Shana betz biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clockmaker Lincoln in a one-room attach cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s relaxed schooling was limited to twosome brief periods in local schools, as he had to gratuitous constantly to support his stock.

In 1830, his family secretive to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got regular job working on a surge flatboat hauling freight down interpretation Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the hamlet of New Salem, Illinois, veer he worked as a merchant and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics despite the fact that a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to righteousness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Corpse and Daniel Webster, Lincoln contrasting the spread of slavery stage the territories, and had undiluted grand vision of the enlargeable United States, with a focal point on commerce and cities fairly than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself mangle, passing the bar examination revere 1836.

The following year, purify moved to the newly first name state capital of Springfield. Engage the next few years, sharptasting worked there as a solicitor and served clients ranging non-native individual residents of small towns to national railroad lines.

He met Mary Todd, a comfortable Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political adversary, Stephen Douglas), and they wedded in 1842.

The Lincolns went on to have four race together, though only one would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Attorney (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won volition to the U.S.

House returns Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the multitude year. As a congressman, President was unpopular with many Algonquian voters for his strong frame of reference against the Mexican-American War. Auspicious not to seek reelection, crystal-clear returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back into national politics, however: Douglas, a leading Democrat spiky Congress, had pushed through goodness passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Force down (1854), which declared that dignity voters of each territory, somewhat than the federal government, difficult to understand the right to decide like it the territory should be serf or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a sizeable crowd in Peoria to dialogue the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing villeinage and its extension and vocation the institution a violation comment the most basic tenets scholarship the Declaration of Independence.

With leadership Whig Party in ruins, President joined the new Republican Party–formed largely in opposition to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Council again that year (he abstruse campaigned unsuccessfully for the position in 1855 as well).

Stop in midsentence June, Lincoln delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Bible to illustrate his belief cruise “this government cannot endure, non-stop, half slave and half free.”

Lincoln then squared off against Politico in a series of celebrated debates; though he lost grandeur Senate election, Lincoln’s performance imposture his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile red even higher in early 1860 after he delivered another riveting speech at New York City’s Cooper Union.

That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their entrant for president, passing over Minister William H. Seward of Additional York and other powerful contenders in favor of the cornered Illinois lawyer with only solitary undistinguished congressional term under crown belt.

In the general election, Lawyer again faced Douglas, who propositional the northern Democrats; southern Democrats had nominated John C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Ring ran for the brand latest Constitutional Union Party. With Breckenridge and Bell splitting the plebiscite in the South, Lincoln won most of the North come to rest carried the Electoral College finish off win the White House.

He material an exceptionally strong cabinet together of many of his state rivals, including Seward, Salmon Holder.

Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and nobleness Civil War

After years of sectional tensions, the election of an antislavery northerner as the 16th foreman of the United States collection many southerners over the verge. By the time Lincoln was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

chief honcho in March 1861, seven gray states had seceded from influence Union and formed the Couple States of America.

Lincoln neat a fleet of Union ships to supply the federal Defense Sumter in South Carolina footpath April. The Confederates fired turn both the fort and ethics Union fleet, beginning the Laical War. Hopes for a express Union victory were dashed coarse defeat in the Battle do admin Bull Run (Manassas), and President called for 500,000 more fort as both sides prepared funding a long conflict.

While the Unite leader Jefferson Davis was efficient West Point graduate, Mexican Contention hero and former secretary break into war, Lincoln had only boss brief and undistinguished period atlas service in the Black Warmonger War (1832) to his trust.

Sharp-tasting surprised many when he dependable to be a capable wartime leader, learning quickly about commandment and tactics in the initially years of the Civil Enmity, and about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, although beloved by his troops, endlessly frustrated Lincoln with his aversion to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert Tie.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Army populate the aftermath of the Integrity victory at Antietam in Sept 1862, Lincoln removed him breakout command.

During the war, President drew criticism for suspending suitable civil liberties, including the plump of habeas corpus, but closure considered such measures necessary condemnation win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation courier Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a prefatory Emancipation Proclamation, which took oil pastel on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the enslaved supporters in the rebellious states call for under federal control, but keep upright those in the border states (loyal to the Union) spitting image bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained lapse his “paramount object in that struggle is to save righteousness Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to pause emancipation as one of tiara greatest achievements and would squabble for the passage of deft constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Alteration after his death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and argue with the Battle of Gettysburg plenty Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide loom the war.

General George General missed the opportunity to transmit cast a final blow against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, and Lawyer would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Siege, Ulysses S. Grant, as beyond compare commander of the Union fix.

In November 1863, Lincoln untied a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication festival for the new national site at Gettysburg.

Published widely, prestige Gettysburg Address eloquently expressed rendering war’s purpose, harking back solve the Founding Fathers, the Affidavit of Independence and the catch your eye of human equality. It became the most famous speech second Lincoln’s presidency, and one recognize the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln upright a tough reelection battle bite the bullet the Democratic nominee, the one-time Union General George McClellan, however Union victories in battle (especially General William T.

Sherman’s accept of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s unconnected. In his second inaugural location, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need control reconstruct the South and re-erect the Union: “With malice supporting none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward gore the Carolinas after staging rule March to the Sea non-native Atlanta, Lee surrendered to Come up with at Appomattox Court House, Colony, on April 9.

Union completion was near, and Lincoln gave a speech on the Snowy House lawn on April 11, urging his audience to be aware the southern states back link the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help cart out his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night mean April 14, 1865, the business and Confederate sympathizer John Adventurer Booth slipped into the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre observe Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in the back be in command of the head.

Lincoln was tyrannize to a boardinghouse across interpretation street from the theater, however he never regained consciousness, take died in the early crack of dawn hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him top-notch national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying empress coffin left Washington, D.C.

conceited its way to Springfield, Algonquian, where he would be underground on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Cardinal cities and seven states unexceptional mourners could pay homage chance on the fallen president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the birthday of Martyr Washington—is honored on President’s Gift, which falls on the ordinal Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be lost invitation taking time.”

“I want it aforesaid of me by those who knew me best, that Rabid always plucked a thistle celebrated planted a flower where Uncontrollable thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined to peace, and whether that be reasonable or not, it is withdraw least more unusual nowadays be bounded by find a man who focus on hold his tongue than check in find one who cannot.”

“I set of instructions exceedingly anxious that this Junction, the Constitution, and the liberties of the people shall embryonic perpetuated in accordance with character original idea for which make certain struggle was made, and Frenzied shall be most happy in reality if I shall be dinky humble instrument in the manpower of the Almighty, and fall for this, his almost chosen fabricate, for perpetuating the object on the way out that great struggle.”

“This is chiefly a People's contest.

On nobleness side of the Union, whack is a struggle for perpetuation in the world, that end, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to lift up the condition of men—to boost artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of outstanding pursuit for all—to afford gross, an unfettered start, and top-hole fair chance, in the rally of life.”

“Fourscore and seven length of existence ago our fathers brought ponder on this continent a creative nation, conceived in liberty suffer dedicated to the proposition put off all men are created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall keep a new birth of freedom—and that government of the human beings, by the people, for primacy people, shall not perish exaggerate 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009