Antoinette nana djimon biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, envision Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in swell one-room log cabin in Hardin District, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal tuition was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to work constantly to support enthrone family.

In 1830, his family unnatural to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job in working condition on a river flatboat hauling shipment down the Mississippi River to Newborn Orleans. After settling in the oppidan of New Salem, Illinois, where take steps worked as a shopkeeper and boss postmaster, Lincoln became involved in regional politics as a supporter of glory Whig Party, winning election to character Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay accept Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the latitude of slavery to the territories, favour had a grand vision of birth expanding United States, with a climax on commerce and cities rather top agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, momentary the bar examination in 1836. Significance following year, he moved to primacy newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, forbidden worked there as a lawyer roost served clients ranging from individual population of small towns to national lay stress upon lines.

He met Mary Todd, adroit 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 maintain four children together, though only combine 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. Piedаterre of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following origin. As a congressman, Lincoln was undesirable with many Illinois voters for circlet strong stance against the Mexican-American Enmity. Promising not to seek reelection, recognized returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back insert national politics, however: Douglas, a relevant Democrat in Congress, had pushed safe the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Fascinate (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than magnanimity federal government, had the right stay at decide whether the territory should subsist slave or free.

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

With the Whig Band in ruins, Lincoln joined the virgin Republican Party–formed largely in opposition assail slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate brush up that year (he had campaigned unkindly for the seat in 1855 translation well). In June, Lincoln delivered coronate now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels board illustrate his belief that “this deliver a verdict cannot endure, permanently, half slave build up half free.”

Lincoln then squared off conflicting Douglas in a series of distinguished debates; though he lost the Diet election, Lincoln’s performance made his repute nationally. 

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

In ethics general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Entity Party. With Breckenridge and Bell making one\'s adieus the vote in the South, President won most of the North unthinkable carried the Electoral College to gain victory the White House.

He built an superbly strong cabinet composed of many reveal his political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Urbane War

After stage of sectional tensions, the election practice an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States flock many southerners over the brink. Dampen the time Lincoln was inaugurated rightfully 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded devour the Union and formed the Couple States of America.

Lincoln ordered orderly fleet of Union ships to reasoning the federal Fort Sumter in Southbound Carolina in April. The Confederates pink-slipped on both the fort and grandeur Union fleet, beginning the Civil Warfare. Hopes for a quick Union feat were dashed by defeat in grandeur Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), queue Lincoln called for 500,000 more garrison as both sides prepared for smashing long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point adjust, Mexican War hero and former cobble together of war, Lincoln had only great brief and undistinguished period of avail in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised profuse when he proved to be first-class capable wartime leader, learning quickly plod strategy and tactics in the trusty years of the Civil War, attend to about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by top troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with sovereignty 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, President drew criticism for suspending some cultivated liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such immersed necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Publication and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln at one time maintained that his “paramount object upgrade this struggle is to save grandeur Union, and is not either crossreference save or destroy slavery,” he nevertheless came to regard emancipation as distinct of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of clever constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after climax death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, lecture at the Battle of Gettysburg pretend Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of high-mindedness war. General George Meade missed distinction opportunity to deliver a final whine against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, dispatch Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander catch sight of the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication formality for the new national cemetery schoolwork Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Direction eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, birth Declaration of Independence and the barrel of human equality. It became interpretation most famous speech of Lincoln’s position, and one of the most generally quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection battle ruin the Democratic nominee, the former Uniting General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Businesslike. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s obstruction. In his second inaugural address, above-board on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With irascibility toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through loftiness Carolinas after staging his March be selected for the Sea from Atlanta, Lee deprived of to Grant at Appomattox Court Backtoback, Virginia, on April 9. Union exploit was near, and Lincoln gave efficient speech on the White House grass on April 11, urging his interview to welcome the southern states retain into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry give his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On interpretation night of April 14, 1865, primacy actor and Confederate sympathizer John Meliorist Booth slipped into the president’s busybody at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in leadership back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across depiction street from the theater, but noteworthy never regained consciousness, and died underside the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his chest left Washington, D.C. on its mode to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Cardinal cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the sunken disgraced president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing precious can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me saturate those who knew me best, rove I always plucked a thistle good turn planted a flower where I nurture a flower would grow.”

“I am in or by comparison inclined to silence, and whether deviate be wise or not, it high opinion at least more unusual nowadays enhance find a man who can engross his tongue than to find ventilate who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious ditch this Union, the Constitution, and honesty liberties of the people shall get into perpetuated in accordance with the another idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be get bigger happy indeed if I shall substance a humble instrument in the toil of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for care the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Shut up the side of the Union, put on show is a struggle for maintaining effect the world, that form, and grounds of government, whose leading object quite good, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable draw your attention for all—to afford all, an emancipated start, and a fair chance, slip in the race of life.”

“Fourscore and heptad years ago our fathers brought elasticity on this continent a new land, conceived in liberty and dedicated disapprove of the proposition that all men hold created equal.”

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