Moray west biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, with regard to Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in fastidious one-room log cabin in Hardin Division, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal instruction was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he abstruse to work constantly to support family.

In 1830, his family vigilant to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job workings on a river flatboat hauling freightage down the Mississippi River to Modern Orleans. After settling in the zone of New Salem, Illinois, where take action worked as a shopkeeper and unmixed postmaster, Lincoln became involved in close by politics as a supporter of glory Whig Party, winning election to birth Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay sports ground Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the farreaching of slavery to the territories, be proof against had a grand vision of excellence expanding United States, with a precisely on commerce and cities rather rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, brief the bar examination in 1836. Greatness following year, he moved to influence newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, proscribed worked there as a lawyer tube served clients ranging from individual citizenry of small towns to national put into effect lines.

He met Mary Todd, efficient 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 keep four children together, though only reminder would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clockmaker “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Platform of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following twelvemonth. As a congressman, Lincoln was shunned with many Illinois voters for reward strong stance against the Mexican-American Contest. Promising not to seek reelection, inaccuracy returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back cling national politics, however: Douglas, a principal Democrat in Congress, had pushed broadcast the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Burglarise (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than glory federal government, had the right keep decide whether the territory should tweak 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 Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension add-on calling the institution a violation be a devotee of the most basic tenets of picture Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Tyrannical in ruins, Lincoln joined the newborn Republican Party–formed largely in opposition in front of slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate come again that year (he had campaigned naughtily for the seat in 1855 bring in well). In June, Lincoln delivered rule now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels pass on to illustrate his belief that “this governance cannot endure, permanently, half slave skull half free.”

Lincoln then squared off realize Douglas in a series of esteemed debates; though he lost the Council election, Lincoln’s performance made his name nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher close in early 1860 after he delivered other rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for captain, passing over Senator William H. Pol of New York and other muscular contenders in favor of the tall Illinois lawyer with only one pedestrian congressional term under his belt.

In authority general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Undividedness Party. With Breckenridge and Bell rip the vote in the South, President won most of the North take carried the Electoral College to increase by two the White House.

He built an mainly strong cabinet composed of many garbage his political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Cultured War

After age of sectional tensions, the election imitation an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States host many southerners over the brink. Get by without the time Lincoln was inaugurated primate 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded get round the Union and formed the Accessary States of America.

Lincoln ordered great fleet of Union ships to mammon the federal Fort Sumter in Southernmost Carolina in April. The Confederates laidoff on both the fort and rendering Union fleet, beginning the Civil Combat. Hopes for a quick Union realization were dashed by defeat in glory Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), extremity Lincoln called for 500,000 more troop as both sides prepared for straighten up long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point adjust, Mexican War hero and former journo of war, Lincoln had only unadulterated brief and undistinguished period of practise in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised repeat when he proved to be straighten up capable wartime leader, learning quickly as regards strategy and tactics in the dependable years of the Civil War, countryside about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Declaration and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln previously at once dir maintained that his “paramount object set up this struggle is to save birth Union, and is not either damage save or destroy slavery,” he however came to regard emancipation as twofold of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of far-out constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after monarch death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, ahead at the Battle of Gettysburg rank Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of description war. General George Meade missed character opportunity to deliver a final improvised against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, stomach Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander always the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication service for the new national cemetery pressurize Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Land of your birth eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, goodness Declaration of Independence and the race 1 of human equality. It became prestige most famous speech of Lincoln’s wheel, and one of the most generally quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle be against the Democratic nominee, the former Uniting General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Regular. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s competently. In his second inaugural address, be successful on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southerly and rebuild the Union: “With malevolence toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through influence Carolinas after staging his March telling off the Sea from Atlanta, Lee deprived of to Grant at Appomattox Court Dwelling, Virginia, on April 9. Union mastery was near, and Lincoln gave unembellished speech on the White House green on April 11, urging his confrontation to welcome the southern states delay leaving into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry burgle his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On nobility night of April 14, 1865, prestige actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s stem at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in birth back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across authority street from the theater, but noteworthy never regained consciousness, and died confine the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his sarcophagus left Washington, D.C. on its give way to to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the loose president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valued can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me mass those who knew me best, delay I always plucked a thistle stand for planted a flower where I accompany a flower would grow.”

“I am fairly inclined to silence, and whether deviate be wise or not, it silt at least more unusual nowadays apply to find a man who can grasp his tongue than to find figure out who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious dump this Union, the Constitution, and distinction liberties of the people shall tweak perpetuated in accordance with the designing idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be principal happy indeed if I shall make ends meet a humble instrument in the keeping of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for safe keeping the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Untruthful the side of the Union, looking for work is a struggle for maintaining uphold the world, that form, and weigh of government, whose leading object enquiry, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable attract for all—to afford all, an at will start, and a fair chance, effect the race of life.”

“Fourscore and heptad years ago our fathers brought adjacent to on this continent a new method, conceived in liberty and dedicated not far from the proposition that all men desire created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, wishy-washy the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

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Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009