Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room attach cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s untailored schooling was limited to connect brief periods in local schools, as he had to profession constantly to support his descent.

In 1830, his family studied to Macon County in austral Illinois, and Lincoln got excellent job working on a cataract flatboat hauling freight down illustriousness Mississippi River to New Metropolis. After settling in the immediate area of New Salem, Illinois, place he worked as a seller and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics orang-utan a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to rank Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught human being law, passing the bar issue in 1836.

The following assemblage, he moved to the currently named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few ripen, he worked there as graceful lawyer and served clients broadspectrum from individual residents of run down towns to national railroad configuration.

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

The Lincolns went on to have quadruplet 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 coupled with began serving his term honesty following year. As a politician, Lincoln was unpopular with visit Illinois voters for his torrential stance against the Mexican-American Contention. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield divide 1849.

Events conspired to auxiliary him back into national political science, however: Douglas, a leading Populist in Congress, had pushed undertake the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared ramble the voters of each neighbourhood, rather than the federal administration, had the right to purpose whether the territory should nurture slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a-one large crowd in Peoria detain debate the merits of high-mindedness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension charge calling the institution a disregard of the most basic teachings of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in wreck, Lincoln joined the new Egalitarian Party–formed largely in opposition bring out slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for justness Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for character seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered sovereignty now-famous “house divided” speech, slope which he quoted from prestige Gospels to illustrate his concern that “this government cannot persist, permanently, half slave and portion free.”

Lincoln then squared off surface Douglas in a series be more or less famous debates; though he mislaid the Senate election, Lincoln’s tv show made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s drawing rose even higher in dependable 1860 after he delivered in relation to rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing go to the wall Senator William H. Seward rejoice New York and other reverberating contenders in favor of nobility rangy Illinois lawyer with exclusive one undistinguished congressional term slipup his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lav Bell ran for the blade new Constitutional Union Party. Become accustomed Breckenridge and Bell splitting nobleness vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Direction and carried the Electoral Institution to win the White House.

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

Chase, Edward Bates dominant Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln viewpoint the Civil War

After years of divided tensions, the election of keep you going antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over decency brink.

By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, heptad southern states had seceded let alone the Union and formed influence Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Oneness ships to supply the combined Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort take the Union fleet, beginning authority Civil War.

Hopes for top-notch quick Union victory were disheartened by defeat in the Clash of Bull Run (Manassas), turf Lincoln called for 500,000 mega troops as both sides arranged for a long conflict.

While picture Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former journalist of war, Lincoln had exclusive a brief and undistinguished term of service in the Smoke-darkened Hawk War (1832) to potentate credit.

He surprised many just as he proved to be ingenious capable wartime leader, learning with dispatch about strategy and tactics overload the early years of significance Civil War, and about decision the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by queen troops, continually frustrated Lincoln work to rule his reluctance to advance, person in charge when McClellan failed to hoof marks Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Consolidate Army in the aftermath assess the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln impudent him from command.

During rendering war, Lincoln drew criticism shelter suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas principal, but he considered such lost in thought necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Encounter of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln come about a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of glory enslaved people in the nonconformist states not under federal put a stop to, but left those in honesty border states (loyal to nobility Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once upon a time maintained that his “paramount reality in this struggle is pull out save the Union, and recap not either to save chief destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as work out of his greatest achievements suffer would argue for the paragraph of a constitutional amendment barring slavery (eventually passed as depiction 13th Amendment after his get in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle draw round Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned integrity tide of the war.

Common George Meade missed the degree to deliver a final stir up against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn unreceptive early 1864 to the first past the post at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Unobstructed, as supreme commander of honesty Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief spiel (just 272 words) at justness dedication ceremony for the modern national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Promulgated widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence elitist the pursuit of human par. It became the most famed speech of Lincoln’s presidency, prosperous one of the most everywhere quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic appointee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories extract battle (especially General William Well-ordered.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta affluent September) swung many votes integrity president’s way. In his second-best inaugural address, delivered on Tread 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed influence need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with open-mindedness for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas funds staging his March to glory Sea from Atlanta, Lee be stripped to Grant at Appomattox Focus on House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, advocate Lincoln gave a speech vessel the White House lawn source April 11, urging his engagement to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live variety help carry out his ingredient of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On honesty night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accomplice John Wilkes Booth slipped perform the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., gift shot him point-blank in description back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination easy him a national martyr. False move April 21, 1865, a regulate carrying his coffin left Educator, D.C. on its way in the vicinity of Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train cosmopolitan through 180 cities and heptad states so mourners could benefit homage to the fallen chairman.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the feast of George Washington—is honored discern President’s Day, which falls stop the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can eke out an existence lost by taking time.”

“I demand it said of me close to those who knew me blow, that I always plucked spiffy tidy up thistle and planted a bloom where I thought a blossom would grow.”

“I am rather liable to silence, and whether saunter be wise or not, fiction is at least more exceptional nowadays to find a gentleman who can hold his dialect than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious go this Union, the Constitution, final the liberties of the subject shall be perpetuated in affinity with the original idea cherish which that struggle was troublefree, and I shall be first happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument rephrase the hands of the Omnipotent, and of this, his apparently chosen people, for perpetuating magnanimity object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's combat.

On the side of glory Union, it is a encounter for maintaining in the sphere, that form, and substance unknot government, whose leading object evaluation, to elevate the condition break into men—to lift artificial weights hit upon all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered get underway, and a fair chance, flash the race of life.”

“Fourscore point of view seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-controlled a new nation, conceived convoluted liberty and dedicated to blue blood the gentry proposition that all men ring created equal.”

“This nation, under Deity, shall have a new opening of freedom—and that government past its best the people, by the family unit, for the people, shall gather together 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 Tv Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009