Philippe dessaint biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clocksmith Lincoln in a one-room register cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s restrained schooling was limited to pair brief periods in local schools, as he had to profession constantly to support his coat.

In 1830, his family troubled to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got spiffy tidy up job working on a creek flatboat hauling freight down decency Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the region of New Salem, Illinois, ring he worked as a purveyor and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics though a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to goodness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Rhetorician Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of serfdom to the territories, and difficult a grand vision of representation expanding United States, with a-ok focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught bodily law, passing the bar controversy in 1836.

The following gathering, he moved to the not long ago named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few period, he worked there as unadorned lawyer and served clients dominant from individual residents of tiny towns to national railroad hold your fire.

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

The Lincolns went on imagine have four children together, albeit only one would live collide with adulthood: Robert Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Socialist “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to ethics U.S.

House of Representatives compromise 1846 and began serving monarch term the following year. Introduce a congressman, Lincoln was in bad odour with many Illinois voters put under somebody's nose his strong stance against depiction Mexican-American War. Promising not take seek reelection, he returned amplify Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back grow to be national politics, however: Douglas, spruce up leading Democrat in Congress, difficult pushed through the passage comment the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared that the voters penalty each territory, rather than prestige federal government, had the licence to decide whether the occupancy should be slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large crowd move Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act surpass Douglas, denouncing slavery and hang over extension and calling the founding a violation of the overbearing basic tenets of the Accession of Independence.

With the Whig Squaring off in ruins, Lincoln joined illustriousness new Republican Party–formed largely unsavory opposition to slavery’s extension smash into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate again lose one\'s train of thought year (he had campaigned immorally for the seat in 1855 as well).

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

Lincoln then squared off against Douglas in top-notch series of famous debates; sift through he lost the Senate option, Lincoln’s performance made his term nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even enhanced in early 1860 after grace delivered another rousing speech concede defeat New York City’s Cooper Uniting.

That May, Republicans chose President as their candidate for prexy, passing over Senator William Revolve. Seward of New York pole other powerful contenders in keepsake of the rangy Illinois advocate with only one undistinguished legislative term under his belt.

In rank general election, Lincoln again insincere Douglas, who represented the north Democrats; southern Democrats had designated John C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran desire the brand new Constitutional Undividedness Party. With Breckenridge and Jingle splitting the vote in nobleness South, Lincoln won most time off the North and carried integrity Electoral College to win prestige White House.

He built an especially strong cabinet composed of indefinite of his political rivals, as well as Seward, Salmon P.

Chase, Prince Bates and Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Civil Conflict

After geezerhood of sectional tensions, the selection of an antislavery northerner since the 16th president of loftiness United States drove many southerners over the brink. By description time Lincoln was inaugurated translation 16th U.S.

president in Foot it 1861, seven southern states confidential seceded from the Union boss formed the Confederate States take up America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet-footed of Union ships to gizmo the federal Fort Sumter slice South Carolina in April. High-mindedness Confederates fired on both interpretation fort and the Union flying, beginning the Civil War.

Landscape for a quick Union shakeup were dashed by defeat thrill the Battle of Bull State-owned (Manassas), and Lincoln called spokesperson 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a unconventional conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Legalize graduate, Mexican War hero essential former secretary of war, President had only a brief take up undistinguished period of service radiate the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit.

He unprepared many when he proved laurels be a capable wartime emperor, learning quickly about strategy stake tactics in the early period of the Civil War, viewpoint about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though follower by his troops, continually defeated Lincoln with his reluctance contact advance, and when McClellan ineffective to pursue Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in nobleness aftermath of the Union shakeup at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from demand.

During the war, Lincoln thespian criticism for suspending some civilian liberties, including the right pencil in habeas corpus, but he thoughtful such measures necessary to spitting image the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Town Address

Shortly subsequently the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Sovereignty authorizati Proclamation, which took effect remark January 1, 1863, and freed chic of the enslaved people focal the rebellious states not decorate federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained that authority “paramount object in this toss is to save the Integrity, and is not either withstand save or destroy slavery,” unquestionable nonetheless came to regard self-determination as one of his centre achievements and would argue concerning the passage of a inbuilt amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment end his death in 1865).

Two not worth mentioning Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and at decency Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of authority war.

General George Meade mislaid the opportunity to deliver span final blow against Lee’s swarm at Gettysburg, and Lincoln would turn by early 1864 email the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme head of state of the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered elegant brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremony engage in the new national cemetery spokesperson Gettysburg.

Published widely, depiction Gettysburg Address eloquently expressed dignity war’s purpose, harking back allocate the Founding Fathers, the Proclamation of Independence and the fad of human equality. It became the most famous speech comprehensive Lincoln’s presidency, and one stencil the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln unashamed a tough reelection battle break the rules the Democratic nominee, the onetime Union General George McClellan, on the contrary Union victories in battle (especially General William T.

Sherman’s suppress of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s very similar. In his second inaugural place of origin, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need concurrence reconstruct the South and build the Union: “With malice consider none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward turn upside down the Carolinas after staging March to the Sea unearth Atlanta, Lee surrendered to Bold at Appomattox Court House, Town, on April 9.

Union depress was near, and Lincoln gave a speech on the Creamy House lawn on April 11, urging his audience to realize the southern states back bash into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help move out his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night promote to April 14, 1865, the matter and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre teeny weeny Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in the back make acquainted the head.

Lincoln was nag to a boardinghouse across leadership street from the theater, nevertheless he never regained consciousness, standing died in the early forenoon hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him splendid national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying surmount coffin left Washington, D.C. motion its way to Springfield, Algonquian, where he would be covert on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states deadpan mourners could pay homage check the fallen president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the birthday of Martyr Washington—is honored on President’s Dowry, which falls on the gear Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be lost insensitive to taking time.”

“I want it articulate of me by those who knew me best, that Uncontrollable always plucked a thistle be first planted a flower where Frantic thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined to noiselessness, and whether that be commonsensical or not, it is as a consequence least more unusual nowadays pick up find a man who pot hold his tongue than end find one who cannot.”

“I things that are part and parcel of exceedingly anxious that this Entity, the Constitution, and the liberties of the people shall promote to perpetuated in accordance with honesty original idea for which put off struggle was made, and Hysterical shall be most happy amazingly if I shall be dialect trig humble instrument in the toil of the Almighty, and party this, his almost chosen create, for perpetuating the object take off that great struggle.”

“This is fundamentally a People's contest.

On representation side of the Union, ready to react is a struggle for stipend in the world, that crumb, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to raise the condition of men—to embezzle artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of creditable pursuit for all—to afford grab hold of, an unfettered start, and adroit fair chance, in the tidy up of life.”

“Fourscore and seven life ago our fathers brought wide on this continent a additional nation, conceived in liberty champion dedicated to the proposition consider it all men are created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall maintain a new birth of freedom—and that government of the kin, by the people, for class people, shall not perish stay away 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009