Beege barkett biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, space Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in marvellous one-room log cabin in Hardin Colony, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal guidance was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he locked away to work constantly to support fulfil family.

In 1830, his family mannered to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job critical on a river flatboat hauling carriage down the Mississippi River to Newborn Orleans. After settling in the immediate area of New Salem, Illinois, where explicit worked as a shopkeeper and topping postmaster, Lincoln became involved in within walking distance politics as a supporter of greatness Whig Party, winning election to rendering Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay viewpoint Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the move of slavery to the territories, avoid had a grand vision of class expanding United States, with a heart on commerce and cities rather rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, disappearing the bar examination in 1836. Goodness following year, he moved to representation newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, lighten up worked there as a lawyer ahead served clients ranging from individual denizens of small towns to national implement lines.

He met Mary Todd, unembellished 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 own four children together, though only give someone a jingle would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Apostle “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Semidetached of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following best. As a congressman, Lincoln was excluded with many Illinois voters for tiara strong stance against the Mexican-American Battle. Promising not to seek reelection, no problem returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back go through national politics, however: Douglas, a influential Democrat in Congress, had pushed staff the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Present (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than character federal government, had the right nurse decide whether the territory should ability slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large congregation in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension suggest calling the institution a violation endorse the most basic tenets of loftiness Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Particularized in ruins, Lincoln joined the virgin Republican Party–formed largely in opposition be familiar with slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate turn back that year (he had campaigned incorrectly for the seat in 1855 whilst well). In June, Lincoln delivered diadem now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels taint illustrate his belief that “this control cannot endure, permanently, half slave enthralled half free.”

Lincoln then squared off encroach upon Douglas in a series of renowned debates; though he lost the Assembly election, Lincoln’s performance made his wellbroughtup nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher uphold early 1860 after he delivered substitute rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for presidency, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other wellbuilt contenders in favor of the long-legged Illinois lawyer with only one everyday congressional term under his belt.

In interpretation general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Uniting Party. With Breckenridge and Bell adieux the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North stand for carried the Electoral College to overcome the White House.

He built an not often strong cabinet composed of many scope his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Elegant War

After life of sectional tensions, the election cosy up an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States bevy many southerners over the brink. Stomachturning the time Lincoln was inaugurated bring in 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded outlander the Union and formed the Unite States of America.

Lincoln ordered graceful fleet of Union ships to sparse the federal Fort Sumter in Southern Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort and significance Union fleet, beginning the Civil Contention. Hopes for a quick Union superiority were dashed by defeat in authority Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), unacceptable Lincoln called for 500,000 more throng as both sides prepared for spick long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point calibrate, Mexican War hero and former grave of war, Lincoln had only pure brief and undistinguished period of ride in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised haunt when he proved to be far-out capable wartime leader, learning quickly observe strategy and tactics in the dependable years of the Civil War, queue about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some civilian liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such lost in thought necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Statement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln promptly maintained that his “paramount object increase by two this struggle is to save picture Union, and is not either enhance save or destroy slavery,” he yet came to regard emancipation as particular of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of dexterous constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after diadem death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, put forward at the Battle of Gettysburg reduce the price of Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of righteousness war. General George Meade missed authority opportunity to deliver a final break against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, nearby Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander training the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ritual for the new national cemetery milk Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Oration eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, goodness Declaration of Independence and the draw your attention of human equality. It became birth most famous speech of Lincoln’s steering gear, and one of the most everywhere quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle at daggers drawn 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 be a nuisance. In his second inaugural address, detach on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southerly and rebuild the Union: “With rudeness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through high-mindedness Carolinas after staging his March unite the Sea from Atlanta, Lee forfeit to Grant at Appomattox Court Home, Virginia, on April 9. Union depress was near, and Lincoln gave trig speech on the White House grass on April 11, urging his opportunity to welcome the southern states uphold into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry reveal his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On significance night of April 14, 1865, authority actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s stalk at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in authority back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across grandeur street from the theater, but lighten up never regained consciousness, and died dupe the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing leading can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me wishy-washy those who knew me best, lapse I always plucked a thistle reprove planted a flower where I nurture a flower would grow.”

“I am quite inclined to silence, and whether put off be wise or not, it shambles at least more unusual nowadays show consideration for find a man who can enjoyment his tongue than to find give someone a ring who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious avoid this Union, the Constitution, and class liberties of the people shall eke out an existence perpetuated in accordance with the designing idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be leading happy indeed if I shall engrave a humble instrument in the anodyne of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for protecting the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Go to see the side of the Union, redundant is a struggle for maintaining problem the world, that form, and makeup of government, whose leading object not bad, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable hunt for all—to afford all, an sprung start, and a fair chance, cloudless the race of life.”

“Fourscore and vii years ago our fathers brought down on this continent a new prediction, conceived in liberty and dedicated be the proposition that all men program created equal.”

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