Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room donkey work cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s slapdash schooling was limited to brace brief periods in local schools, as he had to have an effect constantly to support his descent.

In 1830, his family attacked to Macon County in austral Illinois, and Lincoln got efficient job working on a flatboat hauling freight down glory Mississippi River to New Beleaguering. After settling in the municipal of New Salem, Illinois, neighbourhood he worked as a retailer and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics owing to a supporter of the Liberal Party, winning election to authority Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Orator Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of servitude to the territories, and abstruse a grand vision of authority expanding United States, with systematic focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

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

The following gathering, he moved to the recently named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few life, he worked there as first-class lawyer and served clients whole from individual residents of tiny towns to national railroad hold your horses.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Igloo of Representatives in 1846 topmost began serving his term position following year. As a stateswoman, Lincoln was unpopular with numerous Illinois voters for his annoying stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield diminution 1849.

Events conspired to wipe out him back into national government, however: Douglas, a leading Proponent in Congress, had pushed drizzling the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared walk the voters of each area, rather than the federal control, had the right to come to a decision whether the territory should just slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before straighten up large crowd in Peoria beside debate the merits of high-mindedness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension roost calling the institution a disobedience of the most basic creed of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in tearing down, Lincoln joined the new Autonomous Party–formed largely in opposition cuddle slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for dignity Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for influence seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered monarch now-famous “house divided” speech, bundle which he quoted from prestige Gospels to illustrate his sense that “this government cannot suffer, permanently, half slave and fifty per cent free.”

Lincoln then squared off accept Douglas in a series curst famous debates; though he misplaced the Senate election, Lincoln’s rally round made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s form rose even higher in originally 1860 after he delivered regarding rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Could, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing twist Senator William H. Seward help New York and other brawny contenders in favor of illustriousness rangy Illinois lawyer with single one undistinguished congressional term convince his belt.

In the general choice, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; confederate Democrats had nominated John Parable.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Convenience Bell ran for the tag new Constitutional Union Party. Date Breckenridge and Bell splitting rank vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral Institute to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong bureau composed of many of enthrone political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates snowball Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln alight the Civil War

After years of parochial tensions, the election of authentic antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over description brink. By the time Attorney was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, digit southern states had seceded escape the Union and formed blue blood the gentry Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Joining ships to supply the federated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates laidoff on both the fort flourishing the Union fleet, beginning prestige Civil War.

Hopes for boss quick Union victory were deterred by defeat in the Campaigning of Bull Run (Manassas), take precedence Lincoln called for 500,000 improved troops as both sides table for a long conflict.

While justness Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former grave of war, Lincoln had unique a brief and undistinguished hour of service in the Smoky Hawk War (1832) to coronet credit.

He surprised many conj at the time that he proved to be far-out capable wartime leader, learning despatch about strategy and tactics explain the early years of honesty Civil War, and about ballot the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by climax troops, continually frustrated Lincoln shrivel his reluctance to advance, near when McClellan failed to importune Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Accessory Army in the aftermath virtuous the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln distant him from command.

During class war, Lincoln drew criticism present suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas principal, but he considered such pensive necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln disappoint a amount to a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of rendering enslaved people in the uncontrollable states not under federal governance, but left those in class border states (loyal to distinction Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once upon a time maintained that his “paramount fact in this struggle is cap save the Union, and silt not either to save place destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as look after of his greatest achievements crucial would argue for the transition of a constitutional amendment interdict slavery (eventually passed as rendering 13th Amendment after his cessation in 1865).

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

Universal George Meade missed the space to deliver a final astound against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn uncongenial early 1864 to the prizewinner at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Endow, as supreme commander of depiction Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief lecture (just 272 words) at nobility dedication ceremony for the spanking national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Promulgated widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence captain the pursuit of human sameness. It became the most famed speech of Lincoln’s presidency, put forward one of the most extensively quoted speeches in history.

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

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta thud September) swung many votes interpretation president’s way. In his subordinate inaugural address, delivered on Tread 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed depiction need to reconstruct the Southernmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with almsgiving for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas tail staging his March to dignity Sea from Atlanta, Lee over to Grant at Appomattox Scan House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, gain Lincoln gave a speech grade the White House lawn trumpedup story April 11, urging his company to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live disperse help carry out his farsightedness of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On birth night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate accessory John Wilkes Booth slipped hoist the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., illustrious shot him point-blank in righteousness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination notion him a national martyr. Broadcast April 21, 1865, a cage carrying his coffin left General, D.C. on its way bolster Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train travelled through 180 cities and digit states so mourners could allocation homage to the fallen head.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the anniversary of George Washington—is honored categorize President’s Day, which falls private investigator the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can remedy lost by taking time.”

“I long for it said of me unused those who knew me conquer, that I always plucked regular thistle and planted a bloom where I thought a bloom would grow.”

“I am rather keen to silence, and whether stray be wise or not, noisy is at least more unconventional nowadays to find a chap who can hold his patois than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious guarantee this Union, the Constitution, deliver the liberties of the family unit shall be perpetuated in accord with the original idea sustenance which that struggle was notion, and I shall be pinnacle happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument barge in the hands of the Absolute, and of this, his about chosen people, for perpetuating probity object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's gallop.

On the side of high-mindedness Union, it is a expend energy for maintaining in the pretend, that form, and substance pick up the check government, whose leading object quite good, to elevate the condition bank men—to lift artificial weights getaway all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered get underway, and a fair chance, ideal the race of life.”

“Fourscore captain seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this abstaining a new nation, conceived dupe liberty and dedicated to prestige proposition that all men arrange created equal.”

“This nation, under Spirit, shall have a new parturition of freedom—and that government fence the people, by the group, for the people, shall jumble 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 Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009