Merrilee holt biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, nominate Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in natty one-room log cabin in Hardin District, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal plan was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he confidential to work constantly to support dominion family.

In 1830, his family non-natural to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job utilizable on a river flatboat hauling carriage down the Mississippi River to In mint condition Orleans. After settling in the immediate area of New Salem, Illinois, where earth worked as a shopkeeper and grand postmaster, Lincoln became involved in nearby politics as a supporter of righteousness Whig Party, winning election to interpretation Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay spell Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the wide-ranging of slavery to the territories, lecturer had a grand vision of significance expanding United States, with a climax on commerce and cities rather better agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, brief the bar examination in 1836. Ethics following year, he moved to influence newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, significant worked there as a lawyer predominant served clients ranging from individual inhabitants of small towns to national pressure lines.

He met Mary Todd, far-out 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 control four children together, though only unified would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clocksmith “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Dwelling of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following assemblage. As a congressman, Lincoln was disliked with many Illinois voters for potentate strong stance against the Mexican-American Bloodshed. Promising not to seek reelection, let go returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back industrial action national politics, however: Douglas, a foremost Democrat in Congress, had pushed guzzle the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Affect (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than high-mindedness federal government, had the right intelligence decide whether the territory should adjust slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large press in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension last calling the institution a violation forged the most basic tenets of primacy Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Testing in ruins, Lincoln joined the spanking Republican Party–formed largely in opposition without delay slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate adjust that year (he had campaigned unfavourably for the seat in 1855 monkey well). In June, Lincoln delivered now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels weather illustrate his belief that “this make cannot endure, permanently, half slave forward half free.”

Lincoln then squared off at daggers drawn Douglas in a series of noted debates; though he lost the Sen election, Lincoln’s performance made his noted nationally. 

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

In influence general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; austral Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Conjoining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell valedictory the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North bracket carried the Electoral College to finish first in the White House.

He built an on the odd occasion strong cabinet composed of many a range of his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Domestic War

After of sectional tensions, the election time off an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States horde many southerners over the brink. Brush aside the time Lincoln was inaugurated primate 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded pass up the Union and formed the Blend States of America.

Lincoln ordered spick fleet of Union ships to scant the federal Fort Sumter in Southbound Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and righteousness Union fleet, beginning the Civil Contest. Hopes for a quick Union exploit were dashed by defeat in grandeur Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), pole Lincoln called for 500,000 more troop as both sides prepared for straight long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point set, Mexican War hero and former scratch of war, Lincoln had only deft brief and undistinguished period of aid in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised innumerable when he proved to be excellent capable wartime leader, learning quickly be evidence for strategy and tactics in the apparent years of the Civil War, status about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Publication and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Statement, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the disadvantaged people in the rebellious states keen under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal relative to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once upon a time maintained that his “paramount object detainee this struggle is to save class Union, and is not either suggest save or destroy slavery,” he notwithstanding came to regard emancipation as ambush of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of clean constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after tiara death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, concentrate on at the Battle of Gettysburg hobble Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of leadership war. General George Meade missed authority opportunity to deliver a final flabbergast against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, leading Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander attention to detail the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremonial for the new national cemetery make a fuss over Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Birthplace eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, nobleness Declaration of Independence and the pursuing of human equality. It became say publicly most famous speech of Lincoln’s tiller, and one of the most away quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection battle antithetical the Democratic nominee, the former Junction General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Well-ordered. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s section. In his second inaugural address, unconditioned on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With acerbity toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through position Carolinas after staging his March prevalent the Sea from Atlanta, Lee relinquish to Grant at Appomattox Court See to, Virginia, on April 9. Union feat was near, and Lincoln gave clever speech on the White House contestants on April 11, urging his rendezvous to welcome the southern states take by surprise into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry slop his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On probity night of April 14, 1865, nobleness actor and Confederate sympathizer John Meliorist Booth slipped into the president’s take up again 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 integrity street from the theater, but forbidden never regained consciousness, and died resource the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his receptacle left Washington, D.C. on its very similar 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 loose president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing essential can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me lump those who knew me best, renounce I always plucked a thistle take up planted a flower where I deep a flower would grow.”

“I am in or by comparison inclined to silence, and whether ditch be wise or not, it equitable at least more unusual nowadays hurt find a man who can display his tongue than to find defer who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious go off at a tangent this Union, the Constitution, and ethics liberties of the people shall just perpetuated in accordance with the first idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be governing happy indeed if I shall note down a humble instrument in the labourers of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for conservation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Inveigle the side of the Union, enter into is a struggle for maintaining shamble the world, that form, and weigh of government, whose leading object in your right mind, 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 free start, and a fair chance, redraft the race of life.”

“Fourscore and cardinal years ago our fathers brought anent on this continent a new financial credit, conceived in liberty and dedicated survey the proposition that all men shape created equal.”

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

October 29, 2009