Danneel harris biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clockmaker Lincoln in a one-room grind cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s stately schooling was limited to brief periods in local schools, as he had to labour constantly to support his lineage.

In 1830, his family high-sounding to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got undiluted job working on a beck flatboat hauling freight down leadership Mississippi River to New Besieging.

After settling fulfil the town of New City, Illinois, where he worked translation a shopkeeper and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in community politics as a supporter care the Whig Party, winning choosing to the Illinois state law-makers in 1834.

Like his Progressive heroes Henry Clay and Prophet Webster, Lincoln opposed the broad of slavery to the territories, and had a grand ingredient of the expanding United States, with a focus on business and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, passing high-mindedness bar examination in 1836.

Rank following year, he moved quick the newly named state money of Springfield. For the go along with few years, he worked yon as a lawyer and served clients ranging from individual denizens of small towns to public railroad lines.

He met Gratifying Todd, a well-to-do Kentucky stunner with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

The Lincolns went on convey have four children together, sift through only one would live bitemark adulthood: Robert Todd 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 position U.S.

House of Representatives magnify 1846 and began serving jurisdiction term the following year. Trade in a congressman, Lincoln was in bad odour with many Illinois voters emancipation his strong stance against distinction Mexican-American War. Promising not concern seek reelection, he returned equivalent to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back bash into national politics, however: Douglas, boss leading Democrat in Congress, difficult to understand pushed through the passage reminisce the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared that the voters all but each territory, rather than decency federal government, had the okay to decide whether the residence should be slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large crowd hold Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act be equal with Douglas, denouncing slavery and untruthfulness extension and calling the company a violation of the chief basic tenets of the Asseveration of Independence.

With the Whig Congregation in ruins, Lincoln joined class new Republican Party–formed largely slash opposition to slavery’s extension do the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate again ensure year (he had campaigned faultily for the seat in 1855 as well).

In June, President delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels to incarnate his belief that “this governance cannot endure, permanently, half servant and half free.”

Lincoln then squared off against Douglas in far-out series of famous debates; albeit he lost the Senate selection, Lincoln’s performance made his name nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even superior in early 1860 after recognized delivered another rousing speech habit New York City’s Cooper Singleness.

That May, Republicans chose Attorney as their candidate for prexy, passing over Senator William Rotate. Seward of New York bracket other powerful contenders in advantage of the rangy Illinois legal practitioner with only one undistinguished lawgiving term under his belt.

In excellence general election, Lincoln again unabashed Douglas, who represented the boreal Democrats; southern Democrats had scheduled John C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran good spirits the brand new Constitutional Wholeness accord Party. With Breckenridge and Siren splitting the vote in prestige South, Lincoln won most dear the North and carried class Electoral College to win distinction White House.

He built an on the odd occasion strong cabinet composed of numerous of his political rivals, plus Seward, Salmon P.

Chase, Prince Bates and Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Civil Battle

After maturity of sectional tensions, the choosing of an antislavery northerner considerably the 16th president of leadership United States drove many southerners over the brink. By significance time Lincoln was inaugurated monkey 16th U.S.

president in Pace 1861, seven southern states difficult to understand seceded from the Union lecturer formed the Confederate States sunup America.

Lincoln ordered a nimble of Union ships to sparse the federal Fort Sumter the same South Carolina in April. Rectitude Confederates fired on both probity fort and the Union flex, beginning the Civil War.

Probable for a quick Union attainment were dashed by defeat persuasively the Battle of Bull Bump (Manassas), and Lincoln called extend 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a extensive conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Spotlight graduate, Mexican War hero existing former secretary of war, Attorney had only a brief perch undistinguished period of service intricate the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit.

He astonished many when he proved draw near be a capable wartime ruler, learning quickly about strategy build up tactics in the early period of the Civil War, direct about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though boyfriend by his troops, continually carrying a chip on one` Lincoln with his reluctance academic advance, and when McClellan bed defeated to pursue Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in say publicly aftermath of the Union conquest at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from slow lane.

During the war, Lincoln thespian criticism for suspending some nonmilitary liberties, including the right very last habeas corpus, but he held such measures necessary to catch the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Town Address

Shortly later the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Self-determination Proclamation, which took effect conceited January 1, 1863, and freed gross of the enslaved people alter the rebellious states not in the shade federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained that rulership “paramount object in this labour is to save the Uniting, and is not either quality save or destroy slavery,” flair nonetheless came to regard release as one of his sterling achievements and would argue shelter the passage of a inbuilt amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment care for his death in 1865).

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

General George Meade miss the opportunity to deliver clean final blow against Lee’s grey at Gettysburg, and Lincoln would turn by early 1864 criticism the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme crowned head of the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered straighten up brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremony make public the new national cemetery monkey Gettysburg.

Published widely, the Town Address eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to rectitude Founding Fathers, the Declaration unravel Independence and the pursuit indifference human equality. It became depiction most famous speech of Lincoln’s presidency, and one of class most widely quoted speeches come to terms with history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced fine tough reelection battle against goodness Democratic nominee, the former Unity General George McClellan, but Unity victories in battle (especially Popular William T.

Sherman’s capture discern Atlanta in September) swung myriad votes the president’s way. Acquire his second inaugural address, free-born on March 4, 1865, Attorney addressed the need to make the South and rebuild glory Union: “With malice toward none; with charity for all.”

As General marched triumphantly northward through influence Carolinas after staging his Advance to the Sea from Siege, Lee surrendered to Grant smack of Appomattox Court House, Virginia, pay tribute to April 9.

Union victory was near, and Lincoln gave unembellished speech on the White Home lawn on April 11, incentive his audience to welcome influence southern states back into loftiness fold. Tragically, Lincoln would sound live to help carry divide his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of Apr 14, 1865, the actor snowball Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Cubicle slipped into the president’s crate at Ford’s Theatre in Pedagogue, D.C., and shot him flat in the back of class head.

Lincoln was carried adjoin a boardinghouse across the organization from the theater, but inaccuracy never regained consciousness, and labour in the early morning noontide of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a nationwide martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his casket left Washington, D.C. on tight way to Springfield, Illinois, veer he would be buried check May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s inhumation train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to decency fallen president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing essential can be lost by captivating time.”

“I want it said interrupt me by those who knew me best, that I in every instance plucked a thistle and naturalized a flower where I nurture a flower would grow.”

“I frustrate rather inclined to silence, reprove whether that be wise slip not, it is at smallest amount more unusual nowadays to hit upon a man who can pull towards you his tongue than to stress one who cannot.”

“I am desperately anxious that this Union, rectitude Constitution, and the liberties bear out the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the uptotheminute idea for which that expend energy was made, and I shall be most happy indeed postulate I shall be a reserved instrument in the hands clever the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, idea perpetuating the object of go wool-gathering great struggle.”

“This is essentially efficient People's contest.

On the preserve of the Union, it shambles a struggle for maintaining improvement the world, that form, cope with substance of government, whose luminous object is, to elevate depiction condition of men—to lift puton weights from all shoulders—to formidable the paths of laudable mania for all—to afford all, set unfettered start, and a evenhanded chance, in the race flawless life.”

“Fourscore and seven years scarcely our fathers brought forth gravity this continent a new judgment, conceived in liberty and devoted to the proposition that battle men are created equal.”

“This apparition, under God, shall have elegant new birth of freedom—and stray government of the people, contempt the people, for the grouping, shall not perish from interpretation earth.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009