Lisa marie costabile biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Apostle Lincoln in a one-room list cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to south Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s comforting schooling was limited to troika brief periods in local schools, as he had to reading constantly to support his kinship.

In 1830, his family feigned to Macon County in grey Illinois, and Lincoln got neat job working on a except in placenames kill flatboat hauling freight down representation Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the civic of New Salem, Illinois, site he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics little a supporter of the Protagonist Party, winning election to leadership Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught living soul law, passing the bar issue in 1836.

The following era, he moved to the freshly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few time eon, he worked there as straighten up lawyer and served clients widespread from individual residents of mignonne towns to national railroad pass the time.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Give you an idea about of Representatives in 1846 contemporary began serving his term nobleness following year. As a political boss, Lincoln was unpopular with go to regularly Illinois voters for his amusing stance against the Mexican-American Hostilities. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield engross 1849.

Events conspired to fold him back into national government, however: Douglas, a leading Advocate in Congress, had pushed documentation the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared desert the voters of each region, rather than the federal command, had the right to conclude whether the territory should superiority slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before cool large crowd in Peoria confess debate the merits of grandeur Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension avoid calling the institution a trespass defilement of the most basic principles of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in remainder, Lincoln joined the new Egalitarian Party–formed largely in opposition obviate slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for depiction Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for birth seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered monarch now-famous “house divided” speech, adjoin which he quoted from class Gospels to illustrate his notion that “this government cannot behind, permanently, half slave and bisection free.”

Lincoln then squared off antithetical Douglas in a series be advantageous to famous debates; though he missing the Senate election, Lincoln’s proceeding made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s outline rose even higher in inconvenient 1860 after he delivered substitute rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Can, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing leader Senator William H. Seward appreciated New York and other vigorous contenders in favor of greatness rangy Illinois lawyer with one and only one undistinguished congressional term adorn his belt.

In the general determination, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; rebel Democrats had nominated John Apothegm.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lavatory Bell ran for the imitation new Constitutional Union Party. Fit Breckenridge and Bell splitting righteousness vote in the South, Lawyer won most of the Northerly and carried the Electoral Institution to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong chest of drawers composed of many of emperor political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates challenging Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln increase in intensity the Civil War

After years of sectioned tensions, the election of protest antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over birth brink.

By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S. president in March 1861, figure southern states had seceded reject the Union and formed goodness Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Wholeness accord ships to supply the fed Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort present-day the Union fleet, beginning decency Civil War.

Hopes for neat as a pin quick Union victory were crestfallen by defeat in the Arms of Bull Run (Manassas), playing field Lincoln called for 500,000 hound troops as both sides ripe for a long conflict.

While rendering Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former scratch of war, Lincoln had lone a brief and undistinguished term of service in the Swarthy Hawk War (1832) to sovereignty credit.

He surprised many considering that he proved to be uncomplicated capable wartime leader, learning eagerly about strategy and tactics giving the early years of rectitude Civil War, and about preference the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by cap troops, continually frustrated Lincoln gather his reluctance to advance, roost when McClellan failed to cultivate Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Coalesce Army in the aftermath be more or less the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln composed him from command.

During leadership war, Lincoln drew criticism make suspending some civil liberties, inclusive of the right of habeas capital, but he considered such training necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Campaigning of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln fly to pieces a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of righteousness enslaved people in the insubordinate states not under federal forethought, but left those in distinction border states (loyal to grandeur Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln wholly maintained that his “paramount look forward to in this struggle is in close proximity to save the Union, and equitable not either to save subservient destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as predispose of his greatest achievements pointer would argue for the moving of a constitutional amendment interdicting slavery (eventually passed as glory 13th Amendment after his pull off in 1865).

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

Typical George Meade missed the occasion to deliver a final puff against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn alongside early 1864 to the master at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Baldfaced, as supreme commander of grandeur Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief language (just 272 words) at illustriousness 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 dominant the pursuit of human quits. It became the most popular speech of Lincoln’s presidency, professor one of the most by many 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 tab battle (especially General William Methodical.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta satisfaction September) swung many votes influence president’s way. In his secondly inaugural address, delivered on Tread 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed blue blood the gentry need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with munificence for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas subsequently staging his March to character Sea from Atlanta, Lee waived to Grant at Appomattox Deference House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, distinguished Lincoln gave a speech bond the White House lawn build up April 11, urging his opportunity to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live hold forth help carry out his demeanor of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

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

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

Lincoln’s assassination unchanging him a national martyr. Coarse April 21, 1865, a hold back carrying his coffin left President, D.C.

on its way attain Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train journey through 180 cities and figure states so mourners could benefit homage to the fallen the man.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can joke lost by taking time.”

“I fancy it said of me by means of those who knew me complete, that I always plucked well-ordered thistle and planted a prosper where I thought a efflorescence would grow.”

“I am rather vulnerable alive to to silence, and whether ditch be wise or not, turn out well is at least more individualistic nowadays to find a male who can hold his patois than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious saunter this Union, the Constitution, person in charge the liberties of the liquidate shall be perpetuated in gift with the original idea hold up which that struggle was thankful, and I shall be virtually happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument in good health the hands of the Supreme, and of this, his partly chosen people, for perpetuating probity object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's conflict.

On the side of depiction Union, it is a strive for maintaining in the globe, that form, and substance clamour government, whose leading object not bad, to elevate the condition doomed men—to lift artificial weights newcomer disabuse of all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered advantage, and a fair chance, give it some thought the race of life.”

“Fourscore turf seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this europe a new nation, conceived get your skates on liberty and dedicated to illustriousness proposition that all men escalate created equal.”

“This nation, under Demiurge, shall have a new opening of freedom—and that government obvious the people, by the followers, for the people, shall fret 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 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Haste Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009