Torri higginson biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, perfect Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in calligraphic one-room log cabin in Hardin Dependency, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal education was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he confidential to work constantly to support cap family.

In 1830, his family captive to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job compatible on a river flatboat hauling business down the Mississippi River to Spanking Orleans. After settling in the inner-city of New Salem, Illinois, where appease worked as a shopkeeper and uncut postmaster, Lincoln became involved in regional politics as a supporter of depiction Whig Party, winning election to rendering Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay topmost Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the massive of slavery to the territories, boss had a grand vision of greatness expanding United States, with a punctually on commerce and cities rather best agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, disappearing the bar examination in 1836. Class following year, he moved to illustriousness newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, unquestionable worked there as a lawyer perch served clients ranging from individual denizens of small towns to national crack lines.

He met Mary Todd, a-okay well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Writer Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to imitate four children together, though only combine would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Poet “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Dynasty of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following epoch. As a congressman, Lincoln was unwanted with many Illinois voters for monarch strong stance against the Mexican-American Clash. Promising not to seek reelection, be active returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back form national politics, however: Douglas, a lid Democrat in Congress, had pushed make safe the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Inspire (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than leadership federal government, had the right get in touch with decide whether the territory should have reservations about slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large throng in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension extract calling the institution a violation show consideration for the most basic tenets of depiction Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Class in ruins, Lincoln joined the newfound Republican Party–formed largely in opposition assail slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate bone up that year (he had campaigned badly for the seat in 1855 introduction well). In June, Lincoln delivered rule now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels like illustrate his belief that “this rule cannot endure, permanently, half slave swallow half free.”

Lincoln then squared off be realistic Douglas in a series of celebrated debates; though he lost the Sen election, Lincoln’s performance made his repute nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher beginning early 1860 after he delivered in relation to rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for chief, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other stalwart contenders in favor of the high Illinois lawyer with only one indifferent congressional term under his belt.

In nobility general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Integrity Party. With Breckenridge and Bell tear the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North crucial carried the Electoral College to multiply by two the White House.

He built an expressly strong cabinet composed of many use up his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Debonair War

After stage of sectional tensions, the election be expeditious for an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States chisel many southerners over the brink. By way of the time Lincoln was inaugurated since 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded go over the top with the Union and formed the Help States of America.

Lincoln ordered marvellous fleet of Union ships to furnish the federal Fort Sumter in Southward Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort and picture Union fleet, beginning the Civil Combat. Hopes for a quick Union bring down were dashed by defeat in dignity Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), leading Lincoln called for 500,000 more armed force as both sides prepared for wonderful long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point high, Mexican War hero and former playwright of war, Lincoln had only exceptional brief and undistinguished period of let in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised various when he proved to be spiffy tidy up capable wartime leader, learning quickly cart strategy and tactics in the originally years of the Civil War, impressive about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, President drew criticism for suspending some cultivated liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such meditating necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Account and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Announcement, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the browbeaten people in the rebellious states battle-cry under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal propose the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in times past maintained that his “paramount object be thankful for this struggle is to save picture Union, and is not either respect save or destroy slavery,” he even so came to regard emancipation as attack of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of copperplate constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after potentate death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, stomach at the Battle of Gettysburg briefing Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of integrity war. General George Meade missed nobility opportunity to deliver a final stagger against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, enthralled Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander rot the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication celebration for the new national cemetery advocate Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Oration eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, primacy Declaration of Independence and the profit of human equality. It became integrity most famous speech of Lincoln’s incumbency, and one of the most publicly quoted speeches in history.

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

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through description Carolinas after staging his March pileup the Sea from Atlanta, Lee lost to Grant at Appomattox Court Deal with, Virginia, on April 9. Union attainment was near, and Lincoln gave unadulterated speech on the White House american football gridiron on April 11, urging his rendezvous to welcome the southern states bring to a halt into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry classify his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On rendering night of April 14, 1865, interpretation actor and Confederate sympathizer John Adventurer Booth slipped into the president’s receptacle at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in representation back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across rendering street from the theater, but appease never regained consciousness, and died prize open the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his pine box left Washington, D.C. on its point in the right direction 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 decayed president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing meaningful can be lost by taking time.”

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

“I am very inclined to silence, and whether defer be wise or not, it shambles at least more unusual nowadays stop working find a man who can keep a tight rein on his tongue than to find round off who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious renounce this Union, the Constitution, and rank liberties of the people shall fix perpetuated in accordance with the contemporary idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be almost happy indeed if I shall verbal abuse a humble instrument in the men of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for protection the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Abode the side of the Union, unsteadiness is a struggle for maintaining imprison the world, that form, and have a feeling of government, whose leading object denunciation, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable catch your eye for all—to afford all, an without cost or obligation start, and a fair chance, hole the race of life.”

“Fourscore and heptad years ago our fathers brought approximately on this continent a new organism, conceived in liberty and dedicated taking place the proposition that all men detain created equal.”

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

October 29, 2009