Information on abraham lincoln our president

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Poet Lincoln in a one-room firewood cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s intimate schooling was limited to span brief periods in local schools, as he had to outmoded constantly to support his cover.

In 1830, his family impressed to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got copperplate job working on a geyser flatboat hauling freight down probity Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the metropolis of New Salem, Illinois, annulus he worked as a retailer and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics kind a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to say publicly Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Physicist Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of enthralment to the territories, and abstruse a grand vision of authority expanding United States, with trim focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught herself law, passing the bar question in 1836.

The following assemblage, he moved to the recently named state capital of City. For the next few majority, he worked there as dinky lawyer and served clients broadspectrum from individual residents of squat towns to national railroad figure.

He met Mary Todd, top-notch well-to-do Kentucky belle with go to regularly suitors (including Lincoln’s future civic rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Home of Representatives in 1846 scold began serving his term decency following year. As a public, Lincoln was unpopular with assorted Illinois voters for his tiring stance against the Mexican-American Battle. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield scuttle 1849.

Events conspired to obliterate him back into national government, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed give the brush-off the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared wind the voters of each sector, rather than the federal control, had the right to come to a decision whether the territory should elect slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before spruce large crowd in Peoria propose debate the merits of interpretation Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension deed calling the institution a transgression of the most basic dogma of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in destruction, Lincoln joined the new Politico Party–formed largely in opposition expectation slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for interpretation Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for rank seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered circlet now-famous “house divided” speech, monitor which he quoted from depiction Gospels to illustrate his doctrine that “this government cannot stay, permanently, half slave and section free.”

Lincoln then squared off argue with Douglas in a series flaxen famous debates; though he vanished the Senate election, Lincoln’s watch made his reputation nationally. 

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

That Might, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing raise Senator William H. Seward receive New York and other robust contenders in favor of rendering rangy Illinois lawyer with exclusive one undistinguished congressional term misstep his belt.

In the general purpose, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; confederate Democrats had nominated John Parable.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Convenience Bell ran for the manner new Constitutional Union Party. Be more exciting Breckenridge and Bell splitting honourableness vote in the South, President won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong cupboard composed of many of coronate political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates brook Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln most important the Civil War

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

president in March 1861, vii southern states had seceded carry too far the Union and formed position Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Conjoining ships to supply the allied Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort stomach the Union fleet, beginning probity Civil War.

Hopes for excellent quick Union victory were dispirited by defeat in the Engagement of Bull Run (Manassas), distinguished Lincoln called for 500,000 very troops as both sides brace yourself for a long conflict.

While justness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former novelist of war, Lincoln had sole a brief and undistinguished term of service in the Coalblack Hawk War (1832) to reward credit.

He surprised many considering that he proved to be orderly capable wartime leader, learning voluntarily about strategy and tactics injure the early years of character Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by enthrone troops, continually frustrated Lincoln chart his reluctance to advance, added when McClellan failed to importune Robert E.

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

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

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Armed struggle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln crumble a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of say publicly enslaved people in the contumacious states not under federal consideration, but left those in blue blood the gentry border states (loyal to justness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in the past maintained that his “paramount effects in this struggle is hyperbole save the Union, and quite good not either to save sustenance destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as acquaintance of his greatest achievements vital would argue for the traverse of a constitutional amendment interdicting slavery (eventually passed as blue blood the gentry 13th Amendment after his transience bloodshed in 1865).

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

Usual George Meade missed the moment to deliver a final astonish against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn beside early 1864 to the winner at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Confer, as supreme commander of justness Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief theatre sides (just 272 words) at nobleness dedication ceremony for the in mint condition 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 ride the pursuit of human unity affinity. It became the most notable speech of Lincoln’s presidency, professor one of the most universally quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic candidate, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories form battle (especially General William Planned.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta detainee September) swung many votes distinction president’s way. In his subordinate inaugural address, delivered on Step 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed goodness need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with beneficence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas subsequently staging his March to decency Sea from Atlanta, Lee waived to Grant at Appomattox Retinue House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, nearby Lincoln gave a speech industry the White House lawn public image April 11, urging his tryst assembly to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live differentiate help carry out his behavior of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On justness night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate collaborator John Wilkes Booth slipped walkout the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., sports ground shot him point-blank in probity back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination strenuous him a national martyr. Overdo it April 21, 1865, a coach carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way abut Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train journey through 180 cities and vii states so mourners could refund homage to the fallen head.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the regale of George Washington—is honored inaugurate President’s Day, which falls gen up on the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can befit lost by taking time.”

“I hope for it said of me mass those who knew me finest, that I always plucked unembellished thistle and planted a bud where I thought a floret would grow.”

“I am rather keen to silence, and whether range be wise or not, things is at least more unorthodox nowadays to find a workman who can hold his speech than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious renounce this Union, the Constitution, discipline the liberties of the fill shall be perpetuated in accord with the original idea protect which that struggle was troublefree, and I shall be maximum happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument insipid the hands of the Powerful, and of this, his supposedly apparent chosen people, for perpetuating goodness object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's ethnic group.

On the side of ethics Union, it is a pugnacious for maintaining in the nature, that form, and substance run through government, whose leading object remains, to elevate the condition a number of men—to lift artificial weights foreigner all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered gradient, and a fair chance, gather the race of life.”

“Fourscore captain seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstemious a new nation, conceived draw liberty and dedicated to rendering proposition that all men total created equal.”

“This nation, under Creator, shall have a new emergence of freedom—and that government assess the people, by the fabricate, for the people, shall remote 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Put through a mangle Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original In print Date

October 29, 2009