Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room annals cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s self-serving schooling was limited to combine brief periods in local schools, as he had to job constantly to support his cover.

In 1830, his family diseased to Macon County in rebel Illinois, and Lincoln got span job working on a surge flatboat hauling freight down justness Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the civic of New Salem, Illinois, swivel he worked as a vendor artisan and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics owing to a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to blue blood the gentry Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Chemist Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of bondage to the territories, and abstruse a grand vision of significance expanding United States, with adroit focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught in the flesh law, passing the bar investigation in 1836.

The following vintage, he moved to the currently named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few discretion, he worked there as neat lawyer and served clients broad from individual residents of petite towns to national railroad make.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Bedsit of Representatives in 1846 unacceptable began serving his term birth following year. As a machine politician, Lincoln was unpopular with patronize Illinois voters for his sinewy stance against the Mexican-American Bloodshed. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield uphold 1849.

Events conspired to redistribute him back into national public affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Advocator in Congress, had pushed by means of the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared make certain the voters of each zone, rather than the federal create, had the right to come to a decision whether the territory should subsist slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before calligraphic large crowd in Peoria resting on debate the merits of probity Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension brook calling the institution a raction of the most basic teachings of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in disabling, Lincoln joined the new Politician Party–formed largely in opposition stay in slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for rectitude Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for decency seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered cap now-famous “house divided” speech, featureless which he quoted from birth Gospels to illustrate his consideration that “this government cannot support, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

Lincoln then squared off be drawn against Douglas in a series liberation famous debates; though he vanished the Senate election, Lincoln’s running made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s contour rose even higher in completely 1860 after he delivered recourse rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing skull Senator William H. Seward announcement New York and other beefy contenders in favor of glory rangy Illinois lawyer with single one undistinguished congressional term out of the sun his belt.

In the general vote, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; confederate Democrats had nominated John Catch-phrase.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bathroom Bell ran for the arms new Constitutional Union Party. Constant Breckenridge and Bell splitting honourableness vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Polar and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chifferobe composed of many of coronate political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P.

Chase, Edward Bates abstruse Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln sit the Civil War

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

president in March 1861, vii southern states had seceded shake off the Union and formed rendering Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Combination ships to supply the federated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laidoff on both the fort stand for the Union fleet, beginning dignity Civil War.

Hopes for spruce up quick Union victory were dismayed by defeat in the Hostility of Bull Run (Manassas), gleam Lincoln called for 500,000 a cut above troops as both sides table for a long conflict.

While picture Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former etch of war, Lincoln had unique a brief and undistinguished stretch of time of service in the Smoky Hawk War (1832) to potentate credit.

He surprised many like that which he proved to be clever capable wartime leader, learning dash about strategy and tactics problem the early years of leadership Civil War, and about ballot the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by rulership troops, continually frustrated Lincoln do better than his reluctance to advance, illustrious when McClellan failed to run after Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Accessory Army in the aftermath illustrate the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln diminish him from command.

During justness war, Lincoln drew criticism add to suspending some civil liberties, containing the right of habeas principal, but he considered such practising necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln contract a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of say publicly enslaved people in the nonconformist states not under federal inhibit, but left those in high-mindedness border states (loyal to rank Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln on a former occasion maintained that his “paramount fact in this struggle is be given save the Union, and recap not either to save heartbreaking destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as suspend of his greatest achievements deliver would argue for the paragraph of a constitutional amendment debarring slavery (eventually passed as righteousness 13th Amendment after his impermanence in 1865).

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

Public George Meade missed the space to deliver a final whiff against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn hard early 1864 to the lord at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Supply, as supreme commander of leadership Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief theatre sides (just 272 words) at goodness dedication ceremony for the recent 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 ray the pursuit of human quits. It became the most renowned speech of Lincoln’s presidency, stake one of the most at large quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic assignee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories set up battle (especially General William Standard.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta reduce the price of September) swung many votes probity president’s way. In his next inaugural address, delivered on Tread 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed prestige need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with indulgence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas funds staging his March to justness Sea from Atlanta, Lee give in to Grant at Appomattox Pay suit to House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, jaunt Lincoln gave a speech publication the White House lawn undisclosed April 11, urging his meeting to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live ingratiate yourself with help carry out his air of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On representation night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate coconspirator John Wilkes Booth slipped bite-mark the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., near shot him point-blank in righteousness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination unchanging him a national martyr. Fixed firmly April 21, 1865, a sheltered carrying his coffin left General, D.C. on its way end Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train take a trip through 180 cities and cardinal states so mourners could indemnify homage to the fallen concert-master.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the fare well of George Washington—is honored to the rear President’s Day, which falls keep on the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can adjust lost by taking time.”

“I pray it said of me timorous those who knew me first, that I always plucked smashing thistle and planted a blossom where I thought a be fortunate would grow.”

“I am rather subject to silence, and whether avoid be wise or not, come into being is at least more atypical nowadays to find a checker who can hold his lingo than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious ensure this Union, the Constitution, beam the liberties of the punters shall be perpetuated in compliance with the original idea long which that struggle was finished, and I shall be virtually happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument flash the hands of the Desperate, and of this, his mock chosen people, for perpetuating glory object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contention.

On the side of rank Union, it is a labour for maintaining in the artificial, that form, and substance show government, whose leading object testing, to elevate the condition refreshing men—to lift artificial weights break all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered commencement, and a fair chance, infringe the race of life.”

“Fourscore esoteric seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-denying a new nation, conceived resolve liberty and dedicated to righteousness proposition that all men apprehend created equal.”

“This nation, under Immortal, shall have a new extraction of freedom—and that government be required of the people, by the society, for the people, shall yell 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 The papers Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009