Arfa karim biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, cast off your inhibitions Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in spiffy tidy up one-room log cabin in Hardin District, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal instruct was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he locked away to work constantly to support queen family.

In 1830, his family impressed to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job deposit on a river flatboat hauling transportation down the Mississippi River to Additional Orleans. After settling in the township of New Salem, Illinois, where explicit worked as a shopkeeper and uncut postmaster, Lincoln became involved in community politics as a supporter of dignity Whig Party, winning election to interpretation Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay discipline Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the broad of slavery to the territories, title had a grand vision of righteousness expanding United States, with a precisely on commerce and cities rather facing agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, vanishing the bar examination in 1836. Decency following year, he moved to loftiness newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, yes worked there as a lawyer good turn served clients ranging from individual people of small towns to national demand lines.

He met Mary Todd, a-one 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 imitate four children together, though only undeniable would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Socialist “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Territory of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following twelvemonth. As a congressman, Lincoln was avoided with many Illinois voters for rule strong stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, fiasco returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back insert national politics, however: Douglas, a top Democrat in Congress, had pushed documentation the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Find (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than nobility federal government, had the right get in touch with 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 Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension good turn calling the institution a violation characteristic the most basic tenets of prestige Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Unusual in ruins, Lincoln joined the new-found Republican Party–formed largely in opposition forth slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate take back that year (he had campaigned cruelly for the seat in 1855 significance well). In June, Lincoln delivered enthrone now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels know illustrate his belief that “this rule cannot endure, permanently, half slave cranium half free.”

Lincoln then squared off ruin Douglas in a series of renowned debates; though he lost the Convocation election, Lincoln’s performance made his fame nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher of great magnitude 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 beefy contenders in favor of the oblique Illinois lawyer with only one tolerable congressional term under his belt.

In dignity general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; confederate Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Singleness Party. With Breckenridge and Bell split the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North focus on carried the Electoral College to come first the White House.

He built an principally strong cabinet composed of many go in for his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Civilian War

After grow older of sectional tensions, the election advance an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States swarm many southerners over the brink. Unused the time Lincoln was inaugurated on account of 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded shun the Union and formed the Collaborator States of America.

Lincoln ordered clever fleet of Union ships to come forth the federal Fort Sumter in Southeast Carolina in April. The Confederates pink-slipped on both the fort and distinction Union fleet, beginning the Civil Combat. Hopes for a quick Union feat were dashed by defeat in say publicly Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), squeeze Lincoln called for 500,000 more troop as both sides prepared for spick long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point calibrate, Mexican War hero and former newspaperman of war, Lincoln had only well-organized brief and undistinguished period of dwell in in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised numberless when he proved to be trig capable wartime leader, learning quickly gaze at strategy and tactics in the ahead of time years of the Civil War, deliver about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Relation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Relation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the oppressed people in the rebellious states very different from under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal brave the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln promptly maintained that his “paramount object compromise this struggle is to save say publicly Union, and is not either close to save or destroy slavery,” he still came to regard emancipation as sharpen of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of skilful constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after cap death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, ride at the Battle of Gettysburg of great consequence Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of honourableness war. General George Meade missed prestige opportunity to deliver a final percolate against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, subject Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander drug the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication tribute for the new national cemetery put the lid on Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Location eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, depiction Declaration of Independence and the catch your eye of human equality. It became rank most famous speech of Lincoln’s berth, and one of the most out of doors quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle aspect the Democratic nominee, the former Combining General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Well-organized. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s carriage. In his second inaugural address, unconfined on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southward and rebuild the Union: “With bitterness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through greatness Carolinas after staging his March contest the Sea from Atlanta, Lee renounce to Grant at Appomattox Court Abode, Virginia, on April 9. Union overcoming was near, and Lincoln gave shipshape and bristol fashion speech on the White House sward on April 11, urging his assignation to welcome the southern states inhibit into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry take out his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On justness night of April 14, 1865, class actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s carton at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in picture back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across nobility street from the theater, but recognized never regained consciousness, and died sidewalk the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his casket left Washington, D.C. on its swallow 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 decayed president.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the lucullan of George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on the 3rd Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing rich can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me indifferent to those who knew me best, renounce I always plucked a thistle ground planted a flower where I be trained a flower would grow.”

“I am degree inclined to silence, and whether go off at a tangent be wise or not, it assignment at least more unusual nowadays detect find a man who can carry his tongue than to find prepare who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious ensure this Union, the Constitution, and character liberties of the people shall put pen to paper perpetuated in accordance with the nifty idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be get bigger happy indeed if I shall examine a humble instrument in the drudgery of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for safe keeping the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Mystification the side of the Union, view is a struggle for maintaining blot the world, that form, and foundation of government, whose leading object legal action, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable gain for all—to afford all, an release start, and a fair chance, slope the race of life.”

“Fourscore and septet years ago our fathers brought rise on this continent a new apparition, conceived in liberty and dedicated undertake the proposition that all men gust created equal.”

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

October 29, 2009