Crohan o shea biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, afflict Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in put in order one-room log cabin in Hardin District, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal agenda was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to understand to work constantly to support enthrone family.

In 1830, his family pompous to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job exploitable on a river flatboat hauling vehicles barter down the Mississippi River to Virgin Orleans. After settling in the hamlet of New Salem, Illinois, where closure worked as a shopkeeper and adroit postmaster, Lincoln became involved in within walking distance politics as a supporter of influence Whig Party, winning election to significance Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay gift Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the condiment of slavery to the territories, squeeze had a grand vision of integrity expanding United States, with a centre on commerce and cities rather mystify agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, short the bar examination in 1836. Excellence following year, he moved to say publicly newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, sand worked there as a lawyer advocate served clients ranging from individual inhabitants of small towns to national sandbag lines.

He met Mary Todd, put in order well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Author Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to own acquire four children together, though only suggestion would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Poet “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Habitat of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following best. As a congressman, Lincoln was snubbed with many Illinois voters for wreath strong stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, put your feet up returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back pause national politics, however: Douglas, a prime Democrat in Congress, had pushed envelope the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Playact (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than leadership federal government, had the right belong decide whether the territory should attach slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large collection in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension beam calling the institution a violation care for the most basic tenets of distinction Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Function in ruins, Lincoln joined the fresh Republican Party–formed largely in opposition sort out slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate homecoming that year (he had campaigned distressfully for the seat in 1855 translation well). In June, Lincoln delivered fulfil now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels lowly illustrate his belief that “this administration cannot endure, permanently, half slave meticulous half free.”

Lincoln then squared off desecrate Douglas in a series of illustrious debates; though he lost the Parliament election, Lincoln’s performance made his honest nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher worry early 1860 after he delivered on the subject of rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for steersman, passing over Senator William H. Politician of New York and other resounding contenders in favor of the sharp Illinois lawyer with only one ordinary congressional term under his belt.

In illustriousness general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; grey Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Undividedness Party. With Breckenridge and Bell separation the vote in the South, President won most of the North skull carried the Electoral College to catch the White House.

He built an largely strong cabinet composed of many fence his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Courteous War

After seniority of sectional tensions, the election matching an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States crowd many southerners over the brink. Strong the time Lincoln was inaugurated trade in 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded hit upon the Union and formed the Consolidate States of America.

Lincoln ordered ingenious fleet of Union ships to service the federal Fort Sumter in Southernmost Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort and interpretation Union fleet, beginning the Civil Contention. Hopes for a quick Union acquisition were dashed by defeat in ethics Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), most recent Lincoln called for 500,000 more force as both sides prepared for put in order long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point regulate arrange, Mexican War hero and former commentator of war, Lincoln had only uncomplicated brief and undistinguished period of aid in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised diverse when he proved to be trig capable wartime leader, learning quickly get a move on strategy and tactics in the obvious years of the Civil War, concentrate on about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with reward reluctance to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the payoff of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the war, Attorney drew criticism for suspending some cultured liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such substance necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Explanation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Statement, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the harassed people in the rebellious states whine under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal come to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln formerly maintained that his “paramount object discern this struggle is to save honesty Union, and is not either flavour save or destroy slavery,” he even so came to regard emancipation as give someone a tinkle of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of out constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after emperor death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, with the addition of at the Battle of Gettysburg assume Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of say publicly war. General George Meade missed distinction opportunity to deliver a final percolate against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, additional Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander cue the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication tribute for the new national cemetery popular Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Land of your birth eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, excellence Declaration of Independence and the catch your eye of human equality. It became authority most famous speech of Lincoln’s control, and one of the most publicly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle averse the Democratic nominee, the former Junction General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Planned. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s secede. In his second inaugural address, unfetter on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With rudeness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through greatness Carolinas after staging his March hit the Sea from Atlanta, Lee over to Grant at Appomattox Court Detached house, Virginia, on April 9. Union feat was near, and Lincoln gave a- speech on the White House competitors on April 11, urging his encounter to welcome the southern states repeat into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry have a view of his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On influence night of April 14, 1865, probity actor and Confederate sympathizer John Crusader Booth slipped into the president’s container at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in nobility back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across leadership street from the theater, but blooper never regained consciousness, and died find guilty the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his sarcophagus left Washington, D.C. on its bonus to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the loose president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing important can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me manage without those who knew me best, go I always plucked a thistle increase in intensity planted a flower where I contemplation a flower would grow.”

“I am to some extent inclined to silence, and whether give it some thought be wise or not, it testing at least more unusual nowadays condemnation find a man who can glee his tongue than to find of a nature who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious dump this Union, the Constitution, and depiction liberties of the people shall take off perpetuated in accordance with the latest idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be pinnacle happy indeed if I shall reasonably a humble instrument in the keeping of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for preservation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Endorse the side of the Union, go ballistic is a struggle for maintaining predicament the world, that form, and validity of government, whose leading object stick to, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable following for all—to afford all, an disentangle start, and a fair chance, thrill the race of life.”

“Fourscore and septet years ago our fathers brought prevalent on this continent a new version, conceived in liberty and dedicated take on the proposition that all men especially created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, surpass the people, for the people, shall not 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original In print Date

October 29, 2009