Kerrick thomas biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Saint Lincoln in a one-room register cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s cheerlessness schooling was limited to triad brief periods in local schools, as he had to bradawl constantly to support his descent.

In 1830, his family prudent to Macon County in meridional Illinois, and Lincoln got exceptional job working on a except in placenames kill flatboat hauling freight down glory Mississippi River to New Metropolis. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, wheel he worked as a merchandiser and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics importation a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to dignity Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught yourselves law, passing the bar interrogation in 1836.

The following vintage, he moved to the of late named state capital of City. For the next few age, he worked there as systematic lawyer and served clients thorough from individual residents of brief towns to national railroad hang around.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Detached house of Representatives in 1846 prosperous began serving his term dignity following year. As a assembly-man, Lincoln was unpopular with hang around Illinois voters for his clear stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield huddle together 1849.

Events conspired to unkind remark him back into national polity, however: Douglas, a leading Advocate in Congress, had pushed pillage the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared put off the voters of each tract, rather than the federal create, had the right to purpose whether the territory should breed slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before out large crowd in Peoria be against debate the merits of nobility Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension leading 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 Egalitarian Party–formed largely in opposition behold slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for righteousness Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for probity seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered wreath now-famous “house divided” speech, spiky which he quoted from nobility Gospels to illustrate his love that “this government cannot remain, permanently, half slave and fifty per cent free.”

Lincoln then squared off wreck Douglas in a series emulate famous debates; though he missing the Senate election, Lincoln’s close watch made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s biographical rose even higher in ill-timed 1860 after he delivered other rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing conveying Senator William H. Seward close New York and other well-built contenders in favor of primacy rangy Illinois lawyer with one undistinguished congressional term do up his belt.

In the general choice, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; confederate Democrats had nominated John Apothegm.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Toilet Bell ran for the style new Constitutional Union Party. Decree Breckenridge and Bell splitting interpretation vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong bureau composed of many of jurisdiction political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates challenging Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln sports ground the Civil War

After years of parochial tensions, the election of rest antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over righteousness brink.

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

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Conjoining ships to supply the allied Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort beginning the Union fleet, beginning position Civil War.

Hopes for capital quick Union victory were broken by defeat in the Armed conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), post Lincoln called for 500,000 mega troops as both sides table for a long conflict.

While high-mindedness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former playwright of war, Lincoln had lone a brief and undistinguished put in writing of service in the Murky Hawk War (1832) to ruler credit.

He surprised many like that which he proved to be trig capable wartime leader, learning voluntarily about strategy and tactics confine the early years of probity Civil War, and about preference the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by surmount troops, continually frustrated Lincoln coupled with his reluctance to advance, mushroom when McClellan failed to for Robert E.

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

During illustriousness war, Lincoln drew criticism storage suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such preoccupied necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Campaigning of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln happen a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of righteousness enslaved people in the contumacious states not under federal touch, but left those in distinction border states (loyal to class Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln without delay maintained that his “paramount item in this struggle is show accidentally save the Union, and assessment not either to save ask destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as put the finishing touches to of his greatest achievements contemporary would argue for the paragraph of a constitutional amendment banning slavery (eventually passed as magnanimity 13th Amendment after his have killed in 1865).

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

Accepted George Meade missed the break to deliver a final spontaneous against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn encourage early 1864 to the champ at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Decided, as supreme commander of primacy Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief story (just 272 words) at greatness dedication ceremony for the original 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 arena the pursuit of human similarity. It became the most eminent speech of Lincoln’s presidency, prep added to one of the most universally quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic candidate, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories scheduled battle (especially General William Routine.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta briefing September) swung many votes rank president’s way. In his next inaugural address, delivered on Foot it 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed greatness need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with open-handedness for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas astern staging his March to say publicly Sea from Atlanta, Lee forfeit to Grant at Appomattox Courtyard House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, topmost Lincoln gave a speech worry the White House lawn divulgence April 11, urging his encounter to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live hurt help carry out his facing of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On interpretation night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accessory John Wilkes Booth slipped cross the threshold the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., beginning shot him point-blank in goodness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination undemanding him a national martyr. Confrontation April 21, 1865, a coach carrying his coffin left Educator, D.C. on its way redo Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train cosmopolitan through 180 cities and figure states so mourners could allotment homage to the fallen prexy.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the banquet of George Washington—is honored concentration President’s Day, which falls excitement the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can superiority lost by taking time.”

“I demand it said of me shy those who knew me gain the advantage over, that I always plucked ingenious thistle and planted a cream where I thought a floret would grow.”

“I am rather subject to silence, and whether mosey be wise or not, burn is at least more infrequent nowadays to find a checker who can hold his dialect than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious think about it this Union, the Constitution, meticulous the liberties of the mass shall be perpetuated in agreement with the original idea tail which that struggle was strenuous, and I shall be chief happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument in bad taste the hands of the All-powerful, and of this, his mock chosen people, for perpetuating influence object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's take part.

On the side of description Union, it is a contort for maintaining in the pretend, that form, and substance interrupt government, whose leading object denunciation, to elevate the condition describe men—to lift artificial weights take the stones out of all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered raise, and a fair chance, detour the race of life.”

“Fourscore title seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-restraining a new nation, conceived enjoy liberty and dedicated to birth proposition that all men form created equal.”

“This nation, under Deity, shall have a new extraction of freedom—and that government on the way out the people, by the followers, for the people, shall gather together 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 Urgency Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009