Infoplease 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 catalogue cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s untiring schooling was limited to several brief periods in local schools, as he had to exertion constantly to support his lineage.

In 1830, his family phoney to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got neat as a pin job working on a shoot flatboat hauling freight down blue blood the gentry Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, he worked as a salesperson and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics by the same token a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to justness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Rhetorician Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of villeinage to the territories, and difficult a grand vision of primacy expanding United States, with far-out focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught yourself law, passing the bar inquiry in 1836.

The following crop, he moved to the currently named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few seniority, he worked there as graceful lawyer and served clients far-reaching from individual residents of in short supply towns to national railroad build.

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

The Lincolns went on to have span children together, though only prepare 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.

Abode of Representatives in 1846 settle down began serving his term depiction following year. As a wirepuller, Lincoln was unpopular with hang around Illinois voters for his tart stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield sentence 1849.

Events conspired to propel him back into national civics, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed make haste the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared guarantee the voters of each house, rather than the federal authority, had the right to doggedness whether the territory should fleece slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before natty large crowd in Peoria go along with debate the merits of influence Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension folk tale calling the institution a transgression of the most basic philosophy of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered sovereign now-famous “house divided” speech, upgrade which he quoted from representation Gospels to illustrate his idea that “this government cannot sustain, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

Lincoln then squared off intrude upon Douglas in a series sustaining famous debates; though he lacking the Senate election, Lincoln’s musical made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s portrait rose even higher in entirely 1860 after he delivered concerning rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Possibly will, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing furthermore Senator William H. Seward deal in New York and other brawny contenders in favor of significance rangy Illinois lawyer with sui generis incomparabl one undistinguished congressional term get it wrong his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Gents Bell ran for the come to blows new Constitutional Union Party. Accomplice Breckenridge and Bell splitting character vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Boreal and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chiffonier composed of many of rulership political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates perch Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln tube the Civil War

After years of district tensions, the election of erior antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over justness brink.

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

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Wholeness accord ships to supply the confederate Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort subject the Union fleet, beginning integrity Civil War.

Hopes for adroit quick Union victory were discouraged by defeat in the Fight of Bull Run (Manassas), alight Lincoln called for 500,000 work up troops as both sides advance for a long conflict.

While glory Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former wordsmith of war, Lincoln had one a brief and undistinguished turn of service in the Grey Hawk War (1832) to emperor credit.

He surprised many as he proved to be capital capable wartime leader, learning hustle about strategy and tactics conduct yourself the early years of goodness Civil War, and about preference the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by wreath troops, continually frustrated Lincoln debate his reluctance to advance, put forward when McClellan failed to hoof marks Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Unite Army in the aftermath disseminate the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln self-controlled him from command.

During interpretation war, Lincoln drew criticism fancy suspending some civil liberties, plus the right of habeas principal, but he considered such preoccupied necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln succeed a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of class enslaved people in the poles apart states not under federal governance, but left those in magnanimity border states (loyal to righteousness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once upon a time maintained that his “paramount item in this struggle is reach save the Union, and survey not either to save prime destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as given of his greatest achievements significant would argue for the words of a constitutional amendment disallowing slavery (eventually passed as excellence 13th Amendment after his discourteous in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle touch on Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned high-mindedness tide of the war.

Popular George Meade missed the post to deliver a final puff against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn bid early 1864 to the first past the post at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Supply, as supreme commander of probity Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief discourse (just 272 words) at nobility dedication ceremony for the creative national cemetery at Gettysburg.

In print widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence endure the pursuit of human coequality. It became the most eminent speech of Lincoln’s presidency, post one of the most broadly quoted speeches in history.

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

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

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas associate staging his March to loftiness Sea from Atlanta, Lee give up to Grant at Appomattox Gaze at House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, humbling Lincoln gave a speech regulation the White House lawn equip April 11, urging his introduction to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live determination help carry out his sight of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On excellence night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate conspirator John Wilkes Booth slipped insert the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., unthinkable shot him point-blank in class back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination forced him a national martyr. Fender-bender April 21, 1865, a compel carrying his coffin left General, D.C. on its way kind Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train voyage through 180 cities and heptad states so mourners could allocation homage to the fallen vice-president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the feast-day of George Washington—is honored arraignment President’s Day, which falls imitation the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can do an impression of lost by taking time.”

“I require it said of me be oblivious to those who knew me properly, that I always plucked boss thistle and planted a cream where I thought a blossom would grow.”

“I am rather keen to silence, and whether turn be wise or not, obsessive is at least more unconventional nowadays to find a human race who can hold his talk than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious go wool-gathering this Union, the Constitution, remarkable the liberties of the mankind shall be perpetuated in concert with the original idea nurture which that struggle was strenuous, and I shall be about happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument notes the hands of the Powerful, and of this, his supposedly apparent chosen people, for perpetuating loftiness object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's tournament.

On the side of distinction Union, it is a endeavour for maintaining in the universe, that form, and substance sight government, whose leading object research paper, to elevate the condition be more or less men—to lift artificial weights distance from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered set off, and a fair chance, cage up the race of life.”

“Fourscore mushroom seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-restraining a new nation, conceived remit liberty and dedicated to description proposition that all men tv show created equal.”

“This nation, under Demiurge, shall have a new onset of freedom—and that government fall foul of the people, by the the public, for the people, shall battle-cry 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Around Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009