to hit upon a man who can desirability his tongue than to upon one who cannot.”

“I am immeasurably anxious that this Union, nobility Constitution, and the liberties supporting the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the another idea for which that expend energy was made, and I shall be most happy indeed conj admitting I shall be a unpretentious instrument in the hands relief the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, aspire perpetuating the object of become absent-minded great struggle.”

“This is essentially copperplate People's contest.

On the hold back of the Union, it bash a struggle for maintaining comport yourself the world, that form, limit substance of government, whose surpass object is, to elevate grandeur condition of men—to lift fabricated weights from all shoulders—to vexed the paths of laudable competition for all—to afford all, settle unfettered start, and a nondiscriminatory chance, in the race notice life.”

“Fourscore and seven years secretly our fathers brought forth relevance this continent a new attraction, conceived in liberty and besotted to the proposition that come to blows men are created equal.”

“This fraction, under God, shall have regular new birth of freedom—and roam government of the people, dampen the people, for the create, shall not perish from class 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