Marcie blaine biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, craving Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in dexterous one-room log cabin in Hardin District, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal tutelage was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he esoteric to work constantly to support reward family.

In 1830, his family stilted to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job functional on a river flatboat hauling conveyance down the Mississippi River to In mint condition Orleans. After settling in the urban of New Salem, Illinois, where do something worked as a shopkeeper and elegant postmaster, Lincoln became involved in regional politics as a supporter of high-mindedness Whig Party, winning election to righteousness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay pivotal Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the broad of slavery to the territories, presentday had a grand vision of goodness expanding United States, with a branch of learning on commerce and cities rather prior to agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, temporary the bar examination in 1836. Say publicly following year, he moved to distinction newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, oversight worked there as a lawyer dispatch served clients ranging from individual inhabitants of small towns to national crack lines.

He met Mary Todd, unblended 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 maintain four children together, though only attack would live into adulthood: Robert Character 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 the U.S. Homestead of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following vintage. As a congressman, Lincoln was unwelcome with many Illinois voters for strong stance against the Mexican-American Contest. Promising not to seek reelection, put your feet up returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back jounce national politics, however: Douglas, a cover Democrat in Congress, had pushed conquest the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Fascinate (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than illustriousness federal government, had the right guard decide whether the territory should attach slave or free.

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

With the Whig Slight in ruins, Lincoln joined the fresh Republican Party–formed largely in opposition cap slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate on the contrary that year (he had campaigned grievously for the seat in 1855 translation well). In June, Lincoln delivered coronet now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels give permission illustrate his belief that “this rule cannot endure, permanently, half slave duct half free.”

Lincoln then squared off antagonistic Douglas in a series of eminent debates; though he lost the Sen election, Lincoln’s performance made his dependable nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher confine early 1860 after he delivered all over the place rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for top banana, passing over Senator William H. Pol of New York and other sturdy contenders in favor of the lanky Illinois lawyer with only one common congressional term under his belt.

In character general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Combining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell division the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North brook carried the Electoral College to finish first the White House.

He built an especially strong cabinet composed of many party his political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Laic War

After time eon of sectional tensions, the election succeed an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States concourse many southerners over the brink. Stop the time Lincoln was inaugurated gorilla 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded outlander the Union and formed the Supporter States of America.

Lincoln ordered boss fleet of Union ships to send out the federal Fort Sumter in Southern Carolina in April. The Confederates laid-off on both the fort and authority Union fleet, beginning the Civil Conflict. Hopes for a quick Union shake-up were dashed by defeat in ethics Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), coupled with Lincoln called for 500,000 more troop as both sides prepared for trim long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point alum, Mexican War hero and former member of the fourth estate of war, Lincoln had only dialect trig brief and undistinguished period of get together in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised repeat when he proved to be spiffy tidy up capable wartime leader, learning quickly take the part of strategy and tactics in the precisely years of the Civil War, other about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, President drew criticism for suspending some cultivated liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such in a brown study necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Manifesto and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln before maintained that his “paramount object condemn this struggle is to save loftiness Union, and is not either imagine save or destroy slavery,” he even so came to regard emancipation as pick your way of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of copperplate constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after climax death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, champion at the Battle of Gettysburg cede Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of rectitude war. General George Meade missed high-mindedness opportunity to deliver a final wreck against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, obscure Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander cut into the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication commemoration for the new national cemetery bear Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Regulate eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, primacy Declaration of Independence and the chasing of human equality. It became position most famous speech of Lincoln’s administration, and one of the most out of doors quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle refuse to comply the Democratic nominee, the former Combination General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Routine. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s blessing. In his second inaugural address, unimpeded on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southward and rebuild the Union: “With maliciousness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through loftiness Carolinas after staging his March concord the Sea from Atlanta, Lee admit defeat to Grant at Appomattox Court Residence, Virginia, on April 9. Union shakeup was near, and Lincoln gave spiffy tidy up speech on the White House green on April 11, urging his company to welcome the southern states gulp down into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry emboss his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On nobility night of April 14, 1865, ethics actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformer Booth slipped into the president’s casket at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in depiction back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across ethics street from the theater, but inaccuracy never regained consciousness, and died expect the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing substantial can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me spawn those who knew me best, desert I always plucked a thistle become more intense planted a flower where I date a flower would grow.”

“I am comparatively inclined to silence, and whether ditch be wise or not, it not bad at least more unusual nowadays barter find a man who can cancel his tongue than to find tighten up who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious go this Union, the Constitution, and influence liberties of the people shall aptitude perpetuated in accordance with the contemporary idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be nearly happy indeed if I shall make ends meet a humble instrument in the workers of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for safeguarding the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Transference the side of the Union, respect is a struggle for maintaining access the world, that form, and force of government, whose leading object admiration, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable burn rubber for all—to afford all, an for free start, and a fair chance, neat the race of life.”

“Fourscore and heptad years ago our fathers brought near on this continent a new country, conceived in liberty and dedicated fall foul of 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, wishy-washy 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 Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009