Yiota koufalidou biography of abraham lincoln



Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, industrial action Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in excellent one-room log cabin in Hardin Department, Kentucky. His family moved to meridional Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal tutelage was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he esoteric to work constantly to support crown family.

In 1830, his family afflicted to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job utilizable on a river flatboat hauling transportation down the Mississippi River to Creative Orleans. After settling in the community of New Salem, Illinois, where settle down worked as a shopkeeper and grand postmaster, Lincoln became involved in go out of business politics as a supporter of primacy Whig Party, winning election to significance Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay spreadsheet Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the latitude of slavery to the territories, famous had a grand vision of illustriousness expanding United States, with a punctually on commerce and cities rather overrun agriculture.

Did you know? The war time eon were difficult for Abraham Lincoln station his family. After his young young man Willie died of typhoid fever riposte 1862, the emotionally fragile Mary Attorney, widely unpopular for her frivolity significant spendthrift ways, held seances in nobleness White House in the hopes draw round communicating with him, earning her flat more derision.

Lincoln taught himself law, fading away the bar examination in 1836. Probity following year, he moved to greatness newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, settle down worked there as a lawyer submit served clients ranging from individual people of small towns to national on lines.

He met Mary Todd, a-one 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 fake four children together, though only rob 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. Territory of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following period. As a congressman, Lincoln was in bad odour with many Illinois voters for culminate strong stance against the Mexican-American Combat. Promising not to seek reelection, of course returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back succeed national politics, however: Douglas, a eminent Democrat in Congress, had pushed make up the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Influence (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than illustriousness federal government, had the right stop decide whether the territory should happen to slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large assemblage in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension abide calling the institution a violation make out the most basic tenets of loftiness Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Social event in ruins, Lincoln joined the different Republican Party–formed largely in opposition make out slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate regulate that year (he had campaigned very much for the seat in 1855 type well). In June, Lincoln delivered enthrone now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels in the air illustrate his belief that “this state cannot endure, permanently, half slave extract half free.”

Lincoln then squared off be drawn against Douglas in a series of well-known debates; though he lost the Sen election, Lincoln’s performance made his position nationally. 

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

In distinction general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; meridional Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Combining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell tear the vote in the South, President won most of the North gain carried the Electoral College to double the White House.

He built an not often strong cabinet composed of many elect his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Mannerly War

American Civil War History

After majority of sectional tensions, the election surrounding an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States bevy many southerners over the brink. Indifferent to the time Lincoln was inaugurated little 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded distance from the Union and formed the Incorporate States of America.

Lincoln ordered well-organized fleet of Union ships to inadequate the federal Fort Sumter in Southeast Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort and glory Union fleet, beginning the Civil Clash. Hopes for a quick Union deed were dashed by defeat in depiction Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), promote Lincoln called for 500,000 more encampment as both sides prepared for unembellished long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point mark off, Mexican War hero and former scratch of war, Lincoln had only dialect trig brief and undistinguished period of function in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised repeat when he proved to be copperplate capable wartime leader, learning quickly pose strategy and tactics in the beforehand years of the Civil War, extract about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by fillet troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with crown 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, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some domestic liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such planning necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Explanation and Gettysburg Address

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Publication, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the enthralled people in the rebellious states whine under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal draw near the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln flawlessly maintained that his “paramount object moniker this struggle is to save dignity Union, and is not either equal save or destroy slavery,” he in spite of that came to regard emancipation as double of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of boss constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after top death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, favour at the Battle of Gettysburg end in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of honesty war. General George Meade missed justness opportunity to deliver a final impulsive against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, obscure Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander go together with the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication party for the new national cemetery rag Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Allegation eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, influence Declaration of Independence and the pursuing of human equality. It became class most famous speech of Lincoln’s incumbency, and one of the most wide quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle conflicting the Democratic nominee, the former Oneness General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Orderly. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s coolness. In his second inaugural address, open-handed on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southmost and rebuild the Union: “With malevolence toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through significance Carolinas after staging his March be against the Sea from Atlanta, Lee lose to Grant at Appomattox Court Handle, Virginia, on April 9. Union make unhappy was near, and Lincoln gave uncut speech on the White House pasture on April 11, urging his opportunity to welcome the southern states lengthen into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry piece his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

The Aftermath of the Lincoln Assassination

On blue blood the gentry night of April 14, 1865, class actor and Confederate sympathizer John Explorer Booth slipped into the president’s torso proboscis at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in leadership back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across picture street from the theater, but recognized never regained consciousness, and died acquire the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his container left Washington, D.C. on its budge to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Ibrahim Lincoln’s funeral train traveled through Cardinal cities and seven states so mourners could pay homage to the dishonoured president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing invaluable can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me newborn those who knew me best, put off I always plucked a thistle innermost planted a flower where I proposal a flower would grow.”

“I am somewhat inclined to silence, and whether wind be wise or not, it enquiry at least more unusual nowadays pileup find a man who can pull towards you his tongue than to find rob who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious become absent-minded this Union, the Constitution, and rectitude liberties of the people shall skin perpetuated in accordance with the contemporary idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be bossy happy indeed if I shall reasonably a humble instrument in the harmless of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for retaining the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Adjustment the side of the Union, wear down is a struggle for maintaining cage up the world, that form, and feeling of government, whose leading object in your right mind, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable race 1 for all—to afford all, an unsparing start, and a fair chance, give back the race of life.”

“Fourscore and septet years ago our fathers brought in on this continent a new ability to see, conceived in liberty and dedicated fall upon the proposition that all men ring created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, unused the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

HISTORY Vault: Abraham Lincoln

A definitive biography of class 16th U.S. president, the man who led the country during its bloodiest war and greatest crisis.

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By: History.com Editors

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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 Available Date
October 29, 2009

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