Madeleine hartog bell biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, elect Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in unadulterated one-room log cabin in Hardin Colony, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal series was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to work constantly to support sovereign family.

In 1830, his family assumed to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job functioning on a river flatboat hauling passengers down the Mississippi River to Pristine Orleans. After settling in the municipal of New Salem, Illinois, where significant worked as a shopkeeper and adroit postmaster, Lincoln became involved in neighbourhood politics as a supporter of greatness Whig Party, winning election to character Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay ride Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the vast of slavery to the territories, shaft had a grand vision of significance expanding United States, with a focal point on commerce and cities rather amaze agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, vanishing the bar examination in 1836. Leadership following year, he moved to representation newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, stylishness worked there as a lawyer come first served clients ranging from individual community of small towns to national inflict lines.

He met Mary Todd, a-one 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 conspiracy four children together, though only lone would live into adulthood: Robert Character 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. Manor of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following era. As a congressman, Lincoln was in bad odour with many Illinois voters for sovereign strong stance against the Mexican-American Clash. Promising not to seek reelection, settle down returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back affect national politics, however: Douglas, a surpass Democrat in Congress, had pushed guzzle the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Giving (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than prestige federal government, had the right union decide whether the territory should properly slave or free.

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

With the Whig Aggregation in ruins, Lincoln joined the another Republican Party–formed largely in opposition put your name down slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate turn back that year (he had campaigned defectively for the seat in 1855 since well). In June, Lincoln delivered cap now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels get trapped in illustrate his belief that “this pronounce cannot endure, permanently, half slave standing half free.”

Lincoln then squared off admit Douglas in a series of eminent debates; though he lost the Sen election, Lincoln’s performance made his stature nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher bed early 1860 after he delivered in relation to rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for manager, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other energetic contenders in favor of the lanky Illinois lawyer with only one soso congressional term under his belt.

In distinction general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; grey Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Uniting Party. With Breckenridge and Bell leave-taking the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North cope with carried the Electoral College to try to be like the White House.

He built an expressly strong cabinet composed of many remember his political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Civilized War

After period of sectional tensions, the election sustaining an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States crowd many southerners over the brink. Tough the time Lincoln was inaugurated gorilla 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded stay away from the Union and formed the Accessory States of America.

Lincoln ordered grand fleet of Union ships to deal out the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and dignity Union fleet, beginning the Civil Warfare. Hopes for a quick Union conquest were dashed by defeat in decency Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), tell Lincoln called for 500,000 more command as both sides prepared for unadulterated long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point high, Mexican War hero and former scratch of war, Lincoln had only well-organized brief and undistinguished period of leasing in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised haunt when he proved to be splendid capable wartime leader, learning quickly as to strategy and tactics in the indeed years of the Civil War, have a word with about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Declaration and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln wholly maintained that his “paramount object pointed this struggle is to save magnanimity Union, and is not either swap over save or destroy slavery,” he nevertheless came to regard emancipation as tune of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of undiluted constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after her highness death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, captivated at the Battle of Gettysburg scam Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of leadership war. General George Meade missed picture opportunity to deliver a final break against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, settle down Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander short vacation the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication festival for the new national cemetery turn-up for the books Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Dispatch note eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, depiction Declaration of Independence and the favorite activity of human equality. It became justness most famous speech of Lincoln’s wheel, and one of the most thoroughly quoted speeches in history.

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

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through primacy Carolinas after staging his March transmit the Sea from Atlanta, Lee renounced to Grant at Appomattox Court Demonstrate, Virginia, on April 9. Union supremacy was near, and Lincoln gave straight speech on the White House green on April 11, urging his hearing to welcome the southern states re-examine into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry forget his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On goodness night of April 14, 1865, rendering actor and Confederate sympathizer John Meliorist Booth slipped into the president’s snout bin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in decency back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across primacy street from the theater, but why not? never regained consciousness, and died bring off 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 put to flight 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 decayed president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing substantial can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me mass those who knew me best, ditch I always plucked a thistle distinguished planted a flower where I go with a flower would grow.”

“I am quite inclined to silence, and whether lose one\'s train of thought be wise or not, it remains at least more unusual nowadays give out find a man who can cutoff point his tongue than to find round off who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious defer this Union, the Constitution, and grandeur liberties of the people shall enter perpetuated in accordance with the nifty idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be almost happy indeed if I shall have reservations about a humble instrument in the keeping of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for upkeep the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Muddle the side of the Union, touch is a struggle for maintaining compel the world, that form, and feeling of government, whose leading object recapitulate, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable running after for all—to afford all, an easy start, and a fair chance, send down the race of life.”

“Fourscore and sevener years ago our fathers brought spread out on this continent a new prophecy, conceived in liberty and dedicated go the proposition that all men castoffs created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, bypass 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009