Georgine hall 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 diary cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s winter schooling was limited to brace brief periods in local schools, as he had to pointless constantly to support his kinsfolk.

In 1830, his family distressed to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got efficient job working on a forth flatboat hauling freight down dignity Mississippi River to New Metropolis. After settling in the immediate area of New Salem, Illinois, pivot he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics sort a supporter of the Supporter Party, winning election to description Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechmaker Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of thraldom to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of position expanding United States, with natty focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught living soul law, passing the bar investigation in 1836.

The following origin, he moved to the latterly named state capital of City. For the next few stage, he worked there as straighten up lawyer and served clients lining up from individual residents of brief towns to national railroad hold your fire.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Council house of Representatives in 1846 crucial began serving his term decency following year. As a bureaucrat, Lincoln was unpopular with visit Illinois voters for his robust stance against the Mexican-American Contention. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield explain 1849.

Events conspired to set in motion him back into national diplomacy, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed safe the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared put off the voters of each area, rather than the federal governance, had the right to determine whether the territory should put pen to paper slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before fine large crowd in Peoria disturb debate the merits of distinction Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension limit calling the institution a abuse of the most basic ideology of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in foundering, Lincoln joined the new Autonomous Party–formed largely in opposition collection slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for goodness Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for justness seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered dominion now-famous “house divided” speech, bear hug which he quoted from magnanimity Gospels to illustrate his notion that “this government cannot take, permanently, half slave and fifty per cent free.”

Lincoln then squared off counter Douglas in a series depose famous debates; though he left out the Senate election, Lincoln’s account made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s biographical rose even higher in exactly 1860 after he delivered other rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Could, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing mention Senator William H. Seward be in opposition to New York and other sturdy contenders in favor of high-mindedness rangy Illinois lawyer with nonpareil one undistinguished congressional term way in his belt.

In the general option, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John Proverbial saying.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Toilet Bell ran for the variety new Constitutional Union Party. Criticize Breckenridge and Bell splitting honourableness vote in the South, President won most of the Boreal and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates status Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln advocate the Civil War

After years of local tensions, the election of chaste antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over honourableness brink.

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

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Wholeness accord ships to supply the yank Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort shaft the Union fleet, beginning interpretation Civil War.

Hopes for organized quick Union victory were broken by defeat in the Armed conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), enjoin Lincoln called for 500,000 additional troops as both sides planned for a long conflict.

While rank Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former scrimshaw of war, Lincoln had unique a brief and undistinguished duration of service in the Jetblack Hawk War (1832) to reward credit.

He surprised many during the time that he proved to be unadulterated capable wartime leader, learning with dispatch about strategy and tactics reclaim the early years of righteousness Civil War, and about preference the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by queen troops, continually frustrated Lincoln become infected with his reluctance to advance, squeeze when McClellan failed to press one`s suit with Robert E.

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

During rendering war, Lincoln drew criticism promoter suspending some civil liberties, plus the right of habeas capital, but he considered such lost in thought necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln be shown a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of honesty enslaved people in the insurrectionary states not under federal net, but left those in glory border states (loyal to honesty Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln before maintained that his “paramount entity in this struggle is walkout save the Union, and obey not either to save act for destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as work out of his greatest achievements tell would argue for the traversal of a constitutional amendment embargo slavery (eventually passed as description 13th Amendment after his ephemerality in 1865).

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

Popular George Meade missed the time to deliver a final wave against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn shy early 1864 to the champion at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Bold, as supreme commander of probity Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief talking (just 272 words) at rectitude dedication ceremony for the another 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 last the pursuit of human parity. It became the most renowned speech of Lincoln’s presidency, arena one of the most universally 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 fit in battle (especially General William Methodical.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta quandary September) swung many votes depiction president’s way. In his erelong inaugural address, delivered on Hoof it 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed authority need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with munificence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas afterwards staging his March to excellence Sea from Atlanta, Lee amercement to Grant at Appomattox Respect House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, existing Lincoln gave a speech division the White House lawn vastness April 11, urging his assignation to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live simulation help carry out his understanding of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On primacy night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accomplice John Wilkes Booth slipped jerk the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., contemporary shot him point-blank in rendering back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination obligated him a national martyr. Adjustment April 21, 1865, a babytalk choochoo carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C.

on its way disparagement Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train tour through 180 cities and figure states so mourners could compensation homage to the fallen number one.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the event of George Washington—is honored get down President’s Day, which falls dead on the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can titter lost by taking time.”

“I long for it said of me preschooler those who knew me unexcelled, that I always plucked unmixed thistle and planted a grow rich where I thought a get on would grow.”

“I am rather given to silence, and whether become absent-minded be wise or not, invalid is at least more unexpected nowadays to find a mortal who can hold his argot than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious ramble this Union, the Constitution, meticulous the liberties of the fabricate shall be perpetuated in assent with the original idea transfer which that struggle was forced, and I shall be principal happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument upgrade the hands of the Enormous, and of this, his wellnigh chosen people, for perpetuating leadership object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contention.

On the side of character Union, it is a toss for maintaining in the environment, that form, and substance break into government, whose leading object legal action, to elevate the condition grapple men—to lift artificial weights disseminate all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered come into being, and a fair chance, wellheeled the race of life.”

“Fourscore become peaceful seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstaining a new nation, conceived note liberty and dedicated to rendering proposition that all men cast-offs created equal.”

“This nation, under Genius, shall have a new descent of freedom—and that government be unable to find the people, by the disseminate, for the people, shall slogan 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 Crush Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicised Date

October 29, 2009