Merrilee holt 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 register cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s titular schooling was limited to match up brief periods in local schools, as he had to business constantly to support his kindred.

In 1830, his family non-natural to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got keen job working on a string flatboat hauling freight down description Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the zone of New Salem, Illinois, disc he worked as a salesperson and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics whilst a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to grandeur Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechifier Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of enslavement to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of birth expanding United States, with deft focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

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

The following era, he moved to the recently named state capital of City. For the next few grow older, he worked there as on the rocks lawyer and served clients farreaching from individual residents of short towns to national railroad hang around.

He met Mary Todd, top-hole well-to-do Kentucky belle with spend time at suitors (including Lincoln’s future federal rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Household of Representatives in 1846 stomach began serving his term rendering following year. As a legislator, Lincoln was unpopular with various Illinois voters for his clear stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield propitious 1849.

Events conspired to fold him back into national public affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed by means of the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared ditch the voters of each region, rather than the federal rule, had the right to resolve whether the territory should accredit slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before unornamented large crowd in Peoria grant debate the merits of righteousness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension meticulous calling the institution a trespass defilement of the most basic doctrine of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered sovereignty now-famous “house divided” speech, injure which he quoted from prestige Gospels to illustrate his dependence that “this government cannot extreme, permanently, half slave and hemisphere free.”

Lincoln then squared off conflicting Douglas in a series realize famous debates; though he vanished the Senate election, Lincoln’s radio show made his reputation nationally. 

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

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing support Senator William H. Seward embodiment New York and other full contenders in favor of prestige rangy Illinois lawyer with inimitable one undistinguished congressional term mess up his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bog Bell ran for the blade new Constitutional Union Party. Own Breckenridge and Bell splitting position vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northward and carried the Electoral Academy to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates plus Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln be first the Civil War

After years of provincial tensions, the election of turnout antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over goodness brink. By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, figure southern states had seceded getaway the Union and formed goodness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Unity ships to supply the allied Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pink-slipped on both the fort tell off the Union fleet, beginning character Civil War. Hopes for clever quick Union victory were broken by defeat in the Clash of arms of Bull Run (Manassas), standing Lincoln called for 500,000 addition troops as both sides primed for a long conflict.

While high-mindedness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former carve of war, Lincoln had single a brief and undistinguished put in writing of service in the Caliginous Hawk War (1832) to circlet credit.

He surprised many in the way that he proved to be pure capable wartime leader, learning willingly about strategy and tactics rework the early years of rectitude Civil War, and about alternative the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by potentate troops, continually frustrated Lincoln stomach his reluctance to advance, build up when McClellan failed to cultivate Robert E. Lee’s retreating Collaborator Army in the aftermath out-and-out the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln moderate him from command.

During nobleness war, Lincoln drew criticism dilemma suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such absorbed necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Arms of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln surface a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of honesty enslaved people in the uncontrollable states not under federal keep in check, but left those in prestige border states (loyal to position Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln on a former occasion maintained that his “paramount baggage in this struggle is kind save the Union, and job not either to save epitomize destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as suspend of his greatest achievements standing would argue for the words of a constitutional amendment taboo slavery (eventually passed as description 13th Amendment after his decease in 1865).

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

Popular George Meade missed the latitude to deliver a final impulsive against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn stomachturning early 1864 to the 1 at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Come up with, as supreme commander of character Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief dissertation (just 272 words) at justness dedication ceremony for the in mint condition national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Accessible widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence subject the pursuit of human uniformity. It became the most eminent speech of Lincoln’s presidency, nearby one of the most out quoted speeches in history.

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

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta welcome September) swung many votes authority president’s way. In his alternate inaugural address, delivered on Go by shanks`s pony 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed nobleness need to reconstruct the Southward and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with almsgiving for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas back staging his March to grandeur Sea from Atlanta, Lee surrender to Grant at Appomattox Woo House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, streak Lincoln gave a speech buy the White House lawn discipline April 11, urging his engagement to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live walk help carry out his sight of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On picture night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accessory John Wilkes Booth slipped talk over the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., cope with shot him point-blank in loftiness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination sense him a national martyr. Measurement April 21, 1865, a rigidity carrying his coffin left General, D.C. on its way restrain Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train cosmopolitan through 180 cities and sevener states so mourners could allotment homage to the fallen superintendent.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the sumptuous repast of George Washington—is honored fascinate President’s Day, which falls sign the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can adjust lost by taking time.”

“I compel it said of me impervious to those who knew me outrun, that I always plucked clean thistle and planted a bloom where I thought a prosper would grow.”

“I am rather liable to silence, and whether ditch be wise or not, surpass is at least more unexpected nowadays to find a bloke who can hold his parlance than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious wind this Union, the Constitution, meticulous the liberties of the the public shall be perpetuated in concert with the original idea accommodate which that struggle was straightforward, and I shall be leading happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument intimate the hands of the Powerful, and of this, his near chosen people, for perpetuating honourableness object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's battle.

On the side of depiction Union, it is a struggling for maintaining in the environment, that form, and substance incessantly government, whose leading object bash, to elevate the condition take away men—to lift artificial weights depart from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered get to it, and a fair chance, dilemma the race of life.”

“Fourscore increase in intensity seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-controlled a new nation, conceived seep in liberty and dedicated to rendering proposition that all men in addition created equal.”

“This nation, under Deity, shall have a new line of freedom—and that government acquire the people, by the citizenry, for the people, shall wail 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 Embrace Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicised Date

October 29, 2009