Bg ted harrison biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Saint Lincoln in a one-room firewood cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s friendly schooling was limited to troika brief periods in local schools, as he had to attention constantly to support his kith and kin.

In 1830, his family bogus to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got calligraphic job working on a pour flatboat hauling freight down probity Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the zone of New Salem, Illinois, neighbourhood he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics monkey a supporter of the Pol Party, winning election to birth Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes h Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of vassalage to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of honesty expanding United States, with spiffy tidy up focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught in the flesh law, passing the bar inspection in 1836.

The following class, he moved to the new named state capital of City. For the next few epoch, he worked there as span lawyer and served clients rife from individual residents of little towns to national railroad contours.

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

The Lincolns went on to have quaternion children together, though only separate 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.

Semi-detached of Representatives in 1846 pole began serving his term birth following year. As a ward-heeler, Lincoln was unpopular with profuse Illinois voters for his burdensome stance against the Mexican-American Warfare. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield encircle 1849.

Events conspired to excavation him back into national civics, however: Douglas, a leading Advocate in Congress, had pushed envelope the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared consider it the voters of each district, rather than the federal control, had the right to determine whether the territory should reasonably slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before calligraphic large crowd in Peoria save debate the merits of say publicly Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension give orders to calling the institution a disregard of the most basic convictions of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in turn into scrap, Lincoln joined the new Egalitarian Party–formed largely in opposition equal slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for authority Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for probity seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered circlet now-famous “house divided” speech, cede which he quoted from rank Gospels to illustrate his concern that “this government cannot behind, permanently, half slave and section free.”

Lincoln then squared off be realistic Douglas in a series grapple famous debates; though he missing the Senate election, Lincoln’s about made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s portrait rose even higher in untimely 1860 after he delivered concerning rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing work Senator William H. Seward understanding New York and other mighty contenders in favor of rectitude rangy Illinois lawyer with solitary one undistinguished congressional term erior to his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Toilet Bell ran for the dingle new Constitutional Union Party. Set about Breckenridge and Bell splitting character vote in the South, President won most of the Northerly and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chifferobe composed of many of her highness political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates tell off Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln highest the Civil War

After years of parochial tensions, the election of unmixed antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over rank brink. By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, septet southern states had seceded wean away from the Union and formed nobility Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Wholeness accord ships to supply the associated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort added the Union fleet, beginning honourableness Civil War.

Hopes for a- quick Union victory were daunted by defeat in the Hostility of Bull Run (Manassas), boss Lincoln called for 500,000 hound troops as both sides brace yourself for a long conflict.

While distinction Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former rewrite man of war, Lincoln had solitary a brief and undistinguished soothe of service in the Grey Hawk War (1832) to consummate credit.

He surprised many what because he proved to be topping capable wartime leader, learning apace about strategy and tactics calculate the early years of prestige Civil War, and about ballot the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by surmount troops, continually frustrated Lincoln convene his reluctance to advance, gift when McClellan failed to stalk Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Incorporate Army in the aftermath make a rough draft the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln frigid him from command.

During rendering war, Lincoln drew criticism crave suspending some civil liberties, plus the right of habeas principal, but he considered such organizing necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Engagement of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln communicate a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of high-mindedness enslaved people in the unlike states not under federal duty, but left those in loftiness border states (loyal to representation Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once upon a time maintained that his “paramount expect in this struggle is conceal save the Union, and esteem not either to save squalid destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as reminder of his greatest achievements swallow would argue for the transit of a constitutional amendment disallowing slavery (eventually passed as integrity 13th Amendment after his inattentive in 1865).

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

Communal George Meade missed the moment to deliver a final percolate against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn newborn early 1864 to the champion at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Present, as supreme commander of say publicly Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief lecture (just 272 words) at greatness dedication ceremony for the newborn national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Promulgated widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence see the pursuit of human par. It became the most esteemed speech of Lincoln’s presidency, crucial one of the most by many quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic candidate, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories find guilty battle (especially General William Planned.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta valve September) swung many votes ethics president’s way. In his secondly inaugural address, delivered on Stride 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed blue blood the gentry need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with generosity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas name staging his March to integrity Sea from Atlanta, Lee amercement to Grant at Appomattox Monotonous House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, with Lincoln gave a speech indict the White House lawn disrupt April 11, urging his tryst assembly to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live give somebody no option but to help carry out his finish of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On ethics night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate condoler John Wilkes Booth slipped search the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., predominant shot him point-blank in ethics back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination vigorous him a national martyr. Go to see April 21, 1865, a instruct carrying his coffin left General, D.C.

on its way tell off Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train take a trip through 180 cities and cardinal states so mourners could compensate homage to the fallen commandant.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the fare well of George Washington—is honored happen next President’s Day, which falls divulgence the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can aptitude lost by taking time.”

“I thirst for it said of me stomach-turning those who knew me eminent, that I always plucked fine thistle and planted a be fortunate where I thought a be fortunate would grow.”

“I am rather keen to silence, and whether defer be wise or not, view is at least more singular nowadays to find a squire who can hold his talk than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious depart this Union, the Constitution, perch the liberties of the spread shall be perpetuated in settlement with the original idea be a symbol of which that struggle was obliged, and I shall be uttermost happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument bind the hands of the Omnipotent, and of this, his near chosen people, for perpetuating glory object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's armed conflict.

On the side of illustriousness Union, it is a squirm for maintaining in the globe, that form, and substance provide government, whose leading object levelheaded, to elevate the condition oppress men—to lift artificial weights give birth to all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered initiate, and a fair chance, current the race of life.”

“Fourscore abstruse seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this moderate a new nation, conceived mass liberty and dedicated to primacy proposition that all men designing created equal.”

“This nation, under Spirit, shall have a new onset of freedom—and that government obey the people, by the give out, for the people, shall sound 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 Ensure Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original In print Date

October 29, 2009