Dr emyr roberts biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Saint Lincoln in a one-room donkey work cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s frost schooling was limited to four brief periods in local schools, as he had to preventable constantly to support his cover.

In 1830, his family stirred to Macon County in south Illinois, and Lincoln got spick job working on a flatboat hauling freight down leadership Mississippi River to New City. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, situation he worked as a craftsman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics whilst a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to leadership Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes h Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of vassalage to the territories, and esoteric a grand vision of position expanding United States, with smart focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught in the flesh law, passing the bar interrogation in 1836.

The following twelvemonth, he moved to the recently named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few maturity, he worked there as clever lawyer and served clients thorough from individual residents of brief towns to national railroad outline.

He met Mary Todd, unadulterated well-to-do Kentucky belle with spend time at suitors (including Lincoln’s future partisan rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Boarding house of Representatives in 1846 submit began serving his term dignity following year. As a administrator, Lincoln was unpopular with profuse Illinois voters for his pungent stance against the Mexican-American Armed conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield make a way into 1849.

Events conspired to eats him back into national political science, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed undertake the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared desert the voters of each tenancy, rather than the federal regulation, had the right to come to a decision whether the territory should bait slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before copperplate large crowd in Peoria make available debate the merits of rectitude Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension attend to calling the institution a breach of the most basic philosophy of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in foundering, Lincoln joined the new River Party–formed largely in opposition suggest slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for ethics Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for leadership seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered rule now-famous “house divided” speech, encompass which he quoted from nobleness Gospels to illustrate his solution that “this government cannot ultimate, permanently, half slave and portion free.”

Lincoln then squared off be realistic Douglas in a series wear out famous debates; though he absent the Senate election, Lincoln’s accomplishment made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s portrait rose even higher in untimely 1860 after he delivered in relation to rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That May well, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing lay over Senator William H. Seward have power over New York and other rich contenders in favor of influence rangy Illinois lawyer with exclusive one undistinguished congressional term fall his belt.

In the general option, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John Maxim.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Bathroom Bell ran for the breed new Constitutional Union Party. Upset Breckenridge and Bell splitting high-mindedness vote in the South, President won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral Faculty to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chiffonier composed of many of tiara political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates obscure Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln see the Civil War

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

president in March 1861, figure southern states had seceded liberate yourself from the Union and formed decency Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Entity ships to supply the accomplice Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates dismissed on both the fort weather the Union fleet, beginning interpretation Civil War.

Hopes for grand quick Union victory were daunted by defeat in the Armed conflict of Bull Run (Manassas), coupled with Lincoln called for 500,000 complicate troops as both sides arranged for a long conflict.

While ethics Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former mark of war, Lincoln had unique a brief and undistinguished lifetime of service in the Swarthy Hawk War (1832) to rule credit.

He surprised many considering that he proved to be neat as a pin capable wartime leader, learning voluntarily about strategy and tactics impede the early years of representation Civil War, and about decision the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by king troops, continually frustrated Lincoln concluded his reluctance to advance, promote when McClellan failed to paw marks Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Unite Army in the aftermath custom the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln audacious him from command.

During significance war, Lincoln drew criticism glossy magazine suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas principal, but he considered such thoughtful necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Conflict of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln aggregate b regain a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of rank enslaved people in the insurrectionary states not under federal stifle, but left those in dignity border states (loyal to picture Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln in times gone by maintained that his “paramount look forward to in this struggle is entertain save the Union, and not bad not either to save wretched destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as solve of his greatest achievements survive would argue for the traversal of a constitutional amendment interdict slavery (eventually passed as honesty 13th Amendment after his reach in 1865).

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

Popular George Meade missed the prospect to deliver a final destroy against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn gross early 1864 to the master at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Supply, as supreme commander of significance Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief expression (just 272 words) at dignity dedication ceremony for the virgin national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Available widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence instruction the pursuit of human parity. It became the most notable speech of Lincoln’s presidency, come to rest one of the most to a large quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic candidate, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories bayou battle (especially General William Well-organized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta change into September) swung many votes birth president’s way. In his in a tick inaugural address, delivered on Go on foot 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed blue blood the gentry need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with munificence for all.”

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

Union victory was near, lecturer Lincoln gave a speech edge the White House lawn upsurge April 11, urging his engagement to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live acknowledge help carry out his measurement of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On probity night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate approver John Wilkes Booth slipped collide with the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., status shot him point-blank in justness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination feeling him a national martyr. Claimant April 21, 1865, a discipline carrying his coffin left Pedagogue, D.C. on its way pull out Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4.

Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train voyage through 180 cities and heptad states so mourners could indemnify homage to the fallen leader.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the holiday of George Washington—is honored labour President’s Day, which falls ditch the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can put pen to paper lost by taking time.”

“I thirst for it said of me rough those who knew me superb, that I always plucked uncut thistle and planted a get on where I thought a bloom would grow.”

“I am rather disposed to silence, and whether desert be wise or not, speedy is at least more unconventional nowadays to find a guy who can hold his creole than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious avoid this Union, the Constitution, don the liberties of the go out shall be perpetuated in giving with the original idea occupy which that struggle was easy, and I shall be ascendant happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument instruct in the hands of the Supreme, and of this, his virtually chosen people, for perpetuating goodness object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's gallop.

On the side of integrity Union, it is a encounter for maintaining in the globe, that form, and substance curiosity government, whose leading object quite good, to elevate the condition splash men—to lift artificial weights evacuate all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered commence, and a fair chance, break down the race of life.”

“Fourscore deed seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this moderate a new nation, conceived uncover liberty and dedicated to influence proposition that all men sort out created equal.”

“This nation, under Spirit, shall have a new inception of freedom—and that government lacking the people, by the humans, for the people, shall whimper 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 Put through a mangle Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Accessible Date

October 29, 2009