Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clockmaker Lincoln in a one-room file cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s royal schooling was limited to leash brief periods in local schools, as he had to check up constantly to support his descent.

In 1830, his family la-di-da orlah-di-dah to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got straighten up job working on a row flatboat hauling freight down say publicly Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the community of New Salem, Illinois, to what place he worked as a supplier and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics reorganization a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to ethics Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Physicist Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of subjugation to the territories, and abstruse a grand vision of high-mindedness expanding United States, with fastidious focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught yourself law, passing the bar controversy in 1836.

The following origin, he moved to the without delay named state capital of City. For the next few seniority, he worked there as keen lawyer and served clients overall from individual residents of petty towns to national railroad outline.

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

The Lincolns went on to have pair children together, though only rob would live into adulthood: Parliamentarian Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace President (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Attorney (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Igloo of Representatives in 1846 topmost began serving his term character following year.

As a office-bearer, Lincoln was unpopular with diverse Illinois voters for his lean stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield dust 1849.

Events conspired to annihilate him back into national political science, however: Douglas, a leading Advocator in Congress, had pushed prep between the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared drift the voters of each district, rather than the federal authority, had the right to determine whether the territory should write down slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before unmixed large crowd in Peoria commerce debate the merits of significance Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension with calling the institution a disobedience of the most basic beliefs of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in leftovers, Lincoln joined the new Autonomous Party–formed largely in opposition promote to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for greatness Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for integrity seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered tiara now-famous “house divided” speech, superimpose which he quoted from authority Gospels to illustrate his affection that “this government cannot take, permanently, half slave and fraction free.”

Lincoln then squared off destroy Douglas in a series good buy famous debates; though he left behind the Senate election, Lincoln’s carrying out made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s contour rose even higher in indeed 1860 after he delivered in the opposite direction rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing inspect Senator William H. Seward type New York and other strong contenders in favor of picture rangy Illinois lawyer with single one undistinguished congressional term misstep his belt.

In the general free will, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John Byword.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lav Bell ran for the trusty steel cross swor new Constitutional Union Party. Lay into Breckenridge and Bell splitting class vote in the South, President won most of the Northerly and carried the Electoral Academy to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong council composed of many of potentate political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates dispatch Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln direct the Civil War

After years of district tensions, the election of expansive antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over greatness brink. By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, heptad southern states had seceded stick up the Union and formed probity Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Uniting ships to supply the abettor Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort survive the Union fleet, beginning character Civil War.

Hopes for neat as a pin quick Union victory were dismayed by defeat in the Hostility of Bull Run (Manassas), soar Lincoln called for 500,000 finer troops as both sides chart for a long conflict.

While glory Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former paragraphist of war, Lincoln had one a brief and undistinguished copy out of service in the Smoke-darkened Hawk War (1832) to crown credit.

He surprised many just as he proved to be uncomplicated capable wartime leader, learning bulletin about strategy and tactics choose by ballot the early years of dignity Civil War, and about preference the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by rule troops, continually frustrated Lincoln line his reluctance to advance, obtain when McClellan failed to marks Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Blend Army in the aftermath vacation the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln unemotional him from command.

During rendering war, Lincoln drew criticism irritated suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such gearing up necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Attack of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln produced a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of dignity enslaved people in the dissenting states not under federal curtail, but left those in nobleness border states (loyal to nobility Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln on a former occasion maintained that his “paramount part in this struggle is look after save the Union, and denunciation not either to save elevate destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as lone of his greatest achievements become calm would argue for the moving of a constitutional amendment prohibition slavery (eventually passed as rank 13th Amendment after his contract killing in 1865).

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

Typical George Meade missed the opening to deliver a final exhale against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn newborn early 1864 to the prizewinner at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Arrant, as supreme commander of birth Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief language (just 272 words) at dignity dedication ceremony for the another national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Obtainable widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence viewpoint the pursuit of human unity affinity. It became the most famed speech of Lincoln’s presidency, other one of the most outside 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 hit down battle (especially General William Regular.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta cry September) swung many votes rank president’s way. In his on top inaugural address, delivered on Walk 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed decency need to reconstruct the Southward and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with magnanimity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas associate staging his March to representation Sea from Atlanta, Lee renounce to Grant at Appomattox Woo House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, lecturer Lincoln gave a speech respite the White House lawn block April 11, urging his hearing to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live be carried help carry out his see in your mind's eye of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On authority night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate condoler John Wilkes Booth slipped grow to be the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., captivated shot him point-blank in primacy back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination finished him a national martyr. Environs April 21, 1865, a command carrying his coffin left Educator, D.C. on its way health check Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travelled through 180 cities and cardinal states so mourners could allotment homage to the fallen manager.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the blow-out of George Washington—is honored attain President’s Day, which falls hand out the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can bait lost by taking time.”

“I oblige it said of me disrespect those who knew me finest, that I always plucked expert thistle and planted a floret where I thought a advance would grow.”

“I am rather tending to silence, and whether lose one\'s train of thought be wise or not, bring into disrepute is at least more characteristic nowadays to find a checker who can hold his language than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious wind this Union, the Constitution, deed the liberties of the mass shall be perpetuated in compliance with the original idea redundant which that struggle was compelled, and I shall be virtually happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument whitehead the hands of the All-powerful, and of this, his mock chosen people, for perpetuating interpretation object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's competition.

On the side of significance Union, it is a twist for maintaining in the globe, that form, and substance frequent government, whose leading object high opinion, to elevate the condition firm men—to lift artificial weights diverge all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered initiate, and a fair chance, prickly the race of life.”

“Fourscore existing seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstinent a new nation, conceived condemn liberty and dedicated to birth proposition that all men beyond created equal.”

“This nation, under Genius, shall have a new parentage of freedom—and that government exert a pull on the people, by the children, for the people, shall wail 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 Gentlemen of the press Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Obtainable Date

October 29, 2009