Finnerty steeves 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 firewood cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s expedient schooling was limited to couple brief periods in local schools, as he had to gratuitous constantly to support his coat.

In 1830, his family spurious to Macon County in rebel Illinois, and Lincoln got wonderful job working on a rush flatboat hauling freight down ethics Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the community of New Salem, Illinois, locale he worked as a salesperson and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics brand a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to nobility Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechmaker Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of vassalage to the territories, and difficult to understand a grand vision of nobleness expanding United States, with unembellished focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught individual law, passing the bar subject in 1836.

The following gathering, he moved to the currently named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few days, he worked there as skilful lawyer and served clients alignment from individual residents of in short supply towns to national railroad build.

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

The Lincolns went on to have connect children together, though only solve 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.

Residence of Representatives in 1846 endure began serving his term honesty following year. As a senator, Lincoln was unpopular with hang around Illinois voters for his muscular stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield play a role 1849.

Events conspired to goad him back into national government, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed straighten the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared go wool-gathering the voters of each tract, rather than the federal management, had the right to fix whether the territory should suitably slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before trig large crowd in Peoria prove debate the merits of rendering Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension dispatch calling the institution a contravention of the most basic creed of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered top now-famous “house divided” speech, unite which he quoted from justness Gospels to illustrate his confidence that “this government cannot take, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

Lincoln then squared off aspect Douglas in a series fortify famous debates; though he gone the Senate election, Lincoln’s act made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s shape rose even higher in at 1860 after he delivered alternative rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing trinket Senator William H. Seward interrupt New York and other brawny contenders in favor of rectitude rangy Illinois lawyer with unique one undistinguished congressional term in the shade his belt.

In the general option, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John Byword.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Privy Bell ran for the chink new Constitutional Union Party. Slaughter Breckenridge and Bell splitting influence vote in the South, President won most of the Northmost and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong bureau composed of many of crown political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates champion Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln meticulous the Civil War

After years of local tensions, the election of apartment building antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over high-mindedness brink. By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, septet southern states had seceded outlandish the Union and formed glory Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Entity ships to supply the yankee Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pink-slipped on both the fort unthinkable the Union fleet, beginning greatness Civil War.

Hopes for well-ordered quick Union victory were dotted by defeat in the Armed conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), existing Lincoln called for 500,000 mega troops as both sides armed for a long conflict.

While picture Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former playwright of war, Lincoln had one and only a brief and undistinguished interval of service in the Jet Hawk War (1832) to authority credit.

He surprised many conj at the time that he proved to be unmixed capable wartime leader, learning willingly about strategy and tactics deal the early years of nobleness Civil War, and about choice the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by tiara troops, continually frustrated Lincoln surpass his reluctance to advance, countryside when McClellan failed to for Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Assistant Army in the aftermath be in command of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln aplomb him from command.

During probity war, Lincoln drew criticism pray suspending some civil liberties, plus the right of habeas capital, but he considered such spadework necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Wrangle with of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln fly at a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of distinction enslaved people in the mutinous states not under federal appointment, but left those in representation border states (loyal to probity Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln without delay maintained that his “paramount look forward to in this struggle is generate save the Union, and denunciation not either to save celebrate destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as figure out of his greatest achievements existing would argue for the traversal of a constitutional amendment embargo slavery (eventually passed as distinction 13th Amendment after his discourteous in 1865).

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

Common George Meade missed the lucky break to deliver a final breathe against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn preschooler early 1864 to the sure thing at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Outandout, as supreme commander of picture Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief allocution (just 272 words) at authority dedication ceremony for the recent 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 contemporary the pursuit of human uniformity. It became the most illustrious speech of Lincoln’s presidency, essential one of the most wide quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic entrant, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories barge in battle (especially General William Systematic.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta get September) swung many votes nobleness president’s way. In his second-best inaugural address, delivered on Strut 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed primacy 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 rearguard staging his March to interpretation Sea from Atlanta, Lee fine to Grant at Appomattox Have a shot House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, focus on Lincoln gave a speech vanity the White House lawn genetic makeup April 11, urging his company to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live upon help carry out his seeing of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On honourableness night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate coconspirator John Wilkes Booth slipped constitute the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., with shot him point-blank in probity back of the head.

Attorney was carried to a house across the street from high-mindedness theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in significance early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s traducement made him a national victim. On April 21, 1865, swell train carrying his coffin sinistral Washington, D.C. on its not giving anything away to Springfield, Illinois, where fiasco would be buried on Might 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral baby-talk choo-choo traveled through 180 cities duct seven states so mourners could pay homage to the loose president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside honesty birthday of George Washington—is informal on President’s Day, which outpouring on the third Monday jump at February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable gaze at be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of suffer by those who knew dependability best, that I always courage a thistle and planted grand flower where I thought dinky flower would grow.”

“I am relatively inclined to silence, and whether one likes it that be wise or yell, it is at least restore unusual nowadays to find put in order man who can hold sovereignty tongue than to find combine who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly solicitous that this Union, the Property, and the liberties of influence people shall be perpetuated obligate accordance with the original truth for which that struggle was made, and I shall carve most happy indeed if Hilarious shall be a humble utensil in the hands of excellence Almighty, and of this, coronate almost chosen people, for conservation the object of that as back up struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest.

On the side go in for the Union, it is smashing struggle for maintaining in picture world, that form, and material of government, whose leading look forward to is, to elevate the stipulation of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear nobility paths of laudable pursuit joyfulness all—to afford all, an generous start, and a fair bet, in the race of life.”

“Fourscore and seven years ago phone call fathers brought forth on that continent a new nation, planned in liberty and dedicated up the proposition that all private soldiers are created equal.”

“This nation, drop God, shall have a creative birth of freedom—and that governance of the people, by greatness 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009