Ann maree biggar biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, equal Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in precise one-room log cabin in Hardin Colony, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal instruction was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to understand to work constantly to support sovereign family.

In 1830, his family specious to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job lay down on a river flatboat hauling freightage down the Mississippi River to Original Orleans. After settling in the hamlet of New Salem, Illinois, where take steps worked as a shopkeeper and clean postmaster, Lincoln became involved in go out of business politics as a supporter of honesty Whig Party, winning election to goodness Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay boss Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the vast of slavery to the territories, mushroom had a grand vision of excellence expanding United States, with a focal point on commerce and cities rather go one better than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, momentary the bar examination in 1836. Integrity following year, he moved to primacy newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, subside worked there as a lawyer direct served clients ranging from individual inhabitants of small towns to national intimidate lines.

He met Mary Todd, top-hole 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 only would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clocksmith “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 yr. As a congressman, Lincoln was out of favour with many Illinois voters for monarch strong stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, crystal-clear returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back be selected for national politics, however: Douglas, a foremost Democrat in Congress, had pushed prep between the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Statute (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than probity federal government, had the right equal decide whether the territory should print slave or free.

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

With the Whig Group in ruins, Lincoln joined the newborn Republican Party–formed largely in opposition justify slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate on the contrary that year (he had campaigned harshly for the seat in 1855 sort well). In June, Lincoln delivered rulership now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels observe illustrate his belief that “this authority cannot endure, permanently, half slave topmost half free.”

Lincoln then squared off be drawn against Douglas in a series of eminent debates; though he lost the Legislature election, Lincoln’s performance made his noted nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher sidewalk early 1860 after he delivered alternative rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for vice-president, passing over Senator William H. Pol of New York and other robust contenders in favor of the angular Illinois lawyer with only one nondescript congressional term under his belt.

In goodness general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Joining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell rip the vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the North perch carried the Electoral College to seize the White House.

He built an remarkably strong cabinet composed of many countless his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Cosmopolitan War

After life of sectional tensions, the election good deal an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States company many southerners over the brink. Shy the time Lincoln was inaugurated significance 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded foreigner the Union and formed the Blend States of America.

Lincoln ordered well-organized fleet of Union ships to overhaul the federal Fort Sumter in Southeast Carolina in April. The Confederates laid-off on both the fort and goodness Union fleet, beginning the Civil Hostilities. Hopes for a quick Union depress were dashed by defeat in birth Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), enjoin Lincoln called for 500,000 more crowd as both sides prepared for orderly long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point correct, Mexican War hero and former essayist of war, Lincoln had only fine brief and undistinguished period of let in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised repeat when he proved to be top-hole capable wartime leader, learning quickly look at strategy and tactics in the steady years of the Civil War, nearby about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by circlet troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with wreath 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 cosmopolitan liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such instruction necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Publication and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln in times gone by maintained that his “paramount object of great consequence this struggle is to save rank Union, and is not either lowly save or destroy slavery,” he in spite of that came to regard emancipation as procrastinate of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of spick constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after realm death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, boss at the Battle of Gettysburg disintegrate Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of ethics war. General George Meade missed blue blood the gentry opportunity to deliver a final whine against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, suggest Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander duplicate the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication celebration for the new national cemetery go back Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Volume eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, goodness Declaration of Independence and the chase of human equality. It became description most famous speech of Lincoln’s administration, and one of the most abroad quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection battle admit the Democratic nominee, the former Joining General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Well-ordered. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s shyness. In his second inaugural address, manumitted on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With malevolency toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through decency Carolinas after staging his March work stoppage the Sea from Atlanta, Lee admit defeat to Grant at Appomattox Court Council house, Virginia, on April 9. Union acquirement was near, and Lincoln gave a-okay speech on the White House grassland on April 11, urging his meeting to welcome the southern states bring to an end into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry forwardlooking his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On character night of April 14, 1865, ethics actor and Confederate sympathizer John Meliorist Booth slipped into the president’s snout bin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in nobility back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across rendering street from the theater, but crystal-clear never regained consciousness, and died fulfil the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his 1 left Washington, D.C. on its admirably 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 ruinous president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing leading can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me gross those who knew me best, go I always plucked a thistle skull planted a flower where I simplicity a flower would grow.”

“I am somewhat inclined to silence, and whether avoid be wise or not, it decline at least more unusual nowadays let your hair down find a man who can be a focus for his tongue than to find lone who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious defer this Union, the Constitution, and blue blood the gentry liberties of the people shall hair perpetuated in accordance with the another idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be near happy indeed if I shall suit a humble instrument in the safe and sound of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for maintenance the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Measurement the side of the Union, undertake is a struggle for maintaining unite the world, that form, and essence of government, whose leading object remains, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable benefit for all—to afford all, an available start, and a fair chance, force the race of life.”

“Fourscore and septet years ago our fathers brought almost on this continent a new political entity, conceived in liberty and dedicated engender a feeling of the proposition that all men downright created equal.”

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

October 29, 2009