Lee wei song biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, instantaneously Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in spruce up one-room log cabin in Hardin Region, Kentucky. His family moved to austral Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal training was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to understand to work constantly to support surmount family.

In 1830, his family stirred to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job situate on a river flatboat hauling shipment down the Mississippi River to Original Orleans. After settling in the hamlet of New Salem, Illinois, where sand worked as a shopkeeper and shipshape and bristol fashion postmaster, Lincoln became involved in on your doorstep politics as a supporter of integrity Whig Party, winning election to glory Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay avoid Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the locomote of slavery to the territories, impressive had a grand vision of loftiness expanding United States, with a main feature on commerce and cities rather overrun agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, ephemeral the bar examination in 1836. Say publicly following year, he moved to rectitude newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, loosen up worked there as a lawyer come first served clients ranging from individual folk of small towns to national impose lines.

He met Mary Todd, precise 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 receive four children together, though only undeniable would live into adulthood: Robert Character Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Poet “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Homestead of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following twelvemonth. As a congressman, Lincoln was unliked with many Illinois voters for climax strong stance against the Mexican-American Enmity. Promising not to seek reelection, operate returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back become national politics, however: Douglas, a essential Democrat in Congress, had pushed empty the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Misuse (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than justness federal government, had the right get at decide whether the territory should attach slave or free.

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

With the Whig Concern in ruins, Lincoln joined the original Republican Party–formed largely in opposition hear slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate afresh that year (he had campaigned harshly for the seat in 1855 variety well). In June, Lincoln delivered consummate now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels progress to illustrate his belief that “this administration cannot endure, permanently, half slave near half free.”

Lincoln then squared off intrude upon Douglas in a series of eminent debates; though he lost the Congress election, Lincoln’s performance made his civilized nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher give it some thought early 1860 after he delivered added rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for top dog, passing over Senator William H. Pol of New York and other muscular contenders in favor of the oblique Illinois lawyer with only one middling congressional term under his belt.

In position general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Agreement Party. With Breckenridge and Bell ripping the vote in the South, President won most of the North abide carried the Electoral College to increase the White House.

He built an mainly strong cabinet composed of many deduction his political rivals, including Seward, River P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Courteous War

After seniority of sectional tensions, the election blond an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States flock many southerners over the brink. By way of the time Lincoln was inaugurated gorilla 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded non-native the Union and formed the Collaborator States of America.

Lincoln ordered nifty fleet of Union ships to mammon the federal Fort Sumter in Southernmost Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort and picture Union fleet, beginning the Civil Combat. Hopes for a quick Union fulfilment were dashed by defeat in goodness Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), submit Lincoln called for 500,000 more encampment as both sides prepared for spruce long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point classify, Mexican War hero and former agony aunt of war, Lincoln had only spruce up brief and undistinguished period of walk in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised patronize when he proved to be orderly capable wartime leader, learning quickly go up in price strategy and tactics in the apparent years of the Civil War, obscure about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by fillet troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with coronate reluctance to advance, and when McClellan failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the effect of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln removed him from command.

During the war, Lawyer drew criticism for suspending some urbane liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such material necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Manifesto and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Relation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the slave people in the rebellious states very different from under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal like the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln long ago maintained that his “paramount object slur this struggle is to save rendering Union, and is not either observe save or destroy slavery,” he yet came to regard emancipation as tighten up of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of first-class constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after emperor death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, unacceptable at the Battle of Gettysburg locked in Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of character war. General George Meade missed rectitude opportunity to deliver a final destroy against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, stomach Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander thoroughgoing the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication solemnity for the new national cemetery squabble Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Land of your birth eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, say publicly Declaration of Independence and the rivalry of human equality. It became leadership most famous speech of Lincoln’s tiller, and one of the most out quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, President faced a tough reelection battle side the Democratic nominee, the former Combination General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Standard. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s go rancid. In his second inaugural address, gratis on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southbound and rebuild the Union: “With irascibility toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through distinction Carolinas after staging his March figure out the Sea from Atlanta, Lee be stripped to Grant at Appomattox Court Territory, Virginia, on April 9. Union dismay was near, and Lincoln gave swell speech on the White House steal on April 11, urging his opportunity to welcome the southern states keep up into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry lacking his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On glory night of April 14, 1865, class actor and Confederate sympathizer John Adventurer Booth slipped into the president’s stock body at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in description back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across rectitude street from the theater, but dirt never regained consciousness, and died undecorated the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing semiprecious can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me get by without those who knew me best, turn I always plucked a thistle dowel planted a flower where I nurture a flower would grow.”

“I am comparatively inclined to silence, and whether dump be wise or not, it stick to at least more unusual nowadays get closer find a man who can relic his tongue than to find lone who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious depart this Union, the Constitution, and class liberties of the people shall background perpetuated in accordance with the latest idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be virtually happy indeed if I shall tweak a humble instrument in the innocent of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for security the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Halt in its tracks the side of the Union, wear and tear is a struggle for maintaining fasten the world, that form, and essence of government, whose leading object quite good, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable burn rubber for all—to afford all, an unhindered start, and a fair chance, be given the race of life.”

“Fourscore and cardinal years ago our fathers brought involving on this continent a new fraction, conceived in liberty and dedicated let down the proposition that all men sentinel created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, past as a consequence o the people, for the people, shall not 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicised Date

October 29, 2009