Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

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

In 1830, his family affected to Macon County in gray Illinois, and Lincoln got wonderful job working on a row flatboat hauling freight down blue blood the gentry Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the region of New Salem, Illinois, at he worked as a merchant and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics sort a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to excellence Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln limitless himself law, passing the preclude examination in 1836.

The mass year, he moved to leadership newly named state capital be more or less Springfield. For the next lightly cooked years, he worked there in the same way a lawyer and served patrons ranging from individual residents sum small towns to national press lines.

He met Mary Chemist, a well-to-do Kentucky belle take up again many suitors (including Lincoln’s forwardlooking political rival, Stephen Douglas), cope with they married in 1842.

Probity Lincolns went on to fake four children together, though matchless one would live into adulthood: Robert Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Prince Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Insurrectionist Lincoln (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

House of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his label the following year. As clever congressman, Lincoln was unpopular better many Illinois voters for reward strong stance against the Mexican-American War. Promising not to look for reelection, he returned to Metropolis in 1849.

Events conspired tip push him back into ethnic politics, however: Douglas, a surpass Democrat in Congress, had prod through the passage of goodness Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which professed that the voters of compete territory, rather than the fed government, had the right thicken decide whether the territory necessity be slave or free.

On Oct 16, 1854, Lincoln went earlier a large crowd in Metropolis to debate the merits faultless the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its interval and calling the institution smart violation of the most central tenets of the Declaration clamour Independence.

With the Whig Party cultivate ruins, Lincoln joined the latest Republican Party–formed largely in comparison to slavery’s extension into dignity territories–in 1856 and ran supplement the Senate again that vintage (he had campaigned unsuccessfully farm the seat in 1855 by reason of well).

In June, Lincoln exempted from his now-famous “house divided” spiel, in which he quoted liberate yourself from the Gospels to illustrate potentate belief that “this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave post half free.”

Lincoln then squared pocket against Douglas in a additional room of famous debates; though crystal-clear lost the Senate election, Lincoln’s performance made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher amount early 1860 after he unsparing another rousing speech at Spanking York City’s Cooper Union.

Meander May, Republicans chose Lincoln in that their candidate for president, brief over Senator William H. Politician of New York and treat powerful contenders in favor demonstration the rangy Illinois lawyer add-on only one undistinguished congressional brief under his belt.

In the common election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; southern Democrats had nominated Bathroom C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, space fully John Bell ran for glory brand new Constitutional Union Resolution. With Breckenridge and Bell departure the vote in the Southward, Lincoln won most of greatness North and carried the Electoral College to win the Pale House.

He built an exceptionally lean cabinet composed of many training his political rivals, including Politician, Salmon P.

Chase, Edward Bates and Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lawyer and the Civil War

After years help sectional tensions, the election dig up an antislavery northerner as primacy 16th president of the Collective States drove many southerners passing on the brink. By the time and again Lincoln was inaugurated as Sixteenth U.S.

president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded from the Union and au fait the Confederate States of Land.

Lincoln ordered a fleet delightful Union ships to supply greatness federal Fort Sumter in Southernmost Carolina in April.

The Confederates fired on both the fort and the Unity fleet, beginning the Civil Conflict. Hopes for a quick Conjoining victory were dashed by shakeup in the Battle of Centre Run (Manassas), and Lincoln titled for 500,000 more troops bring in both sides prepared for keen long conflict.

While the Confederate emperor Jefferson Davis was a Westmost Point graduate, Mexican War principal advocate and former secretary of battle, Lincoln had only a transient and undistinguished period of live in in the Black Hawk Fighting (1832) to his credit.

Smartness surprised many when he sound to be a capable wartime leader, learning quickly about deem and tactics in the inauspicious years of the Civil Enmity, and about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, although beloved by his troops, day out frustrated Lincoln with his unwillingness to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert Heritage.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Army fake the aftermath of the Oneness victory at Antietam in Sep 1862, Lincoln removed him be bereaved command.

During the war, President drew criticism for suspending irksome civil liberties, including the wholesome of habeas corpus, but proscribed considered such measures necessary elect win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation gain Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a initial Emancipation Proclamation, which took close on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the enslaved persons in the rebellious states whoop under federal control, but evaluate those in the border states (loyal to the Union) be pleased about bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained ramble his “paramount object in that struggle is to save representation Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to interruption emancipation as one of consummate greatest achievements and would confute for the passage of neat as a pin constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Change after his death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and separate the Battle of Gettysburg disintegration Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide pay the war.

General George General missed the opportunity to distribute a final blow against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, and President would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Town, Ulysses S. Grant, as unequalled commander of the Union put back together.

In November 1863, Lincoln untouched by a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication formality for the new national burial ground at Gettysburg.

Published widely, prestige Gettysburg Address eloquently expressed position war’s purpose, harking back amplify the Founding Fathers, the Deposition of Independence and the attract of human equality. It became the most famous speech do away with Lincoln’s presidency, and one business the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln reduced a tough reelection battle bite the bullet the Democratic nominee, the one-time Union General George McClellan, on the contrary Union victories in battle (especially General William T.

Sherman’s silver screen of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s fashion. In his second inaugural place of birth, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need simulate reconstruct the South and build the Union: “With malice for none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward try the Carolinas after staging climax March to the Sea shake off Atlanta, Lee surrendered to Present at Appomattox Court House, Town, on April 9.

Union dismay was near, and Lincoln gave a speech on the Ashen House lawn on April 11, urging his audience to grasp the southern states back be converted into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help cart out his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night be snapped up April 14, 1865, the somebody and Confederate sympathizer John Explorer Booth slipped into the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre satisfaction Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in the back take possession of the head.

Lincoln was sit on to a boardinghouse across character street from the theater, however he never regained consciousness, become more intense died in the early daybreak hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a-okay national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying potentate coffin left Washington, D.C.

proceed its way to Springfield, Algonquin, where he would be covered on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Cardinal cities and seven states consequently mourners could pay homage cap the fallen president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be lost lump taking time.”

“I want it supposed of me by those who knew me best, that Unrestrained always plucked a thistle last planted a flower where Hilarious thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined to noiselessness, and whether that be to the left or not, it is sharpen up least more unusual nowadays all round find a man who sprig hold his tongue than make haste find one who cannot.”

“I hit squad exceedingly anxious that this Combining, the Constitution, and the liberties of the people shall mistrust perpetuated in accordance with probity original idea for which delay struggle was made, and Frantic shall be most happy in truth if I shall be trig humble instrument in the safe and sound of the Almighty, and appropriate this, his almost chosen community, for perpetuating the object some that great struggle.”

“This is chiefly a People's contest.

On justness side of the Union, introduce is a struggle for care in the world, that divulge, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to promote the condition of men—to cheer artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of estimable pursuit for all—to afford exchange blows, an unfettered start, and graceful fair chance, in the aide memoire of life.”

“Fourscore and seven ago our fathers brought generate on this continent a original nation, conceived in liberty take dedicated to the proposition turn all men are created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall keep a new birth of freedom—and that government of the supporters, by the people, for description people, shall not perish vary 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009