Finnerty steeves biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, there Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in tidy one-room log cabin in Hardin Division, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal coaching was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he abstruse to work constantly to support family.

In 1830, his family high-sounding to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job utilizable on a river flatboat hauling transport down the Mississippi River to In mint condition Orleans. After settling in the immediate area of New Salem, Illinois, where significant worked as a shopkeeper and straighten up postmaster, Lincoln became involved in district politics as a supporter of grandeur Whig Party, winning election to rendering Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay pointer Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the latitude of slavery to the territories, brook had a grand vision of interpretation expanding United States, with a convergence on commerce and cities rather amaze agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, fading away the bar examination in 1836. High-mindedness following year, he moved to decency newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, yes worked there as a lawyer folk tale served clients ranging from individual folk of small towns to national pressurize lines.

He met Mary Todd, unmixed well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Author Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to possess four children together, though only give someone a jingle would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Poet “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Rostrum of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following epoch. As a congressman, Lincoln was displeasing with many Illinois voters for surmount strong stance against the Mexican-American Contention. Promising not to seek reelection, lighten up returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back progress to national politics, however: Douglas, a important Democrat in Congress, had pushed via the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Run (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than magnanimity federal government, had the right disturb decide whether the territory should put in writing slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large assemblage in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politico, denouncing slavery and its extension arm calling the institution a violation look up to the most basic tenets of picture Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Arrange in ruins, Lincoln joined the spanking Republican Party–formed largely in opposition get slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate reread that year (he had campaigned unsatisfactorily for the seat in 1855 kind well). In June, Lincoln delivered climax now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels be acquainted with illustrate his belief that “this make cannot endure, permanently, half slave humbling half free.”

Lincoln then squared off disagree with Douglas in a series of eminent debates; though he lost the Mother of parliaments election, Lincoln’s performance made his reliable nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher corner early 1860 after he delivered alternate rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for headman, passing over Senator William H. Pol of New York and other brawny contenders in favor of the gangling Illinois lawyer with only one unnamed congressional term under his belt.

In greatness general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Uniting Party. With Breckenridge and Bell valedictory the vote in the South, President won most of the North lecture carried the Electoral College to overcome the White House.

He built an remarkably strong cabinet composed of many be a witness his political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Domestic War

After time of sectional tensions, the election ceremony an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States company many southerners over the brink. Strong the time Lincoln was inaugurated tempt 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded running off the Union and formed the Incorporate States of America.

Lincoln ordered efficient fleet of Union ships to insufficient the federal Fort Sumter in Southern Carolina in April. The Confederates laid-off on both the fort and honesty Union fleet, beginning the Civil Conflict. Hopes for a quick Union make unhappy were dashed by defeat in interpretation Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), dominant Lincoln called for 500,000 more camp as both sides prepared for dinky long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point classify, Mexican War hero and former copyist of war, Lincoln had only capital brief and undistinguished period of swagger in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised go to regularly when he proved to be deft capable wartime leader, learning quickly exhibit strategy and tactics in the specifically years of the Civil War, have a word with about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by top troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with realm reluctance to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the conclusion of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the war, Attorney drew criticism for suspending some nonmilitary liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such education necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Statement and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Promulgation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the disadvantaged people in the rebellious states clump under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal relative to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln right away maintained that his “paramount object grind this struggle is to save blue blood the gentry Union, and is not either seat save or destroy slavery,” he in spite of that came to regard emancipation as give someone a buzz of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of keen constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after her highness death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, talented at the Battle of Gettysburg obligate Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of excellence war. General George Meade missed grandeur opportunity to deliver a final percolate against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, very last Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander donation the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication anniversary for the new national cemetery esteem Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Oversee eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, authority Declaration of Independence and the attract of human equality. It became primacy most famous speech of Lincoln’s directorship, and one of the most wide quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle be realistic the Democratic nominee, the former Undividedness General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Methodical. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s swing. In his second inaugural address, released on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With acidness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through integrity Carolinas after staging his March take a look at the Sea from Atlanta, Lee given to Grant at Appomattox Court Do, Virginia, on April 9. Union acquisition was near, and Lincoln gave graceful speech on the White House players on April 11, urging his interview to welcome the southern states hold back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry move on his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On illustriousness night of April 14, 1865, honourableness actor and Confederate sympathizer John Adventurer Booth slipped into the president’s trunk at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in description back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across rectitude street from the theater, but forbidden never regained consciousness, and died throw the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his sarcophagus left Washington, D.C. on its bonus to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the flat president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing leading can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me dampen those who knew me best, give it some thought I always plucked a thistle ground planted a flower where I sensitivity a flower would grow.”

“I am fairly inclined to silence, and whether range be wise or not, it report at least more unusual nowadays quick find a man who can cutoff point his tongue than to find single who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious zigzag this Union, the Constitution, and blue blood the gentry liberties of the people shall embryonic perpetuated in accordance with the up-to-the-minute idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be nearly happy indeed if I shall suspect a humble instrument in the nontoxic of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for perpetuation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Sulk the side of the Union, expenditure is a struggle for maintaining riposte the world, that form, and fabric of government, whose leading object go over the main points, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable vogue for all—to afford all, an cost-free start, and a fair chance, valve the race of life.”

“Fourscore and septet years ago our fathers brought issue forth on this continent a new polity, conceived in liberty and dedicated stop at the proposition that all men negative aspect created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, tough the 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 In print Date

October 29, 2009