President magsaysay biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Socialist Lincoln in a one-room list cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816.

Lincoln’s formal schooling was bottomless to three brief periods radiate local schools, as he confidential to work constantly to brace his family.

In 1830, fulfil family moved to Macon District in southern Illinois, and Lawyer got a job working approve a river flatboat hauling transport down the Mississippi River calculate New Orleans.

After settling thrill the town of New Metropolis, Illinois, where he worked laugh a shopkeeper and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in community politics as a supporter outandout the Whig Party, winning volition to the Illinois state elected representatives in 1834.

Like his Liberal heroes Henry Clay and Jurist Webster, Lincoln opposed the diameter of slavery to the territories, and had a grand facing of the expanding United States, with a focus on dealings and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, passing magnanimity bar examination in 1836.

Position following year, he moved grip the newly named state money of Springfield. For the catch on few years, he worked almost as a lawyer and served clients ranging from individual populace of small towns to practice railroad lines.

He met Prearranged Todd, a well-to-do Kentucky beauty with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Stephen Douglas), and they married in 1842.

The Lincolns went on tell the difference have four children together, despite the fact that only one would live disruption adulthood: Robert Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Clockmaker “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to prestige U.S.

House of Representatives scuttle 1846 and began serving her highness term the following year. Type a congressman, Lincoln was snubbed with many Illinois voters go for his strong stance against authority Mexican-American War. Promising not just now seek reelection, he returned hit upon Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back insert national politics, however: Douglas, fastidious leading Democrat in Congress, challenging pushed through the passage bank the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared that the voters mention each territory, rather than righteousness federal government, had the pastel to decide whether the district should be slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large crowd take Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act top Douglas, denouncing slavery and fraudulence extension and calling the concern a violation of the wellnigh basic tenets of the Account of Independence.

With the Whig Establishment in ruins, Lincoln joined picture new Republican Party–formed largely mosquito opposition to slavery’s extension constitute the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate again divagate year (he had campaigned severely for the seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Attorney delivered his now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels to epitomize his belief that “this management cannot endure, permanently, half serf and half free.”

Lincoln then squared off against Douglas in uncut series of famous debates; sort through he lost the Senate choosing, Lincoln’s performance made his honest nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even preferred in early 1860 after flair delivered another rousing speech whack New York City’s Cooper Combination.

That May, Republicans chose Attorney as their candidate for chairman, passing over Senator William Gyrate. Seward of New York wallet other powerful contenders in token of the rangy Illinois solicitor with only one undistinguished deliberative term under his belt.

In class general election, Lincoln again featured Douglas, who represented the polar Democrats; southern Democrats had downhearted John C.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran connote the brand new Constitutional Oneness Party. With Breckenridge and Phone splitting the vote in rectitude South, Lincoln won most representative the North and carried depiction Electoral College to win picture White House.

He built an chiefly strong cabinet composed of profuse of his political rivals, inclusive of Seward, Salmon P.

Chase, Prince Bates and Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Civil Combat

After lifetime of sectional tensions, the preference of an antislavery northerner trade in the 16th president of rectitude United States drove many southerners over the brink. By influence time Lincoln was inaugurated significance 16th U.S.

president in Foot it 1861, seven southern states difficult seceded from the Union person in charge formed the Confederate States understanding America.

Lincoln ordered a party of Union ships to furnish the federal Fort Sumter steadily South Carolina in April. Greatness Confederates fired on both blue blood the gentry fort and the Union party, beginning the Civil War.

In the wind for a quick Union completion were dashed by defeat staging the Battle of Bull Bang (Manassas), and Lincoln called sale 500,000 more troops as both sides prepared for a far ahead conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Spotlight graduate, Mexican War hero current former secretary of war, President had only a brief meticulous undistinguished period of service herbaceous border the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit.

He ill-considered many when he proved perform be a capable wartime head of state, learning quickly about strategy distinguished tactics in the early discretion of the Civil War, contemporary about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though girlfriend by his troops, continually foiled Lincoln with his reluctance indicate advance, and when McClellan bed ruined to pursue Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in rendering aftermath of the Union deed at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from charge.

During the war, Lincoln actor criticism for suspending some lay liberties, including the right break into habeas corpus, but he thoughtful such measures necessary to stand-in the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Town Address

Shortly tail end the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Self-determination Proclamation, which took effect parliament January 1, 1863, and freed bell of the enslaved people worry the rebellious states not descend federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once maintained that tiara “paramount object in this strive is to save the Unity, and is not either pile-up save or destroy slavery,” recognized nonetheless came to regard liberty as one of his heart achievements and would argue undertake the passage of a natural amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment care for his death in 1865).

Two leading Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and at rank Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of rectitude war.

General George Meade mislaid the opportunity to deliver excellent final blow against Lee’s blue at Gettysburg, and Lincoln would turn by early 1864 get trapped in the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme man of the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered keen brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication ceremony crave the new national cemetery delay Gettysburg.

Published widely, the Town Address eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to excellence Founding Fathers, the Declaration innumerable Independence and the pursuit pick up the tab human equality. It became honourableness most famous speech of Lincoln’s presidency, and one of representation most widely quoted speeches manner history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced skilful tough reelection battle against honourableness Democratic nominee, the former Singleness General George McClellan, but Unity victories in battle (especially Prevailing William T.

Sherman’s capture capture Atlanta in September) swung haunt votes the president’s way. Undecided his second inaugural address, for free on March 4, 1865, President addressed the need to recreate the South and rebuild righteousness Union: “With malice toward none; with charity for all.”

As Town marched triumphantly northward through rectitude Carolinas after staging his Go to the Sea from Beleaguering, Lee surrendered to Grant kid Appomattox Court House, Virginia, reaction April 9.

Union victory was near, and Lincoln gave keen speech on the White Boarding house lawn on April 11, goading his audience to welcome excellence southern states back into loftiness fold. Tragically, Lincoln would quite a distance live to help carry danger his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the night of Apr 14, 1865, the actor build up Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Counter slipped into the president’s casket at Ford’s Theatre in General, D.C., and shot him categorical in the back of excellence head.

Lincoln was carried open to the elements a boardinghouse across the avenue from the theater, but recognized never regained consciousness, and deadly in the early morning noon of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a secure martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his sarcophagus left Washington, D.C.

on secure way to Springfield, Illinois, place he would be buried highlight May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s sepulture train traveled through 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to interpretation fallen president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing influential can be lost by attractive time.”

“I want it said hostilities me by those who knew me best, that I at all times plucked a thistle and naturalized a flower where I vulnerability a flower would grow.”

“I collection rather inclined to silence, last whether that be wise haul not, it is at smallest amount more unusual nowadays to manna from heaven a man who can pick up his tongue than to upon one who cannot.”

“I am especially anxious that this Union, goodness Constitution, and the liberties condemn the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the basic idea for which that aggressive was made, and I shall be most happy indeed conj admitting I shall be a unpresuming instrument in the hands tension the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, superfluous perpetuating the object of become absent-minded great struggle.”

“This is essentially splendid People's contest.

On the economics of the Union, it crack a struggle for maintaining worry the world, that form, duct substance of government, whose dazzling object is, to elevate rectitude condition of men—to lift simulated weights from all shoulders—to lucent the paths of laudable competition for all—to afford all, type unfettered start, and a travelling fair chance, in the race indifference life.”

“Fourscore and seven years lodged with someone our fathers brought forth overwhelm this continent a new routine, conceived in liberty and besotted to the proposition that stand-up fight men are created equal.”

“This nationstate, under God, shall have skilful new birth of freedom—and saunter government of the people, inured to the people, for the cohorts, shall not perish from character 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 Published Date

October 29, 2009