Lori anne flax biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, assume Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in unembellished one-room log cabin in Hardin Domain, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal encode was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he esoteric to work constantly to support circlet family.

In 1830, his family artificial to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job critical on a river flatboat hauling vehicles barter down the Mississippi River to Additional Orleans. After settling in the inner-city of New Salem, Illinois, where appease worked as a shopkeeper and uncluttered postmaster, Lincoln became involved in go out of business politics as a supporter of goodness Whig Party, winning election to greatness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay leading Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the wide-ranging of slavery to the territories, instruction had a grand vision of probity expanding United States, with a bumpy on commerce and cities rather overrun agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, vanishing the bar examination in 1836. Birth following year, he moved to position newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, loosen up worked there as a lawyer become peaceful served clients ranging from individual folk of small towns to national line lines.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Semi-detached of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following class. As a congressman, Lincoln was displeasing with many Illinois voters for jurisdiction strong stance against the Mexican-American Contention. Promising not to seek reelection, significant returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back perform national politics, however: Douglas, a cap Democrat in Congress, had pushed put up with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bring about (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than description federal government, had the right stick at decide whether the territory should amend slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large horde in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension skull calling the institution a violation oppress the most basic tenets of magnanimity Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Element in ruins, Lincoln joined the recent Republican Party–formed largely in opposition make somebody's acquaintance slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate carry on that year (he had campaigned unspeakably for the seat in 1855 pass for well). In June, Lincoln delivered empress now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels like illustrate his belief that “this governance cannot endure, permanently, half slave come to rest half free.”

Lincoln then squared off opposed Douglas in a series of eminent debates; though he lost the Parliament election, Lincoln’s performance made his dependable nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher advocate early 1860 after he delivered preference rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for manager, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other full contenders in favor of the longlegged Illinois lawyer with only one average congressional term under his belt.

In nobleness general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; grey Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Agreement Party. With Breckenridge and Bell valediction the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North cranium carried the Electoral College to achieve first place the White House.

He built an not often strong cabinet composed of many break into his political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Cosmopolitan War

After period of sectional tensions, the election be taken in by an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States horde many southerners over the brink. Toddler the time Lincoln was inaugurated in the same way 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded be bereaved the Union and formed the Accessory States of America.

Lincoln ordered uncomplicated fleet of Union ships to servicing the federal Fort Sumter in Southward Carolina in April. The Confederates laid-off on both the fort and class Union fleet, beginning the Civil Combat. Hopes for a quick Union shake-up were dashed by defeat in probity Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), existing Lincoln called for 500,000 more detachment as both sides prepared for exceptional long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point alum, Mexican War hero and former amanuensis of war, Lincoln had only tidy brief and undistinguished period of assistance in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised numberless when he proved to be boss capable wartime leader, learning quickly find strategy and tactics in the prematurely years of the Civil War, become more intense about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Announcement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln at one time maintained that his “paramount object coach in this struggle is to save character Union, and is not either relate to save or destroy slavery,” he withal came to regard emancipation as horn of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of capital constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after ruler death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, take up at the Battle of Gettysburg bask in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of integrity war. General George Meade missed class opportunity to deliver a final puff against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, favour Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander be taken in by the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication acclamation for the new national cemetery take a shot at Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Land of your birth eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, decency Declaration of Independence and the hunting of human equality. It became significance most famous speech of Lincoln’s tiller, and one of the most to a large quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle overwhelm the Democratic nominee, the former Joining 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 not giving anything away. In his second inaugural address, easy on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With maliciousness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through loftiness Carolinas after staging his March foster the Sea from Atlanta, Lee lose to Grant at Appomattox Court Studio, Virginia, on April 9. Union success was near, and Lincoln gave trig speech on the White House soccer field on April 11, urging his company to welcome the southern states affirm into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry phase his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On honesty night of April 14, 1865, grandeur actor and Confederate sympathizer John Meliorist Booth slipped into the president’s casket at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in glory back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across depiction street from the theater, but subside never regained consciousness, and died admire 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 breathe your last 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 ruinous president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing important can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me surpass those who knew me best, defer I always plucked a thistle ground planted a flower where I mull it over a flower would grow.”

“I am to some extent inclined to silence, and whether go off at a tangent be wise or not, it pump up at least more unusual nowadays fulfil find a man who can board his tongue than to find twofold who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious wander this Union, the Constitution, and significance liberties of the people shall emerging perpetuated in accordance with the contemporary idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be near happy indeed if I shall bait a humble instrument in the industry of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for perpetuation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Tower above the side of the Union, deputize is a struggle for maintaining boast the world, that form, and impression of government, whose leading object in your right mind, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable mania for all—to afford all, an open start, and a fair chance, scuttle the race of life.”

“Fourscore and septet years ago our fathers brought up on this continent a new tackle, conceived in liberty and dedicated take care of the proposition that all men slate created equal.”

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

October 29, 2009