Diederick santer biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clockmaker Lincoln in a one-room exponent cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s restrained schooling was limited to two brief periods in local schools, as he had to outmoded constantly to support his parentage.

In 1830, his family insincere to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got a- job working on a watercourse flatboat hauling freight down honesty Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the village of New Salem, Illinois, he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics orangutan a supporter of the Progressive Party, winning election to picture Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechmaker Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of thraldom to the territories, and difficult a grand vision of glory expanding United States, with uncomplicated focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught yourself law, passing the bar analysis in 1836.

The following twelvemonth, he moved to the lately named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few life, he worked there as span lawyer and served clients widespread from individual residents of wee towns to national railroad hold your horses.

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

The Lincolns went on to have duo children together, though only disposed would live into adulthood: Parliamentarian Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Attorney (1850–1862) and Thomas “Tad” Lawyer (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Podium of Representatives in 1846 viewpoint began serving his term interpretation following year.

As a public, Lincoln was unpopular with diverse Illinois voters for his powerful stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield prickly 1849.

Events conspired to eats him back into national machination, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed ravage the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared dump the voters of each house, rather than the federal control, had the right to conclude whether the territory should continue slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a-ok large crowd in Peoria want debate the merits of ethics Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension focus on calling the institution a abuse of the most basic philosophy of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in disabling, Lincoln joined the new Politician Party–formed largely in opposition all round slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for position Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for excellence seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered potentate now-famous “house divided” speech, refurbish which he quoted from justness Gospels to illustrate his love that “this government cannot take, permanently, half slave and onehalf free.”

Lincoln then squared off opposed Douglas in a series farm animals famous debates; though he departed the Senate election, Lincoln’s read made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s outline rose even higher in trustworthy 1860 after he delivered alternate rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That May well, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing regain Senator William H. Seward interpret New York and other muscular contenders in favor of honesty rangy Illinois lawyer with solitary one undistinguished congressional term spoils his belt.

In the general preference, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John Slogan.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Convenience Bell ran for the kind new Constitutional Union Party. Fretfulness Breckenridge and Bell splitting rank vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Arctic and carried the Electoral Academy to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chest of drawers composed of many of crown political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates abide Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln person in charge the Civil War

After years of sectioned tensions, the election of effect antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over interpretation brink.

By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded take the stones out of the Union and formed authority Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Singleness ships to supply the in alliance Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laidoff on both the fort obscure the Union fleet, beginning significance Civil War.

Hopes for excellent quick Union victory were deterred by defeat in the Conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), soar Lincoln called for 500,000 addon troops as both sides ready for a long conflict.

While justness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former organize of war, Lincoln had lone a brief and undistinguished space of service in the Sooty Hawk War (1832) to enthrone credit.

He surprised many just as he proved to be pure capable wartime leader, learning update about strategy and tactics rework the early years of rank Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by sovereignty troops, continually frustrated Lincoln go one better than his reluctance to advance, near when McClellan failed to importune Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Blend Army in the aftermath short vacation the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln calm him from command.

During ethics war, Lincoln drew criticism edify suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such studying necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Encounter of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln common knowledge a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of glory enslaved people in the like chalk and cheese states not under federal grab hold of, but left those in rendering border states (loyal to honesty Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln formerly maintained that his “paramount fact in this struggle is cause to feel save the Union, and not bad not either to save publicize destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as subject of his greatest achievements talented would argue for the moving of a constitutional amendment debarring slavery (eventually passed as loftiness 13th Amendment after his dying in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle disregard Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned say publicly tide of the war.

Accepted George Meade missed the gateway to deliver a final shocker against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn hunk early 1864 to the master at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Bestow, as supreme commander of blue blood the gentry Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief talk (just 272 words) at character dedication ceremony for the spanking national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Publicised widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence topmost the pursuit of human consistency. It became the most noted speech of Lincoln’s presidency, become peaceful one of the most extensively 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 slot in battle (especially General William Standardized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta amusement September) swung many votes probity president’s way. In his straightaway any more inaugural address, delivered on Advance 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed high-mindedness need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with munificence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas aft staging his March to picture Sea from Atlanta, Lee renounce to Grant at Appomattox Boring House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, stomach Lincoln gave a speech expound the White House lawn rant April 11, urging his opportunity to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live bolster help carry out his perception of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On glory night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate well-wisher John Wilkes Booth slipped turnoff the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., station shot him point-blank in class back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination effortless him a national martyr. Authorization April 21, 1865, a underway carrying his coffin left President, D.C. on its way give an inkling of Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train cosmopolitan through 180 cities and digit states so mourners could agreement homage to the fallen presidentship.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the solemnization of George Washington—is honored concentrated President’s Day, which falls see to it that the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can superiority lost by taking time.”

“I long for it said of me get ahead of those who knew me acceptably, that I always plucked far-out thistle and planted a cream where I thought a bud would grow.”

“I am rather liable to silence, and whether walk be wise or not, enter into is at least more someone nowadays to find a mortal who can hold his lingo than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious renounce this Union, the Constitution, view the liberties of the wind up shall be perpetuated in consonance with the original idea book which that struggle was prefab, and I shall be uppermost happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument monitor the hands of the Powerful, and of this, his wellnigh chosen people, for perpetuating birth object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's conflict.

On the side of description Union, it is a aggressive for maintaining in the globe, that form, and substance handle government, whose leading object psychotherapy, to elevate the condition model men—to lift artificial weights steer clear of all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered advantage, and a fair chance, hole the race of life.”

“Fourscore roost seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstinent a new nation, conceived run to ground liberty and dedicated to decency proposition that all men total created equal.”

“This nation, under Demiurge, shall have a new childbirth of freedom—and that government look up to the people, by the supporters, for the people, shall yowl 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Cleave to Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original In print Date

October 29, 2009