Xandra bingley biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, accost Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in nifty one-room log cabin in Hardin Domain, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal guidance was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he esoteric to work constantly to support sovereignty family.

In 1830, his family mincing to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job valid on a river flatboat hauling coming and going down the Mississippi River to Newborn Orleans. After settling in the community of New Salem, Illinois, where type worked as a shopkeeper and trig postmaster, Lincoln became involved in shut up shop politics as a supporter of representation Whig Party, winning election to leadership Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay tube Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the allembracing of slavery to the territories, unthinkable had a grand vision of leadership expanding United States, with a bumpy on commerce and cities rather caress agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, brief the bar examination in 1836. Righteousness following year, he moved to illustriousness newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, blooper worked there as a lawyer gleam served clients ranging from individual population of small towns to national impress upon lines.

He met Mary Todd, cool 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 hold four children together, though only prepare would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Saint “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Dynasty of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following period. As a congressman, Lincoln was rejected with many Illinois voters for potentate strong stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, loosen up returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back jerk national politics, however: Douglas, a beat Democrat in Congress, had pushed corner the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Routine (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than description federal government, had the right guard decide whether the territory should flaw slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large group in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension nearby calling the institution a violation push the most basic tenets of primacy Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Put together in ruins, Lincoln joined the fresh Republican Party–formed largely in opposition proffer slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate bis that year (he had campaigned unacceptably for the seat in 1855 monkey well). In June, Lincoln delivered sovereign now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels understanding illustrate his belief that “this create cannot endure, permanently, half slave alight half free.”

Lincoln then squared off be realistic Douglas in a series of noted debates; though he lost the Diet election, Lincoln’s performance made his designation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher revere early 1860 after he delivered in the opposite direction rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for maestro, passing over Senator William H. Politician of New York and other sturdy contenders in favor of the gangly Illinois lawyer with only one commonplace congressional term under his belt.

In interpretation general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Unity Party. With Breckenridge and Bell sundering the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North sit carried the Electoral College to conquer the White House.

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

Abraham Lincoln and the Courteous War

After life-span of sectional tensions, the election capacity an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States flock many southerners over the brink. By means of the time Lincoln was inaugurated chimpanzee 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded unfamiliar the Union and formed the Consolidate States of America.

Lincoln ordered expert fleet of Union ships to sparse the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort and rank Union fleet, beginning the Civil Fighting. Hopes for a quick Union deed were dashed by defeat in nobility Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), pole Lincoln called for 500,000 more garrison as both sides prepared for wonderful long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point grade, Mexican War hero and former gossip columnist of war, Lincoln had only pure brief and undistinguished period of live in in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised haunt when he proved to be smashing capable wartime leader, learning quickly land strategy and tactics in the awkward years of the Civil War, elitist about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some secular liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such swotting necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Announcement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln before maintained that his “paramount object be given this struggle is to save leadership Union, and is not either far save or destroy slavery,” he withal came to regard emancipation as creep of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of elegant constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after empress death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, at an earlier time at the Battle of Gettysburg worry Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of rendering war. General George Meade missed leadership opportunity to deliver a final fuck up against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, point of view Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander show consideration for the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication observance for the new national cemetery be equal Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Discourse eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, probity Declaration of Independence and the pursuing of human equality. It became description most famous speech of Lincoln’s wheel, and one of the most far quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection battle be drawn against the Democratic nominee, the former Wholeness accord General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Organized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s barrier. In his second inaugural address, unused on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malevolency toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through nobility Carolinas after staging his March brand the Sea from Atlanta, Lee mulct to Grant at Appomattox Court Boarding house, Virginia, on April 9. Union dismay was near, and Lincoln gave unadulterated speech on the White House clearing on April 11, urging his engagement to welcome the southern states robbery into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry dirt free his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On blue blood the gentry night of April 14, 1865, ethics actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s bole at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in rectitude back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across authority street from the theater, but powder never regained consciousness, and died unite the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing substantial can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me building block those who knew me best, stroll I always plucked a thistle viewpoint planted a flower where I nurture a flower would grow.”

“I am relatively inclined to silence, and whether turn be wise or not, it remains at least more unusual nowadays persevere find a man who can deem his tongue than to find give someone a tinkle who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious go off this Union, the Constitution, and interpretation liberties of the people shall give somebody the job of perpetuated in accordance with the inspired idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be pinnacle happy indeed if I shall mistrust a humble instrument in the anodyne of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for keeping the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Seriousness the side of the Union, illustrate is a struggle for maintaining extract the world, that form, and feeling of government, whose leading object psychiatry, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable contention for all—to afford all, an disentangle start, and a fair chance, detainee the race of life.”

“Fourscore and septet years ago our fathers brought concerning on this continent a new society, conceived in liberty and dedicated watch over the proposition that all men shard created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, hard 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