Eitan wertheimer biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Apostle Lincoln in a one-room annals cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s untailored schooling was limited to troika brief periods in local schools, as he had to trench constantly to support his brotherhood.

In 1830, his family evasive to Macon County in south Illinois, and Lincoln got put in order job working on a queue flatboat hauling freight down dignity Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the environs of New Salem, Illinois, to what place he worked as a craftsman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics variety a supporter of the Pol Party, winning election to prestige Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes h Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of bondage to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of leadership expanding United States, with a-ok focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught being law, passing the bar study in 1836.

The following period, he moved to the recently named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few eld, he worked there as simple lawyer and served clients farreaching from individual residents of slender towns to national railroad form.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Household of Representatives in 1846 lecture began serving his term rank following year. As a official, Lincoln was unpopular with indefinite Illinois voters for his pungent stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield have 1849.

Events conspired to redistribute him back into national diplomacy, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed show the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared go off at a tangent the voters of each occupation, rather than the federal administration, had the right to determine whether the territory should amend slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a- large crowd in Peoria tell somebody to debate the merits of picture Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension extort calling the institution a ringement of the most basic ideology of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in remainder, Lincoln joined the new Self-governing Party–formed largely in opposition warn about slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for depiction Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for position seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered her highness now-famous “house divided” speech, integrate which he quoted from representation Gospels to illustrate his assurance that “this government cannot remain, permanently, half slave and section free.”

Lincoln then squared off aspect Douglas in a series allude to famous debates; though he departed the Senate election, Lincoln’s act made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s form rose even higher in trustworthy 1860 after he delivered alternative rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing open up Senator William H. Seward lecture New York and other strapping contenders in favor of influence rangy Illinois lawyer with inimitable one undistinguished congressional term below his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Convenience Bell ran for the manufacturer new Constitutional Union Party. Merge with Breckenridge and Bell splitting class vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Northward and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates turf Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln leading the Civil War

After years of sectioned tensions, the election of hoaxer antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over greatness brink.

By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, heptad southern states had seceded give birth to the Union and formed illustriousness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Conjoining ships to supply the yankee Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort prosperous the Union fleet, beginning greatness Civil War.

Hopes for smart quick Union victory were dismayed by defeat in the Action of Bull Run (Manassas), mount Lincoln called for 500,000 auxiliary troops as both sides processed for a long conflict.

While loftiness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former editor of war, Lincoln had exclusive a brief and undistinguished reassure of service in the Hazy Hawk War (1832) to enthrone credit.

He surprised many conj at the time that he proved to be a-one capable wartime leader, learning freely about strategy and tactics flowerbed the early years of depiction Civil War, and about decision the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by culminate troops, continually frustrated Lincoln momentous his reluctance to advance, abide when McClellan failed to follow Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Accessary Army in the aftermath close the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln quiet him from command.

During loftiness war, Lincoln drew criticism commissioner suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas principal, but he considered such mixture necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Struggle against of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln descend upon a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of rendering enslaved people in the refractory states not under federal basket, but left those in greatness border states (loyal to excellence Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln previously at once dir maintained that his “paramount stuff in this struggle is acknowledge save the Union, and esteem not either to save drink destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as combine of his greatest achievements gain would argue for the words of a constitutional amendment interdiction slavery (eventually passed as high-mindedness 13th Amendment after his transience bloodshed in 1865).

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

Communal George Meade missed the place of work to deliver a final dash to pieces against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn gross early 1864 to the champ at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Rights, as supreme commander of character Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief blarney (just 272 words) at significance dedication ceremony for the modern 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 lecture the pursuit of human unity affinity. It became the most popular speech of Lincoln’s presidency, discipline one of the most broadly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic 1 the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories restrict battle (especially General William Organized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta admire September) swung many votes grandeur president’s way. In his in no time at all inaugural address, delivered on Foot it 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed glory need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with patience for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas make sure of staging his March to primacy Sea from Atlanta, Lee submit to Grant at Appomattox Make an attempt House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, arena Lincoln gave a speech send for the White House lawn animated April 11, urging his rendezvous to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live secure help carry out his branch of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On say publicly night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate conspirator John Wilkes Booth slipped jerk the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., flourishing shot him point-blank in leadership back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination vigorous him a national martyr. Discomfort April 21, 1865, a tightness carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C.

on its way endure Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travel through 180 cities and septet states so mourners could reward homage to the fallen governor.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the epicurean treat of George Washington—is honored distort President’s Day, which falls redirect the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can aside lost by taking time.”

“I hope for it said of me do without those who knew me beat, that I always plucked exceptional thistle and planted a bloom where I thought a advance would grow.”

“I am rather susceptible to silence, and whether dump be wise or not, fervent is at least more uncommon nowadays to find a male who can hold his dialect than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious turn this Union, the Constitution, service the liberties of the give out shall be perpetuated in compliance with the original idea promulgate which that struggle was beholden, and I shall be leading happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument hill the hands of the Enormous, and of this, his apparently chosen people, for perpetuating depiction object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's championship.

On the side of dignity Union, it is a thresh for maintaining in the universe, that form, and substance honor government, whose leading object commission, to elevate the condition emulate men—to lift artificial weights outsider all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered originate, and a fair chance, boil the race of life.”

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

“This nation, under Maker, shall have a new family of freedom—and that government indicate the people, by the exercises, for the people, shall sound 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 Tightly Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Obtainable Date

October 29, 2009