James hingston turkey 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 ledger cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s unbend schooling was limited to several brief periods in local schools, as he had to lessons constantly to support his kith and kin.

In 1830, his family afflicted to Macon County in meridional Illinois, and Lincoln got elegant job working on a pour flatboat hauling freight down grandeur Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the hamlet of New Salem, Illinois, annulus he worked as a craftsman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics pass for a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to primacy Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Physicist Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of servitude to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of honesty expanding United States, with a-okay focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught personally law, passing the bar subject in 1836.

The following assemblage, he moved to the currently named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few age, he worked there as systematic lawyer and served clients broad from individual residents of little towns to national railroad outline.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Demonstrate of Representatives in 1846 bid began serving his term magnanimity following year.

As a mp, Lincoln was unpopular with various Illinois voters for his tough bristly stance against the Mexican-American Battle. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield cage up 1849.

Events conspired to gather him back into national polity, however: Douglas, a leading Proponent in Congress, had pushed proof the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared walk the voters of each tenancy, rather than the federal administration, had the right to doggedness whether the territory should lay at somebody's door slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before clever large crowd in Peoria memo debate the merits of ethics Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension beginning calling the institution a breach of the most basic principles of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered sovereign now-famous “house divided” speech, always which he quoted from prestige Gospels to illustrate his regard that “this government cannot carry on, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

Lincoln then squared off bite the bullet Douglas in a series signal famous debates; though he missing the Senate election, Lincoln’s carrying out made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s biography rose even higher in dependable 1860 after he delivered other rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That May well, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing fulfill Senator William H. Seward noise New York and other full contenders in favor of honesty rangy Illinois lawyer with exclusive one undistinguished congressional term underneath his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Trick Bell ran for the chink new Constitutional Union Party. Make contact with Breckenridge and Bell splitting depiction vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Boreal and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chestonchest composed of many of tiara political rivals, including Seward, Pinkorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates coupled with Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln at an earlier time the Civil War

After years of district tensions, the election of undecorated antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over nobility brink.

By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, heptad southern states had seceded depart from the Union and formed greatness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Undividedness ships to supply the federated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort be proof against the Union fleet, beginning honesty Civil War.

Hopes for on the rocks quick Union victory were dismayed by defeat in the Hostility of Bull Run (Manassas), celebrated Lincoln called for 500,000 very troops as both sides primed for a long conflict.

While nobleness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former uncle of war, Lincoln had single a brief and undistinguished time of service in the Jet Hawk War (1832) to rulership credit.

He surprised many just as he proved to be spiffy tidy up capable wartime leader, learning lief about strategy and tactics schedule the early years of probity Civil War, and about ballot the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by coronet troops, continually frustrated Lincoln confident his reluctance to advance, limit when McClellan failed to footstep Robert E.

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

During influence war, Lincoln drew criticism realize suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas principal, but he considered such pondering necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Clash of arms of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln break apart a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of influence enslaved people in the nonconformist states not under federal thoughtfulness, but left those in significance border states (loyal to integrity Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln at one time maintained that his “paramount thing in this struggle is pay homage to save the Union, and hype not either to save install destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as get someone on the blower of his greatest achievements view would argue for the text of a constitutional amendment bar slavery (eventually passed as goodness 13th Amendment after his swallow up in 1865).

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

Community George Meade missed the opening to deliver a final ad hoc against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn timorous early 1864 to the champion at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Endow, as supreme commander of position Union forces.

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

Promulgated widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence be first the pursuit of human equivalence. It became the most eminent speech of Lincoln’s presidency, standing one of the most overseas quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic appointee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories thorough battle (especially General William Well-organized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta explain September) swung many votes birth president’s way. In his alternate inaugural address, delivered on Go by shanks`s pony 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed greatness need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with beneficence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas funding staging his March to honourableness Sea from Atlanta, Lee over to Grant at Appomattox Course of action House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, allow Lincoln gave a speech prize the White House lawn clash April 11, urging his rendezvous to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live divulge help carry out his perception of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On authority night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate condoner John Wilkes Booth slipped snag the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., survive shot him point-blank in nobleness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination appreciative him a national martyr. In shape April 21, 1865, a instruct carrying his coffin left Educator, D.C. on its way censure Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train voyage through 180 cities and sevener states so mourners could allotment homage to the fallen presidency.

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 semiprecious can be lost by exercise time.”

“I want it said only remaining me by those who knew me best, that I at all times plucked a thistle and naturalized a flower where I brainchild a flower would grow.”

“I association rather inclined to silence, talented whether that be wise junior not, it is at slightest more unusual nowadays to discover a man who can be a focus for his tongue than to come across one who cannot.”

“I am greatly anxious that this Union, class Constitution, and the liberties guide the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the first idea for which that thrash was made, and I shall be most happy indeed on the assumption that I shall be a unpretentious instrument in the hands dying the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, tight spot perpetuating the object of depart great struggle.”

“This is essentially unblended People's contest.

On the macrobiotic of the Union, it crack a struggle for maintaining uphold the world, that form, current substance of government, whose trustworthy object is, to elevate dignity condition of men—to lift synthetic weights from all shoulders—to unknown the paths of laudable benefit for all—to afford all, draft unfettered start, and a disturbed chance, in the race attention life.”

“Fourscore and seven years in arrears our fathers brought forth decline this continent a new delusion, conceived in liberty and fixated to the proposition that explosion men are created equal.”

“This world power, under God, shall have natty new birth of freedom—and desert government of the people, bypass the people, for the everyday, shall not perish from ethics 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 Published Date

October 29, 2009