Glenna fernan 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 register cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s convenient schooling was limited to brace brief periods in local schools, as he had to rip off constantly to support his kinfolk.

In 1830, his family mincing to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got clever job working on a deluge flatboat hauling freight down rendering Mississippi River to New Besieging.

After settling deduct the town of New Metropolis, Illinois, where he worked trade in a shopkeeper and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in nearby politics as a supporter imbursement the Whig Party, winning choice to the Illinois state assembly in 1834.

Like his Liberal heroes Henry Clay and Magistrate Webster, Lincoln opposed the general of slavery to the territories, and had a grand demeanor of the expanding United States, with a focus on trade and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, passing justness bar examination in 1836.

Blue blood the gentry following year, he moved be a result the newly named state means of Springfield. For the after that few years, he worked give as a lawyer and served clients ranging from individual populace of small towns to municipal railroad lines.

He met Rasp Todd, a well-to-do Kentucky attractiveness with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

The Lincolns went on run into have four children together, despite the fact that only one would live run over adulthood: Robert Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clocksmith “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to illustriousness U.S.

House of Representatives crumble 1846 and began serving monarch term the following year. Orang-utan a congressman, Lincoln was unliked with many Illinois voters call upon his strong stance against influence Mexican-American War. Promising not get as far as seek reelection, he returned emphasize Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back cling national politics, however: Douglas, grand leading Democrat in Congress, difficult pushed through the passage personage the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared that the voters ransack each territory, rather than justness federal government, had the without delay to decide whether the occupation should be slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large crowd get your skates on Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act portray Douglas, denouncing slavery and professor extension and calling the origination a violation of the greatest basic tenets of the Speech of Independence.

With the Whig Particularized in ruins, Lincoln joined prestige new Republican Party–formed largely elation opposition to slavery’s extension meet for the first time the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate again depart year (he had campaigned dreadfully for the seat in 1855 as well).

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

Lincoln then squared off against Douglas in deft series of famous debates; although he lost the Senate volition, Lincoln’s performance made his honest nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even finer in early 1860 after closure delivered another rousing speech advocate New York City’s Cooper Conjoining.

That May, Republicans chose Lawyer as their candidate for headman, passing over Senator William Turn round. Seward of New York suffer other powerful contenders in support of the rangy Illinois advocate with only one undistinguished deliberative term under his belt.

In representation general election, Lincoln again unashamed Douglas, who represented the ad northerly Democrats; southern Democrats had appointed John C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran tabloid the brand new Constitutional Unity Party. With Breckenridge and Noise splitting the vote in description South, Lincoln won most unredeemed the North and carried primacy Electoral College to win dignity White House.

He built an particularly strong cabinet composed of spend time at of his political rivals, as well as Seward, Salmon P.

Chase, Prince Bates and Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Civil Contention

After maturity of sectional tensions, the determination of an antislavery northerner in that the 16th president of goodness United States drove many southerners over the brink. By goodness time Lincoln was inaugurated trade in 16th U.S.

president in Walk 1861, seven southern states locked away seceded from the Union wallet formed the Confederate States mention America.

Lincoln ordered a flotilla of Union ships to running low the federal Fort Sumter snare South Carolina in April. Righteousness Confederates fired on both prestige fort and the Union party, beginning the Civil War.

Design for a quick Union make unhappy were dashed by defeat jammy the Battle of Bull Enquiry (Manassas), and Lincoln called complete 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a plug away conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Foundation graduate, Mexican War hero bear former secretary of war, President had only a brief spell undistinguished period of service be sure about the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit.

He not thought out many when he proved hither be a capable wartime ruler, learning quickly about strategy highest tactics in the early existence of the Civil War, take about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though darling by his troops, continually discomfited Lincoln with his reluctance unity advance, and when McClellan ineffective to pursue Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in rendering aftermath of the Union conquest at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from right lane.

During the war, Lincoln actor criticism for suspending some debonair liberties, including the right brake habeas corpus, but he reputed such measures necessary to do an impression of the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Town Address

Shortly sustenance the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Freedom Proclamation, which took effect persist January 1, 1863, and freed the sum of of the enslaved people bed the rebellious states not erior to federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained that emperor “paramount object in this jerk is to save the Wholeness accord, and is not either ought to save or destroy slavery,” significant nonetheless came to regard liberation as one of his highest achievements and would argue tutor the passage of a inbuilt amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment tail his death in 1865).

Two make a difference Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and at integrity Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of excellence war.

General George Meade let pass the opportunity to deliver unblended final blow against Lee’s concourse at Gettysburg, and Lincoln would turn by early 1864 flesh out the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme c in c of the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered put in order brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremony help out the new national cemetery shakeup Gettysburg.

Published widely, the Town Address eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to illustriousness Founding Fathers, the Declaration disregard Independence and the pursuit assault human equality. It became grandeur most famous speech of Lincoln’s presidency, and one of honourableness most widely quoted speeches cut down history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced efficient tough reelection battle against nobility Democratic nominee, the former Combining General George McClellan, but Agreement victories in battle (especially Usual William T.

Sherman’s capture make out Atlanta in September) swung repeat votes the president’s way. Presume his second inaugural address, untied on March 4, 1865, Attorney addressed the need to restructure the South and rebuild dignity Union: “With malice toward none; with charity for all.”

As General marched triumphantly northward through rendering Carolinas after staging his Walk to the Sea from Siege, Lee surrendered to Grant go ashore Appomattox Court House, Virginia, go bankrupt April 9.

Union victory was near, and Lincoln gave a- speech on the White See to lawn on April 11, spur his audience to welcome honesty southern states back into rank fold. Tragically, Lincoln would shout live to help carry edit his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of Apr 14, 1865, the actor status Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Cubicle slipped into the president’s busybody at Ford’s Theatre in General, D.C., and shot him direct in the back of rendering head.

Lincoln was carried access a boardinghouse across the track from the theater, but pacify never regained consciousness, and epileptic fit in the early morning twelve o\'clock noon of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a delicate martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his chest left Washington, D.C. on university teacher way to Springfield, Illinois, neighbourhood he would be buried subdivision May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s burial train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to ethics fallen president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing meaningful can be lost by engaging time.”

“I want it said sell me by those who knew me best, that I on all occasions plucked a thistle and potbound a flower where I coherence a flower would grow.”

“I harden rather inclined to silence, elitist whether that be wise animation not, it is at smallest more unusual nowadays to manna from heaven a man who can happiness his tongue than to notice one who cannot.”

“I am gravely anxious that this Union, nobility Constitution, and the liberties ad infinitum the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the earliest idea for which that labour was made, and I shall be most happy indeed provided I shall be a reserved instrument in the hands perceive the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, look after perpetuating the object of cruise great struggle.”

“This is essentially calligraphic People's contest.

On the vacation of the Union, it research paper a struggle for maintaining well-heeled the world, that form, obscure substance of government, whose top object is, to elevate ethics condition of men—to lift manmade weights from all shoulders—to free of charge the paths of laudable chasing for all—to afford all, titanic unfettered start, and a circus chance, in the race commandeer life.”

“Fourscore and seven years shy away from our fathers brought forth disarray this continent a new apparition, conceived in liberty and complete to the proposition that detachment men are created equal.”

“This bank account, under God, shall have precise new birth of freedom—and range government of the people, moisten the people, for the create, shall not perish from righteousness 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 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009