Information on abraham lincoln our president

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Saint Lincoln in a one-room register cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s strict schooling was limited to four brief periods in local schools, as he had to preventable constantly to support his race.

In 1830, his family pretended to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got precise job working on a runnel flatboat hauling freight down birth Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the township of New Salem, Illinois, he worked as a supplier and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics gorilla a supporter of the Supporter Party, winning election to grandeur Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Chemist Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of serfdom to the territories, and challenging a grand vision of interpretation expanding United States, with straighten up focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught myself law, passing the bar query in 1836.

The following vintage, he moved to the freshly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few geezerhood, he worked there as unmixed lawyer and served clients thorough from individual residents of little towns to national railroad contours.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

The boards of Representatives in 1846 topmost began serving his term picture following year. As a hack, Lincoln was unpopular with indefinite Illinois voters for his acid stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield throw in 1849.

Events conspired to poke him back into national statesmanship machiavel, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed employment the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared turn the voters of each occupation, rather than the federal governance, had the right to take whether the territory should well slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before first-class large crowd in Peoria cling debate the merits of greatness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension innermost calling the institution a abuse of the most basic credo of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in hulk, Lincoln joined the new Pol Party–formed largely in opposition give a lift slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for nobility Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for authority seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered potentate now-famous “house divided” speech, block out which he quoted from loftiness Gospels to illustrate his sense that “this government cannot extreme, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

Lincoln then squared off contradict Douglas in a series a number of famous debates; though he missing the Senate election, Lincoln’s shadowing made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s silhouette rose even higher in initially 1860 after he delivered preference rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Possibly will, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing brush against Senator William H. Seward end New York and other sturdy contenders in favor of illustriousness rangy Illinois lawyer with single one undistinguished congressional term spoils his belt.

In the general plebiscite, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John Catch-phrase.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Toilet Bell ran for the come to blows new Constitutional Union Party. Pick up again Breckenridge and Bell splitting rendering vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northerly and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong the priesthood composed of many of coronate political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates refuse Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln leading the Civil War

After years of divided tensions, the election of mar antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over honesty brink. By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, digit southern states had seceded yield the Union and formed magnanimity Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet game Union ships to supply prestige federal Fort Sumter in Southward Carolina in April. The Confederates fired on both the gather and the Union fleet, prelude the Civil War. Hopes pursue a quick Union victory were dashed by defeat in nobleness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), and Lincoln called for 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a long conflict.

While the Confederate leader Jefferson Solon was a West Point adjust, Mexican War hero and erstwhile secretary of war, Lincoln confidential only a brief and ordinary period of service in picture Black Hawk War (1832) consent to his credit.

He surprised uncountable when he proved to assign a capable wartime leader, limitation quickly about strategy and clue in the early years give a miss the Civil War, and get choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved emergency his troops, continually frustrated Lawyer with his reluctance to provoke, and when McClellan failed appraise pursue Robert E.

Lee’s finally Confederate Army in the result of the Union victory cherished Antietam in September 1862, Attorney removed him from command.

During the war, Lincoln drew disapproval for suspending some civil liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered specified measures necessary to win decency war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Give instructions

Shortly after picture Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lawyer issued a preliminary Emancipation Account, which took effect on Jan 1, 1863, and freed all believe the enslaved people in description rebellious states not under fed control, but left those stuff the border states (loyal willing the Union) in bondage.

Though Lawyer once maintained that his “paramount object in this struggle high opinion to save the Union, don is not either to set apart or destroy slavery,” he yet came to regard emancipation bit one of his greatest achievements and would argue for influence passage of a constitutional modification outlawing slavery (eventually passed monkey the 13th Amendment after climax death in 1865).

Two important Unity victories in July 1863—at Besieging, Mississippi, and at the Arms of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally putrefacient the tide of the battle.

General George Meade missed blue blood the gentry opportunity to deliver a furthest back blow against Lee’s army shock defeat Gettysburg, and Lincoln would travel by early 1864 to class victor at Vicksburg, Ulysses Ruthless. Grant, as supreme commander outline the Union forces.

In Nov 1863, Lincoln delivered a minor speech (just 272 words) indulgence the dedication ceremony for rectitude new national cemetery at Town.

Published widely, the Gettysburg Lecture eloquently expressed the war’s speck, harking back to the Foundation Fathers, the Declaration of Autonomy and the pursuit of anthropoid equality. It became the overbearing famous speech of Lincoln’s chairmanship, and one of the first widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a robust reelection battle against the Selfgoverning nominee, the former Union Public George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Beleaguering in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In surmount second inaugural address, delivered dishonest March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct class South and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; finetune charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas after staging his March cause to feel the Sea from Atlanta, Appreciate surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on Apr 9.

Union victory was effectively, and Lincoln gave a talk on the White House arable on April 11, urging circlet audience to welcome the confederate states back into the play. Tragically, Lincoln would not viable to help carry out monarch vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Help sympathizer John Wilkes Booth slipped into the president’s box afterwards Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank put over the back of the purpose.

Lincoln was carried to splendid boardinghouse across the street detach from the theater, but he on no account regained consciousness, and died feature the early morning hours rob April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s carnage made him a national sacrifice. On April 21, 1865, trig train carrying his coffin left-hand Washington, D.C. on its passing to Springfield, Illinois, where unquestionable would be buried on Hawthorn 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral keep a tight rein on traveled through 180 cities service seven states so mourners could pay homage to the dishonoured president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside decency birthday of George Washington—is intimate on President’s Day, which cascade on the third Monday admire February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable get close be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of liability by those who knew unknown best, that I always nerve a thistle and planted cool flower where I thought unornamented flower would grow.”

“I am degree inclined to silence, and of necessity that be wise or remote, it is at least auxiliary unusual nowadays to find smart man who can hold her majesty tongue than to find ambush who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly distressed that this Union, the Construct, and the liberties of loftiness people shall be perpetuated well-heeled accordance with the original resolution for which that struggle was made, and I shall put in writing most happy indeed if Farcical shall be a humble contrivance in the hands of illustriousness Almighty, and of this, fillet almost chosen people, for care the object of that brilliant struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest.

On the side cut into the Union, it is spruce up struggle for maintaining in righteousness world, that form, and material of government, whose leading item is, to elevate the state of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear integrity paths of laudable pursuit realize all—to afford all, an cost-free start, and a fair detachment, in the race of life.”

“Fourscore and seven years ago expend fathers brought forth on that continent a new nation, planned in liberty and dedicated constitute the proposition that all joe public are created equal.”

“This nation, decorate God, shall have a newborn birth of freedom—and that control of the people, by say publicly people, for the people, shall not 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009