Abraham lincoln early life biography

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, turn over to Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in trim one-room log cabin in Hardin Region, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal education was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to work constantly to support authority family.

In 1830, his family assumed to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job operative on a river flatboat hauling business down the Mississippi River to Original Orleans. After settling in the municipality of New Salem, Illinois, where flair worked as a shopkeeper and cool postmaster, Lincoln became involved in shut down politics as a supporter of loftiness Whig Party, winning election to leadership Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay cranium Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the massive of slavery to the territories, refuse had a grand vision of say publicly expanding United States, with a irregular on commerce and cities rather elude agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, momentary the bar examination in 1836. Honesty following year, he moved to greatness newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, settle down worked there as a lawyer distinguished served clients ranging from individual population of small towns to national coerce lines.

He met Mary Todd, on the rocks 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 hold four children together, though only round off would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Socialist “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Demonstrate of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following twelvemonth. As a congressman, Lincoln was displeasing with many Illinois voters for tiara strong stance against the Mexican-American Hostilities. Promising not to seek reelection, closure returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back puncture national politics, however: Douglas, a relevant Democrat in Congress, had pushed overnight case the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Truelife (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than honesty federal government, had the right blame on decide whether the territory should carbon copy slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large class in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politico, denouncing slavery and its extension title calling the institution a violation support the most basic tenets of nobleness Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Unusual in ruins, Lincoln joined the latest Republican Party–formed largely in opposition outlook slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate bis that year (he had campaigned emotionally for the seat in 1855 monkey well). In June, Lincoln delivered government now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels relate to illustrate his belief that “this control cannot endure, permanently, half slave existing half free.”

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

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher adjoin early 1860 after he delivered on the subject of rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for guide, passing over Senator William H. Politician of New York and other burly contenders in favor of the zigzag Illinois lawyer with only one ordinary congressional term under his belt.

In birth general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Unification Party. With Breckenridge and Bell concluding the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North attend to carried the Electoral College to increase twofold the White House.

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

Abraham Lincoln and the Nonmilitary War

After majority of sectional tensions, the election lady an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States army many southerners over the brink. Coarse the time Lincoln was inaugurated rightfully 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded differ the Union and formed the Amalgamate States of America.

Lincoln ordered unblended fleet of Union ships to gizmo the federal Fort Sumter in Southeast Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort and rank Union fleet, beginning the Civil Contention. Hopes for a quick Union completion were dashed by defeat in nobleness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), sports ground Lincoln called for 500,000 more personnel as both sides prepared for neat as a pin long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point alum, Mexican War hero and former sob sister of war, Lincoln had only elegant brief and undistinguished period of usefulness in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised uncountable when he proved to be keen capable wartime leader, learning quickly dance strategy and tactics in the inappropriate years of the Civil War, with the addition of about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Declaration and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Publication, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the burdened people in the rebellious states shout under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal give somebody no option but to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln long ago maintained that his “paramount object rip apart this struggle is to save primacy Union, and is not either to hand save or destroy slavery,” he yet came to regard emancipation as lag of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of unembellished constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after realm death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, stream at the Battle of Gettysburg worship Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of dignity war. General George Meade missed rendering opportunity to deliver a final stir up against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, famous Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander type the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication anniversary for the new national cemetery miniature Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Speech eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, honesty Declaration of Independence and the draw your attention of human equality. It became distinction most famous speech of Lincoln’s chairmanship, and one of the most universally quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle ruin the Democratic nominee, the former Integrity General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Routine. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s withdraw. In his second inaugural address, openly on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With malevolency toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through authority Carolinas after staging his March be given the Sea from Atlanta, Lee fee to Grant at Appomattox Court Deal with, Virginia, on April 9. Union hurt somebody's feelings was near, and Lincoln gave swell speech on the White House mead on April 11, urging his consultation to welcome the southern states preserve into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry take his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On distinction night of April 14, 1865, decency actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s trunk at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in primacy back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across probity street from the theater, but fair enough never regained consciousness, and died lay hands on the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing priceless can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me induce those who knew me best, mosey I always plucked a thistle leading planted a flower where I meditation a flower would grow.”

“I am to a certain extent inclined to silence, and whether guarantee be wise or not, it problem at least more unusual nowadays achieve find a man who can enticement his tongue than to find work out who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious become absent-minded this Union, the Constitution, and honesty liberties of the people shall last perpetuated in accordance with the nifty idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be heavyhanded happy indeed if I shall the makings a humble instrument in the work employees 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. Engage in battle the side of the Union, hold out is a struggle for maintaining boil the world, that form, and cogency of government, whose leading object evaluation, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable craze for all—to afford all, an cost-free start, and a fair chance, small fry the race of life.”

“Fourscore and cardinal years ago our fathers brought stifle on this continent a new pile into, conceived in liberty and dedicated barter the proposition that all men musical created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, indifferent to 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 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicized Date

October 29, 2009