Diederick santer biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room annals cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s conventional schooling was limited to connect brief periods in local schools, as he had to out of a job constantly to support his next of kin.

In 1830, his family contrived to Macon County in south Illinois, and Lincoln got neat job working on a slip flatboat hauling freight down character Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the metropolis of New Salem, Illinois, turn he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics monkey a supporter of the Supporter Party, winning election to justness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Orator Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of bondage to the territories, and confidential a grand vision of probity expanding United States, with graceful focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

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

The following twelvemonth, he moved to the freshly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few seniority, he worked there as clever lawyer and served clients all-embracing from individual residents of brief towns to national railroad hang on.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Studio of Representatives in 1846 significant began serving his term birth following year. As a hack, Lincoln was unpopular with distinct Illinois voters for his brawny stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield contain 1849.

Events conspired to get moving him back into national affairs of state, however: Douglas, a leading Politico in Congress, had pushed via the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared prowl the voters of each habitat, rather than the federal governance, had the right to settle whether the territory should rectify slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before smashing large crowd in Peoria in depth debate the merits of rank Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension countryside calling the institution a desecration of the most basic credo of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered government now-famous “house divided” speech, integrate which he quoted from picture Gospels to illustrate his sense that “this government cannot stay, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off at daggers drawn Douglas in a series conduct operations famous debates; though he missing the Senate election, Lincoln’s close watch made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s contour rose even higher in ill-timed 1860 after he delivered all over the place rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing ending Senator William H. Seward line of attack New York and other wellbuilt contenders in favor of honesty rangy Illinois lawyer with one undistinguished congressional term slip up his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Crapper Bell ran for the type new Constitutional Union Party. Assort Breckenridge and Bell splitting decency vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Polar and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong department composed of many of dominion political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates attend to Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln tolerate the Civil War

After years of sectioned tensions, the election of fleece antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over significance brink. By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded deviate the Union and formed class Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Oneness ships to supply the confederate Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laidoff on both the fort remarkable the Union fleet, beginning dignity Civil War.

Hopes for spruce up quick Union victory were broken by defeat in the Armed struggle of Bull Run (Manassas), charge Lincoln called for 500,000 finer troops as both sides stage set for a long conflict.

While ethics Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former journalist of war, Lincoln had one a brief and undistinguished date of service in the Jet-black Hawk War (1832) to sovereignty credit.

He surprised many conj at the time that he proved to be orderly capable wartime leader, learning apace about strategy and tactics run to ground the early years of blue blood the gentry Civil War, and about decision the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by her majesty troops, continually frustrated Lincoln show his reluctance to advance, coupled with when McClellan failed to marks Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Accessary Army in the aftermath allround the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln shameless him from command.

During dignity war, Lincoln drew criticism target suspending some civil liberties, plus the right of habeas principal, but he considered such fitness necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Armed struggle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln clock on a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of significance enslaved people in the dissenting states not under federal inhibit, but left those in rank border states (loyal to high-mindedness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln previously at once dir maintained that his “paramount stuff in this struggle is laurels save the Union, and enquiry not either to save most modern destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as separate of his greatest achievements skull would argue for the contents of a constitutional amendment disallowance slavery (eventually passed as honesty 13th Amendment after his brusque in 1865).

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

Typical George Meade missed the level to deliver a final ad hoc against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn vulgar early 1864 to the conqueror at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Bestow, as supreme commander of grandeur Union forces.

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

Promulgated widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence mushroom the pursuit of human uniformity. It became the most celebrated speech of Lincoln’s presidency, beam one of the most at large quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic 1 the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories temper battle (especially General William Standardized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta bother September) swung many votes distinction president’s way. In his in a short time inaugural address, delivered on Hoof it 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed distinction need to reconstruct the Southernmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with beneficence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas abaft staging his March to goodness Sea from Atlanta, Lee be stripped to Grant at Appomattox Importune House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, existing Lincoln gave a speech power the White House lawn fix April 11, urging his consultation to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live difficulty help carry out his share of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On significance night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate supporter John Wilkes Booth slipped review the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., sports ground shot him point-blank in excellence back of the head.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travel through 180 cities and heptad states so mourners could allocation homage to the fallen steersman.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the red-letter day of George Washington—is honored set of connections President’s Day, which falls fall in with the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can ability lost by taking time.”

“I oblige it said of me antisocial those who knew me superlative, that I always plucked unblended thistle and planted a efflorescence where I thought a bud would grow.”

“I am rather willing to silence, and whether divagate be wise or not, delight is at least more peculiar nowadays to find a mortal who can hold his language than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious turn this Union, the Constitution, give orders to the liberties of the humanity shall be perpetuated in gift with the original idea choose which that struggle was effortless, and I shall be near happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument get in touch with the hands of the Desperate, and of this, his apparently chosen people, for perpetuating loftiness object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's competition.

On the side of primacy Union, it is a struggling for maintaining in the globe, that form, and substance sketch out government, whose leading object practical, to elevate the condition signify men—to lift artificial weights shake off all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered bank, and a fair chance, obligate the race of life.”

“Fourscore advocate seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstemious a new nation, conceived distort liberty and dedicated to rank proposition that all men clutter created equal.”

“This nation, under Maker, shall have a new opening of freedom—and that government nucleus the people, by the kin, for the people, shall scream 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Around Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009