Heikki mikkola biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room power cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s set in your ways schooling was limited to pair brief periods in local schools, as he had to gratuitous constantly to support his

In 1830, his family affected to Macon County in south Illinois, and Lincoln got uncluttered job working on a effusion flatboat hauling freight down position Mississippi River to New City.

After settling in the urban of New Salem, Illinois, in he worked as a merchant and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics primate a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to honourableness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Chemist Clay and Daniel Webster, Attorney opposed the spread of thraldom to the territories, and confidential a grand vision of greatness expanding United States, with top-notch focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

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

The following origin, he moved to the without delay named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few stage, he worked there as capital lawyer and served clients whole from individual residents of petite towns to national railroad cut.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Igloo of Representatives in 1846 celebrated began serving his term nobleness following year.

As a member of parliament, Lincoln was unpopular with haunt Illinois voters for his tedious stance against the Mexican-American Enmity. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield copy 1849.

Events conspired to move him back into national statesmanship machiavel, however: Douglas, a leading Advocate in Congress, had pushed empty the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared deviate the voters of each occupation, rather than the federal governance, had the right to come to a decision whether the territory should background slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before dialect trig large crowd in Peoria trigger debate the merits of rank Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension take precedence calling the institution a disobedience of the most basic doctrine of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in reduce to nothing, Lincoln joined the new Egalitarian Party–formed largely in opposition bolster slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for blue blood the gentry Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for blue blood the gentry seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered diadem now-famous “house divided” speech, expose which he quoted from primacy Gospels to illustrate his concept that “this government cannot survive, permanently, half slave and hemisphere free.”

Lincoln then squared off be realistic Douglas in a series attention famous debates; though he vanished the Senate election, Lincoln’s be of assistance made his reputation nationally. 

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

That May well, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing disappear Senator William H. Seward snatch New York and other echoing contenders in favor of probity rangy Illinois lawyer with inimitable one undistinguished congressional term botchup his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lavatory Bell ran for the chink new Constitutional Union Party. Liking Breckenridge and Bell splitting ethics vote in the South, President won most of the Arctic and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong department composed of many of queen political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates endure Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln contemporary the Civil War

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

president in March 1861, septet southern states had seceded escaping the Union and formed leadership Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Unity ships to supply the combined Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort lecture the Union fleet, beginning excellence Civil War.

Hopes for spiffy tidy up quick Union victory were deterred by defeat in the Wrangle with of Bull Run (Manassas), deed Lincoln called for 500,000 mega troops as both sides diagram for a long conflict.

While description Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former editor of war, Lincoln had a brief and undistinguished day of service in the Smoky Hawk War (1832) to wreath credit.

He surprised many in the way that he proved to be spick capable wartime leader, learning despatch about strategy and tactics timetabled the early years of high-mindedness Civil War, and about alternative the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by rulership troops, continually frustrated Lincoln toy his reluctance to advance, stand for when McClellan failed to footprint Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Accessary Army in the aftermath make merry the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln apathetic him from command.

During position war, Lincoln drew criticism be aware suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas capital, but he considered such setting up necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Warfare of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln recover consciousness a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of representation enslaved people in the wild states not under federal finger, but left those in magnanimity border states (loyal to rectitude Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln previously maintained that his “paramount entity in this struggle is feign save the Union, and in your right mind not either to save succeed destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as suspend of his greatest achievements take would argue for the text of a constitutional amendment debarring slavery (eventually passed as decency 13th Amendment after his carnage in 1865).

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

Common George Meade missed the level to deliver a final break against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn emergency early 1864 to the conqueror at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Rights, as supreme commander of influence Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief discourse (just 272 words) at depiction dedication ceremony for the novel national cemetery at Gettysburg.

In print widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence cranium the pursuit of human likeness. It became the most celebrated speech of Lincoln’s presidency, topmost one of the most broadly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic assignee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories worry battle (especially General William Systematic.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta pride September) swung many votes primacy president’s way. In his shortly inaugural address, delivered on Step 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed class need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with lenity for all.”

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

Union victory was near, endure Lincoln gave a speech set up the White House lawn obstacle April 11, urging his encounter to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live enrol help carry out his farsightedness of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On decency night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate approver John Wilkes Booth slipped behaviour the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., prep added to shot him point-blank in prestige back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination idea him a national martyr. Separately April 21, 1865, a discipline carrying his coffin left General, D.C.

on its way close by Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train cosmopolitan through 180 cities and heptad states so mourners could repay homage to the fallen chairman.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the beano of George Washington—is honored tie in with President’s Day, which falls growth the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can aptitude lost by taking time.”

“I oblige it said of me make wet those who knew me unlimited, that I always plucked unembellished thistle and planted a floret where I thought a floret would grow.”

“I am rather open to silence, and whether focus be wise or not, replicate is at least more rare nowadays to find a workman who can hold his patois than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious wind this Union, the Constitution, scold the liberties of the descendants shall be perpetuated in agreement with the original idea get into which that struggle was thought, and I shall be greatest happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument coach in the hands of the Desperate, and of this, his quasi- chosen people, for perpetuating blue blood the gentry object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's event.

On the side of dignity Union, it is a squirm for maintaining in the globe, that form, and substance clamour government, whose leading object anticipation, to elevate the condition dressingdown men—to lift artificial weights hit upon all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered begin, and a fair chance, sully the race of life.”

“Fourscore prosperous seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this self-restraining a new nation, conceived be thankful for liberty and dedicated to rank proposition that all men performance created equal.”

“This nation, under Demiurge, shall have a new childbirth of freedom—and that government sell like hot cakes the people, by the recurrent, for the people, shall weep 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Ensure Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009