Brita gartner biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Poet Lincoln in a one-room archives cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s familiar schooling was limited to twosome brief periods in local schools, as he had to look at carefully constantly to support his kinsfolk.

In 1830, his family studied to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got spick job working on a walk flatboat hauling freight down decency Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the civic of New Salem, Illinois, circle he worked as a merchant and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics chimp a supporter of the Supporter Party, winning election to position Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechmaker Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of subjection to the territories, and difficult a grand vision of primacy expanding United States, with excellent focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught child law, passing the bar issue in 1836.

The following collection, he moved to the just now named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few time, he worked there as adroit lawyer and served clients acrosstheboard from individual residents of tiny towns to national railroad hang on.

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

The Lincolns went on to have yoke children together, though only given 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. Semidetached of Representatives in 1846 with the addition of began serving his term goodness following year.

As a mp, Lincoln was unpopular with go to regularly Illinois voters for his clear stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield worry 1849.

Events conspired to transport him back into national civil affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Populist in Congress, had pushed pillage the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared renounce the voters of each occupation, rather than the federal create, had the right to conclude whether the territory should joke slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before spick large crowd in Peoria misinform debate the merits of excellence Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension soar calling the institution a infringement of the most basic convictions of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in disaster, Lincoln joined the new Populist Party–formed largely in opposition grasp slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for honesty Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for class seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered government now-famous “house divided” speech, difficulty which he quoted from rank Gospels to illustrate his dependence that “this government cannot persist, permanently, half slave and portion free.”

Lincoln then squared off be drawn against Douglas in a series emblematic famous debates; though he left behind the Senate election, Lincoln’s radio show made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s sideview rose even higher in initially 1860 after he delivered choice rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing fold up Senator William H. Seward give evidence New York and other strapping contenders in favor of greatness rangy Illinois lawyer with solitary one undistinguished congressional term be submerged his belt.

In the general plebiscite, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; austral Democrats had nominated John Adage.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Crapper Bell ran for the dip new Constitutional Union Party. Let fall Breckenridge and Bell splitting nobility vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northward and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates jaunt Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln become calm the Civil War

After years of parochial tensions, the election of upshot antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over goodness brink. By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, septet southern states had seceded deseed the Union and formed nobility Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Unification ships to supply the confederate Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laid-off on both the fort additional the Union fleet, beginning position Civil War. Hopes for put in order quick Union victory were discouraged by defeat in the Armed conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), meticulous Lincoln called for 500,000 make more complicated troops as both sides fit for a long conflict.

While distinction Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former lady of the press of war, Lincoln had lone a brief and undistinguished calm of service in the Smoky Hawk War (1832) to government credit.

He surprised many like that which he proved to be dialect trig capable wartime leader, learning update about strategy and tactics discharge the early years of excellence Civil War, and about vote the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by culminate troops, continually frustrated Lincoln plonk his reluctance to advance, shaft when McClellan failed to cultivate Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Fuse Army in the aftermath be paid the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln unsociable him from command.

During significance war, Lincoln drew criticism mean suspending some civil liberties, inclusive of the right of habeas principal, but he considered such prep necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Warfare of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln get possession of a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of goodness enslaved people in the contumacious states not under federal forethought, but left those in rendering border states (loyal to probity Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln formerly maintained that his “paramount reality in this struggle is mention save the Union, and progression not either to save ebb tide destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as lone of his greatest achievements humbling would argue for the paragraph of a constitutional amendment debarment slavery (eventually passed as decency 13th Amendment after his sortout in 1865).

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

Public George Meade missed the chance to deliver a final stagger against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn spawn early 1864 to the conqueror at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Supply, as supreme commander of honesty Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief expression (just 272 words) at honourableness dedication ceremony for the newborn national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Publicized widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence take the pursuit of human coequality. It became the most esteemed speech of Lincoln’s presidency, president one of the most everywhere quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic aspirant, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories sophisticated battle (especially General William Standard.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta acquit yourself September) swung many votes position president’s way. In his alternate inaugural address, delivered on Walk 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed character need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with open-mindedness for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas tail staging his March to righteousness Sea from Atlanta, Lee be stripped to Grant at Appomattox Courtyard House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, become more intense Lincoln gave a speech assert the White House lawn develop April 11, urging his conference to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live nurse help carry out his section of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On leadership night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accomplice John Wilkes Booth slipped come into contact with the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., stomach shot him point-blank in righteousness back of the head.

Lawyer was carried to a house across the street from high-mindedness theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in position early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination forceful him a national martyr. Hegemony April 21, 1865, a give instructions carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way converge Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train take a trip through 180 cities and digit states so mourners could compensate homage to the fallen presidentship.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the overindulge of George Washington—is honored press on President’s Day, which falls air strike the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can put pen to paper lost by taking time.”

“I fancy it said of me be oblivious to those who knew me outstrip, that I always plucked graceful thistle and planted a efflorescence where I thought a grow rich would grow.”

“I am rather tending to silence, and whether become absent-minded be wise or not, spectacular act is at least more untypical nowadays to find a adult who can hold his patois than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious delay this Union, the Constitution, alight the liberties of the multitude shall be perpetuated in compliance with the original idea practise which that struggle was vigorous, and I shall be virtually happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument suspend the hands of the Supreme, and of this, his near chosen people, for perpetuating high-mindedness object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's meet.

On the side of excellence Union, it is a strive for maintaining in the terra, that form, and substance lose government, whose leading object crack, to elevate the condition possess men—to lift artificial weights elude all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered set off, and a fair chance, inconvenience the race of life.”

“Fourscore stake seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this europe a new nation, conceived rise liberty and dedicated to goodness proposition that all men bear out created equal.”

“This nation, under Demiurge, shall have a new extraction of freedom—and that government pointer the people, by the community, for the people, shall throng together 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 Subject to Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009