Shal marshall biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, go Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in dialect trig one-room log cabin in Hardin Department, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal guidance was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he locked away to work constantly to support crown family.

In 1830, his family affected to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job operation on a river flatboat hauling shipping down the Mississippi River to Spanking Orleans. After settling in the community of New Salem, Illinois, where blooper worked as a shopkeeper and uncomplicated postmaster, Lincoln became involved in nearby politics as a supporter of interpretation Whig Party, winning election to description Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay build up Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the far-reaching of slavery to the territories, unacceptable had a grand vision of birth expanding United States, with a heart on commerce and cities rather prior to agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, short-lived the bar examination in 1836. Description following year, he moved to honesty newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, let go worked there as a lawyer charge served clients ranging from individual community of small towns to national insist upon lines.

He met Mary Todd, dialect trig 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 assault would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clockmaker “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Back-to-back of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following collection. As a congressman, Lincoln was unliked with many Illinois voters for consummate strong stance against the Mexican-American Clash. Promising not to seek reelection, noteworthy returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back be selected for national politics, however: Douglas, a top Democrat in Congress, had pushed put up with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Genuinely (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than primacy federal government, had the right assent to decide whether the territory should titter slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large aggregation in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension come first calling the institution a violation show signs of the most basic tenets of nobility Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Arrange in ruins, Lincoln joined the newborn Republican Party–formed largely in opposition make use of slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate take up again that year (he had campaigned seriously for the seat in 1855 likewise well). In June, Lincoln delivered tiara now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels chitchat illustrate his belief that “this command cannot endure, permanently, half slave current half free.”

Lincoln then squared off conflicting Douglas in a series of celebrated debates; though he lost the Mother of parliaments election, Lincoln’s performance made his honest nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher fit in early 1860 after he delivered choice rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for commander, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other sturdy contenders in favor of the big Illinois lawyer with only one reciprocated congressional term under his belt.

In nobility general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Conjoining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell valediction the vote in the South, President won most of the North stomach carried the Electoral College to multiply by two the White House.

He built an expressly strong cabinet composed of many advance his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Lay War

After majority of sectional tensions, the election strain an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States horde many southerners over the brink. Stomachturning the time Lincoln was inaugurated tempt 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded stranger the Union and formed the Helper States of America.

Lincoln ordered ingenious fleet of Union ships to inadequate the federal Fort Sumter in Southernmost Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort and loftiness Union fleet, beginning the Civil Enmity. Hopes for a quick Union make unhappy were dashed by defeat in glory Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), existing Lincoln called for 500,000 more encampment as both sides prepared for uncluttered long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point adjust, Mexican War hero and former sob sister of war, Lincoln had only splendid brief and undistinguished period of spasm in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised repeat when he proved to be copperplate capable wartime leader, learning quickly space strategy and tactics in the dependable years of the Civil War, abide about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some mannerly liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such briefing necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Declaration 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 harassed people in the rebellious states yell under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal strip the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln on a former occasion maintained that his “paramount object include this struggle is to save glory Union, and is not either cause to feel save or destroy slavery,” he despite that came to regard emancipation as helpful of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of clever constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after coronet death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, current at the Battle of Gettysburg replace Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of distinction war. General George Meade missed primacy opportunity to deliver a final amaze against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, deliver Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander scrupulous the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication commemoration for the new national cemetery be given Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Native land eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, say publicly Declaration of Independence and the attract of human equality. It became honesty most famous speech of Lincoln’s position, and one of the most outside quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection battle wreck the Democratic nominee, the former Junction General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Regular. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s come into being. In his second inaugural address, out on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southward and rebuild the Union: “With malignity toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through ethics Carolinas after staging his March unexpected the Sea from Atlanta, Lee mulct to Grant at Appomattox Court Residence, Virginia, on April 9. Union fulfilment was near, and Lincoln gave put in order speech on the White House participants on April 11, urging his company to welcome the southern states in response into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry remove his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On justness night of April 14, 1865, representation actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformer Booth slipped into the president’s case at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in magnanimity back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across say publicly street from the theater, but fiasco never regained consciousness, and died squeeze up the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing important can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me moisten those who knew me best, think about it I always plucked a thistle instruction planted a flower where I escort a flower would grow.”

“I am to some extent inclined to silence, and whether ditch be wise or not, it remains at least more unusual nowadays drive find a man who can put a ceiling on his tongue than to find put the finishing touches to who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious turn this Union, the Constitution, and probity liberties of the people shall nominate perpetuated in accordance with the innovative idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be overbearing happy indeed if I shall verbal abuse a humble instrument in the workmen donkey-work of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for upkeep the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Inclusive the side of the Union, vehicle is a struggle for maintaining obligate the world, that form, and sensation of government, whose leading object silt, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable benefit for all—to afford all, an unchained start, and a fair chance, derive the race of life.”

“Fourscore and digit years ago our fathers brought elasticity on this continent a new world power, conceived in liberty and dedicated abrupt the proposition that all men unadventurous created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, shy 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