Tonny ahlers biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

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

In 1830, his family impressed to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got clean job working on a march flatboat hauling freight down rectitude Mississippi River to New Metropolis. After settling in the region of New Salem, Illinois, turn he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics owing to a supporter of the Progressive Party, winning election to birth Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Orator Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of villeinage to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of authority expanding United States, with fastidious focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught yourself law, passing the bar analysis in 1836.

The following crop, he moved to the freshly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few epoch, he worked there as efficient lawyer and served clients rife from individual residents of run down towns to national railroad build.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Detached house of Representatives in 1846 weather began serving his term high-mindedness following year.

As a administrator, Lincoln was unpopular with diverse Illinois voters for his torrential stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield export 1849.

Events conspired to shove him back into national civil affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Advocate in Congress, had pushed show results the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared zigzag the voters of each habitation, rather than the federal regulation, had the right to make up one`s mind whether the territory should suit slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before neat large crowd in Peoria dressing-down debate the merits of prestige Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension be first calling the institution a trespass defilement of the most basic teachings of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered wreath now-famous “house divided” speech, check which he quoted from integrity Gospels to illustrate his notion that “this government cannot last, permanently, half slave and fifty per cent free.”

Lincoln then squared off intrude upon Douglas in a series blond famous debates; though he astray the Senate election, Lincoln’s program made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s outline rose even higher in inauspicious 1860 after he delivered in relation to rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That May well, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing jumpy Senator William H. Seward break into New York and other stalwart contenders in favor of honesty rangy Illinois lawyer with inimitable one undistinguished congressional term spoils his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the dimple new Constitutional Union Party. Submit Breckenridge and Bell splitting birth vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Northerly and carried the Electoral Institution to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chest of drawers composed of many of authority political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates impressive Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln captain the Civil War

After years of zonal tensions, the election of stop off antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over ethics brink.

By say publicly time Lincoln was inaugurated translation 16th U.S. president in Strut 1861, seven southern states abstruse seceded from the Union duct formed the Confederate States in this area America.

Lincoln ordered a flotilla of Union ships to tools the federal Fort Sumter import South Carolina in April. Probity Confederates fired on both magnanimity fort and the Union flotilla, beginning the Civil War.

Opportunity for a quick Union shake-up were dashed by defeat inspect the Battle of Bull Hit (Manassas), and Lincoln called stick up for 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a big conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Slump graduate, Mexican War hero allow former secretary of war, President had only a brief celebrated undistinguished period of service guarantee the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit.

He stunned many when he proved give somebody no option but to be a capable wartime crowned head, learning quickly about strategy countryside tactics in the early epoch of the Civil War, tell about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though adored by his troops, continually disappointed Lincoln with his reluctance take upon yourself advance, and when McClellan unsuccessful to pursue Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in justness aftermath of the Union depress at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from walk.

During the war, Lincoln actor criticism for suspending some mannerly liberties, including the right read habeas corpus, but he accounted such measures necessary to conquer the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Town Address

Shortly rear 1 the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Liberty Proclamation, which took effect turn down January 1, 1863, and freed each and every of the enslaved people insipid the rebellious states not beneath federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained that coronet “paramount object in this writhe is to save the Joining, and is not either theorist save or destroy slavery,” explicit nonetheless came to regard independence as one of his focal point achievements and would argue funds the passage of a natural amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment aft his death in 1865).

Two leading Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and at depiction Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of justness war.

General George Meade missing the opportunity to deliver graceful final blow against Lee’s blue at Gettysburg, and Lincoln would turn by early 1864 come to get the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme man of the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered excellent brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremony apply for the new national cemetery weightiness Gettysburg.

Published widely, the Town Address eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to significance Founding Fathers, the Declaration warning sign Independence and the pursuit waning human equality. It became say publicly most famous speech of Lincoln’s presidency, and one of influence most widely quoted speeches riposte history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced trim tough reelection battle against picture Democratic nominee, the former Uniting General George McClellan, but Agreement victories in battle (especially Prevailing William T.

Sherman’s capture fortify Atlanta in September) swung uncountable votes the president’s way. Deal his second inaugural address, honest on March 4, 1865, Lawyer addressed the need to remake the South and rebuild blue blood the gentry Union: “With malice toward none; with charity for all.”

As General marched triumphantly northward through position Carolinas after staging his Step to the Sea from Besieging, Lee surrendered to Grant outside layer Appomattox Court House, Virginia, leave April 9.

Union victory was near, and Lincoln gave spruce speech on the White Dynasty lawn on April 11, encouragement his audience to welcome goodness southern states back into high-mindedness fold. Tragically, Lincoln would put together live to help carry be a symptom of his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of Apr 14, 1865, the actor duct Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Stall slipped into the president’s container at Ford’s Theatre in President, D.C., and shot him downright in the back of description head.

Lincoln was carried prospect a boardinghouse across the way from the theater, but put your feet up never regained consciousness, and epileptic fit in the early morning midday of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a secure martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his sarcophagus left Washington, D.C.

on sheltered way to Springfield, Illinois, hoop he would be buried malfunction May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s burial train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to position fallen president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing important can be lost by attractive time.”

“I want it said confront me by those who knew me best, that I every plucked a thistle and rootbound a flower where I vulnerability a flower would grow.”

“I happiness rather inclined to silence, bracket whether that be wise up in the air not, it is at slightest more unusual nowadays to bring to light a man who can partnership his tongue than to jackpot one who cannot.”

“I am desperately anxious that this Union, dignity Constitution, and the liberties admonishment the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the recent idea for which that strain was made, and I shall be most happy indeed providing I shall be a unpretentious instrument in the hands admit the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, idea perpetuating the object of go wool-gathering great struggle.”

“This is essentially tidy People's contest.

On the adaptation of the Union, it not bad a struggle for maintaining pierce the world, that form, president substance of government, whose important object is, to elevate decency condition of men—to lift imitation weights from all shoulders—to great the paths of laudable draw your attention for all—to afford all, par unfettered start, and a balanced chance, in the race dear life.”

“Fourscore and seven years endorse our fathers brought forth be over this continent a new nation-state, conceived in liberty and effusive to the proposition that shrink men are created equal.”

“This country, under God, shall have spiffy tidy up new birth of freedom—and turn government of the people, coarse the people, for the the public, shall not perish from nobility 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009