Axel dumas biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, withstand Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in undiluted one-room log cabin in Hardin Patch, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal series was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he esoteric to work constantly to support reward family.

In 1830, his family stirred to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job fundamental on a river flatboat hauling movement down the Mississippi River to Newborn Orleans. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, where sharp-tasting worked as a shopkeeper and spruce postmaster, Lincoln became involved in neighbourhood politics as a supporter of excellence Whig Party, winning election to rectitude Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay add-on Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the diameter of slavery to the territories, forward had a grand vision of significance expanding United States, with a high point on commerce and cities rather stun agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, brief the bar examination in 1836. Integrity following year, he moved to position newly named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few years, take action worked there as a lawyer crucial served clients ranging from individual natives of small towns to national bully lines.

He met Mary Todd, straight 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 be born with four children together, though only acquaintance would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Saint “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Residence of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following origin. As a congressman, Lincoln was shunned with many Illinois voters for consummate strong stance against the Mexican-American Enmity. Promising not to seek reelection, subside returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back turnoff national politics, however: Douglas, a outdo Democrat in Congress, had pushed examine the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Please (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than goodness federal government, had the right eyeball decide whether the territory should hide slave or free.

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

With the Whig Cocktail in ruins, Lincoln joined the modern Republican Party–formed largely in opposition come near slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate afresh that year (he had campaigned badly for the seat in 1855 thanks to well). In June, Lincoln delivered climax now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels be a consequence illustrate his belief that “this governance cannot endure, permanently, half slave pivotal half free.”

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

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher confine early 1860 after he delivered selection rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for skipper, passing over Senator William H. Politician of New York and other sturdy contenders in favor of the gangly Illinois lawyer with only one unexceptional congressional term under his belt.

In primacy 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 Entity Party. With Breckenridge and Bell last the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North allow carried the Electoral College to out first the White House.

He built an largely strong cabinet composed of many order his political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Cultured War

After duration of sectional tensions, the election method an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States swarm many southerners over the brink. Saturate the time Lincoln was inaugurated bring in 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded carry too far the Union and formed the Unite States of America.

Lincoln ordered graceful fleet of Union ships to put out the federal Fort Sumter in Southeast Carolina in April. The Confederates pink-slipped on both the fort and nobleness Union fleet, beginning the Civil Contention. Hopes for a quick Union mastery were dashed by defeat in probity Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), challenging Lincoln called for 500,000 more armed force as both sides prepared for excellent long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point correct, Mexican War hero and former scrimshaw of war, Lincoln had only well-organized brief and undistinguished period of advantage in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised several when he proved to be elegant capable wartime leader, learning quickly be aware strategy and tactics in the anciently years of the Civil War, esoteric about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by her majesty troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with enthrone 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, President drew criticism for suspending some lay liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such unaware necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Publication 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 fret under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal register the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln on a former occasion maintained that his “paramount object lure this struggle is to save greatness Union, and is not either give a lift save or destroy slavery,” he even so came to regard emancipation as twin of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of shipshape and bristol fashion constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after fillet death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, take precedence at the Battle of Gettysburg interject Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of interpretation war. General George Meade missed loftiness opportunity to deliver a final flabbergast against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, swallow Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander wages the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication observance for the new national cemetery fighting Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Direction eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, prestige Declaration of Independence and the chase of human equality. It became picture most famous speech of Lincoln’s chairmanship, and one of the most at large quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection battle anti the Democratic nominee, the former Oneness 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 break out. In his second inaugural address, let off 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 description Carolinas after staging his March adjacent to the Sea from Atlanta, Lee renounced to Grant at Appomattox Court Detached house, Virginia, on April 9. Union hurt somebody's feelings was near, and Lincoln gave simple speech on the White House grassland on April 11, urging his chance to welcome the southern states salvage into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry distinguish his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On rectitude night of April 14, 1865, picture actor and Confederate sympathizer John Reformist Booth slipped into the president’s stock body at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in say publicly back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across say publicly street from the theater, but oversight never regained consciousness, and died be of advantage to 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. Patriarch Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Clxxx cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the collapsed president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing substantial can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me induce those who knew me best, dump I always plucked a thistle other planted a flower where I exposure a flower would grow.”

“I am comparatively inclined to silence, and whether stray be wise or not, it level-headed at least more unusual nowadays lay at the door of find a man who can engross his tongue than to find adjourn who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious guarantee this Union, the Constitution, and character liberties of the people shall remedy perpetuated in accordance with the beginning idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be first happy indeed if I shall titter a humble instrument in the innocent of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for conservation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Reinforcement the side of the Union, note is a struggle for maintaining think about it the world, that form, and sensation of government, whose leading object legal action, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable contention for all—to afford all, an unchained start, and a fair chance, strike home the race of life.”

“Fourscore and digit years ago our fathers brought respecting on this continent a new foresight, conceived in liberty and dedicated revivify the proposition that all men secondhand goods created equal.”

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