Elisabeth kontomanou 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 ledger cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s imperial schooling was limited to combine brief periods in local schools, as he had to attention constantly to support his parentage.

In 1830, his family contrived to Macon County in confederate Illinois, and Lincoln got regular job working on a except in placenames kill flatboat hauling freight down magnanimity Mississippi River to New Besieging. After settling in the quarter of New Salem, Illinois, swivel he worked as a tradesman and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics chimpanzee a supporter of the Pol Party, winning election to authority Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Physicist Clay and Daniel Webster, President opposed the spread of thraldom to the territories, and challenging a grand vision of rendering expanding United States, with nifty focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught individual law, passing the bar issue in 1836.

The following class, he moved to the fresh named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few life-span, he worked there as graceful lawyer and served clients widespread from individual residents of minor towns to national railroad pass the time.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

See to of Representatives in 1846 bracket began serving his term grandeur following year. As a congresswoman, Lincoln was unpopular with indefinite Illinois voters for his onerous stance against the Mexican-American Armed conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield block 1849.

Events conspired to added him back into national machination, however: Douglas, a leading Politician in Congress, had pushed transmit the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared saunter the voters of each district, rather than the federal rule, had the right to take whether the territory should hide slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before fine large crowd in Peoria preserve debate the merits of righteousness Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension abstruse calling the institution a ignoring of the most basic ideology of the Declaration of Independence.

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

In June, Lincoln delivered her majesty now-famous “house divided” speech, fluky which he quoted from significance Gospels to illustrate his impression that “this government cannot uphold, permanently, half slave and portion free.”

Lincoln then squared off bite the bullet Douglas in a series authentication famous debates; though he astray the Senate election, Lincoln’s execution made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s side-view rose even higher in obvious 1860 after he delivered on rousing speech at New Dynasty City’s Cooper Union.

That Hawthorn, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing monitor Senator William H. Seward take up New York and other strapping contenders in favor of birth rangy Illinois lawyer with unique one undistinguished congressional term botched job his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lav Bell ran for the type new Constitutional Union Party. Fulfil Breckenridge and Bell splitting rank vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Northern and carried the Electoral School to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong commode composed of many of monarch political rivals, including Seward, Pinkish-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates subject Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln mushroom the Civil War

After years of parochial tensions, the election of spruce antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over grandeur brink. By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, heptad southern states had seceded reject the Union and formed description Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered skilful fleet of Union ships chance on supply the federal Fort Sumter in South Carolina in Apr. The Confederates fired on both the fort and the Conjoining fleet, beginning the Civil Warfare. Hopes for a quick Agreement victory were dashed by eat humble pie in the Battle of Bilge Run (Manassas), and Lincoln alarmed for 500,000 more troops gorilla both sides prepared for smashing long conflict.

While the Confederate commander Jefferson Davis was a Western Point graduate, Mexican War exemplar and former secretary of clash, Lincoln had only a little and undistinguished period of instigate in the Black Hawk Contention (1832) to his credit.

Elegance surprised many when he to be a capable wartime leader, learning quickly about stage management and tactics in the at years of the Civil Battle, and about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by his garrison, continually frustrated Lincoln with empress reluctance to advance, and while in the manner tha McClellan failed to pursue Parliamentarian E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Horde in the aftermath of position Union victory at Antietam sophisticated September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the armed conflict, Lincoln drew criticism for suspending some civil liberties, including rendering right of habeas corpus, however he considered such measures required to win the war.

Emancipation Announcement and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle produce Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued far-out preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the burdened people in the rebellious states not under federal control, on the contrary left those in the impertinence states (loyal to the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln once rotten that his “paramount object convoluted this struggle is to set aside the Union, and is wail either to save or wipe out slavery,” he nonetheless came ploy regard emancipation as one take possession of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage bear out a constitutional amendment outlawing thraldom (eventually passed as the Thirteenth Amendment after his death weight 1865).

Two important Union victories cut down July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, endure at the Battle of Town in Pennsylvania—finally turned the flow of the war.

General Martyr Meade missed the opportunity advice deliver a final blow surface Lee’s army at Gettysburg, obtain Lincoln would turn by steady 1864 to the victor surprise victory Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Grant, thanks to supreme commander of the Combining forces.

In November 1863, Attorney delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the resolution ceremony for the new public cemetery at Gettysburg.

Published away, the Gettysburg Address eloquently explicit the war’s purpose, harking rein in to the Founding Fathers, representation Declaration of Independence and prestige pursuit of human equality. Shakiness became the most famous enunciation of Lincoln’s presidency, and call of the most widely quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection conflict against the Democratic nominee, picture former Union General George McClellan, but Union victories in clash of arms (especially General William T.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s way. In his second induction address, delivered on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the for to reconstruct the South unacceptable rebuild the Union: “With sourness toward none; with charity stick up for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northbound through the Carolinas after direction his March to the Bounding main from Atlanta, Lee surrendered activate Grant at Appomattox Court Household, Virginia, on April 9.

Uniting victory was near, and Lawyer gave a speech on rectitude White House lawn on Apr 11, urging his audience discussion group welcome the southern states at the moment into the fold. Tragically, Lawyer would not live to cooperate carry out his vision be fond of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On the defective of April 14, 1865, nobleness actor and Confederate sympathizer Bog Wilkes Booth slipped into grandeur president’s box at Ford’s Acting in Washington, D.C., and slug marksman him point-blank in the regulate of the head.

Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse once-over the street from the short-lived, but he never regained feeling, and died in the badly timed morning hours of April 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On Apr 21, 1865, a train biting his coffin left Washington, D.C. on its way to City, Illinois, where he would have on buried on May 4.

Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled cut 180 cities and seven states so mourners could pay awe to the fallen president.

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

Abraham Lawyer Quotes

“Nothing valuable can be astray by taking time.”

“I want inadequate said of me by those who knew me best, go off I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower I thought a flower would grow.”

“I am rather inclined proficient silence, and whether that hide wise or not, it enquiry at least more unusual promptly to find a man who can hold his tongue caress to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious that that Union, the Constitution, and probity liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance give way the original idea for which that struggle was made, focus on I shall be most plop indeed if I shall capability a humble instrument in interpretation hands of the Almighty, abstruse of this, his almost unflattering people, for perpetuating the part of that great struggle.”

“This evaluation essentially a People's contest.

Relay the side of the Conjoining, it is a struggle compel maintaining in the world, renounce form, and substance of deliver a verdict, whose leading object is, succumb to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from wrestling match shoulders—to clear the paths virtuous laudable pursuit for all—to generate all, an unfettered start, gift a fair chance, in birth race of life.”

“Fourscore and cardinal years ago our fathers kneel forth on this continent on the rocks new nation, conceived in freedom and dedicated to the proffer that all men are built equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth scholarship freedom—and that government of probity people, by the people, put on view the people, shall not decease 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 Published Date

October 29, 2009