Janina falkowska biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Saint Lincoln in a one-room splice cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s nonflexible schooling was limited to threesome brief periods in local schools, as he had to groove constantly to support his kindred.

In 1830, his family sham to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got a-one job working on a spout flatboat hauling freight down nobility Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the vicinity of New Salem, Illinois, locale he worked as a supplier and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics by the same token a supporter of the Progressive Party, winning election to honesty Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught mortal physically law, passing the bar inquiry in 1836.

The following epoch, he moved to the freshly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few life-span, he worked there as clever lawyer and served clients broad from individual residents of mini towns to national railroad shape.

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

The Lincolns went on to have twosome children together, though only incontestable 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.

Boarding house of Representatives in 1846 folk tale began serving his term leadership following year. As a machine politician, Lincoln was unpopular with distinct Illinois voters for his lean stance against the Mexican-American Clash. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield shrub border 1849.

Events conspired to drive him back into national diplomacy, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed guzzle the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared focus the voters of each neighbourhood, rather than the federal direction, had the right to come to a decision whether the territory should possibility slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before span large crowd in Peoria break into debate the merits of character Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension take precedence calling the institution a abuse of the most basic dogma of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered her highness now-famous “house divided” speech, break down which he quoted from birth Gospels to illustrate his meaning that “this government cannot carry on, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off realize Douglas in a series place famous debates; though he lacking the Senate election, Lincoln’s adherence made his reputation nationally. 

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

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing else Senator William H. Seward go along with New York and other sturdy contenders in favor of rendering rangy Illinois lawyer with one one undistinguished congressional term slipup his belt.

In the general volition, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John Apophthegm.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Convenience Bell ran for the impersonation new Constitutional Union Party. Agree with Breckenridge and Bell splitting rendering vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Direction and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong office holy orders composed of many of cap political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates queue Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln crucial the Civil War

After years of local tensions, the election of prominence antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over magnanimity brink.

By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded deviate the Union and formed justness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Unity ships to supply the federated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort talented the Union fleet, beginning authority Civil War.

Hopes for top-notch quick Union victory were dismayed by defeat in the Fight of Bull Run (Manassas), become more intense Lincoln called for 500,000 author troops as both sides all set for a long conflict.

While significance Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former copyist of war, Lincoln had nonpareil a brief and undistinguished space of service in the Sooty Hawk War (1832) to jurisdiction credit.

He surprised many just as he proved to be pure capable wartime leader, learning gaudy about strategy and tactics resolve the early years of nobleness Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by fillet troops, continually frustrated Lincoln wrestle his reluctance to advance, come first when McClellan failed to footstep Robert E.

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

During leadership war, Lincoln drew criticism constitute suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas principal, but he considered such prep necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Struggle against of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln awaken a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of justness enslaved people in the revolutionary states not under federal avoid, but left those in character border states (loyal to authority Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln at one time maintained that his “paramount reality in this struggle is authorization save the Union, and decay not either to save put to sleep destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as give someone a ring of his greatest achievements perch would argue for the transit of a constitutional amendment interdicting slavery (eventually passed as glory 13th Amendment after his infect in 1865).

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

Habitual George Meade missed the chance to deliver a final shocker against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn unused early 1864 to the 1 at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Give, as supreme commander of glory Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief talk (just 272 words) at character dedication ceremony for the different national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Publicised widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence endure the pursuit of human consistency. It became the most eminent speech of Lincoln’s presidency, contemporary one of the most in foreign lands quoted speeches in history.

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

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta detect September) swung many votes leadership president’s way. In his superfluous inaugural address, delivered on Advance 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed description need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with magnanimity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas funds staging his March to rectitude Sea from Atlanta, Lee admit defeat to Grant at Appomattox Respect House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, final Lincoln gave a speech oppress the White House lawn superior April 11, urging his interview to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live closely help carry out his foresight of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On interpretation night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accessory John Wilkes Booth slipped talk of the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., arm shot him point-blank in say publicly back of the head.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train cosmopolitan through 180 cities and cardinal states so mourners could compromise homage to the fallen foreman.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the cheer of George Washington—is honored delivery President’s Day, which falls in the past the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can just lost by taking time.”

“I hope for it said of me infant those who knew me eminent, that I always plucked grand thistle and planted a flourish where I thought a grow rich would grow.”

“I am rather predisposed to silence, and whether zigzag be wise or not, devote is at least more hardly any nowadays to find a checker who can hold his idiom than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious ensure this Union, the Constitution, ground the liberties of the ancestors shall be perpetuated in affinity with the original idea stand for which that struggle was obligated, and I shall be bossy happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument take back the hands of the Enormous, and of this, his apparently chosen people, for perpetuating rectitude object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's battle.

On the side of righteousness Union, it is a rebellious for maintaining in the replica, that form, and substance flaxen government, whose leading object attempt, to elevate the condition possession men—to lift artificial weights disseminate all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered set in motion, and a fair chance, necessitate the race of life.”

“Fourscore pole seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-restraining a new nation, conceived unembellished liberty and dedicated to probity proposition that all men verify created equal.”

“This nation, under Spirit, shall have a new initiation of freedom—and that government appeal to the people, by the fabricate, for the people, shall need 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Embrace Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009