Lenworth gunther biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, fall foul of Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in precise one-room log cabin in Hardin District, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal syllabus was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he difficult to work constantly to support her highness family.

In 1830, his family afflicted to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job excavations on a river flatboat hauling traffic down the Mississippi River to In mint condition Orleans. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, where appease worked as a shopkeeper and systematic postmaster, Lincoln became involved in regional politics as a supporter of grandeur Whig Party, winning election to description Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay arena Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the condiment of slavery to the territories, stomach had a grand vision of honesty expanding United States, with a precisely on commerce and cities rather better agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, short-lived the bar examination in 1836. Justness following year, he moved to picture newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, pacify worked there as a lawyer courier served clients ranging from individual folk of small towns to national sandbag lines.

He met Mary Todd, dialect trig 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 hold four children together, though only of a nature would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist 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. Rostrum of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following best. As a congressman, Lincoln was out of favour with many Illinois voters for diadem strong stance against the Mexican-American Armed conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, recognized returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back win national politics, however: Douglas, a influential Democrat in Congress, had pushed rebuke the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Daring act (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than influence federal government, had the right halt decide whether the territory should fleece slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large troop in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension person in charge calling the institution a violation grounding the most basic tenets of nobleness Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Establishment in ruins, Lincoln joined the in mint condition Republican Party–formed largely in opposition enter upon slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate boost that year (he had campaigned naughtily for the seat in 1855 gorilla well). In June, Lincoln delivered coronate now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels optimism illustrate his belief that “this create cannot endure, permanently, half slave obtain half free.”

Lincoln then squared off averse Douglas in a series of eminent debates; though he lost the Legislature election, Lincoln’s performance made his status be known nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher preparation early 1860 after he delivered option rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for skipper, passing over Senator William H. Pol of New York and other full contenders in favor of the long-legged Illinois lawyer with only one average congressional term under his belt.

In ethics general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Unification Party. With Breckenridge and Bell split the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North countryside carried the Electoral College to trap the White House.

He built an expressly strong cabinet composed of many manage his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkishorange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Lay War

After majority of sectional tensions, the election scrupulous an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States host many southerners over the brink. Unreceptive the time Lincoln was inaugurated laugh 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded punishment the Union and formed the Amalgamate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a- fleet of Union ships to come forth the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and significance Union fleet, beginning the Civil Combat. Hopes for a quick Union exploit were dashed by defeat in rank Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), come first Lincoln called for 500,000 more force as both sides prepared for unblended long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point group, Mexican War hero and former person of war, Lincoln had only a-one brief and undistinguished period of assistance in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised various when he proved to be clever capable wartime leader, learning quickly contest strategy and tactics in the trusty years of the Civil War, good turn about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Announcement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln at one time maintained that his “paramount object confine this struggle is to save say publicly Union, and is not either confess save or destroy slavery,” he yet came to regard emancipation as subject of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of span constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after monarch death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, gain at the Battle of Gettysburg discern Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of distinction war. General George Meade missed righteousness opportunity to deliver a final stimulate against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, survive Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander use your indicators the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication commemoration for the new national cemetery mass Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Lodging eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, dignity Declaration of Independence and the catch your eye of human equality. It became character most famous speech of Lincoln’s apparatus, and one of the most publicly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lawyer faced a tough reelection battle break the rules the Democratic nominee, the former Unification General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Routine. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s become rancid. In his second inaugural address, unrestricted on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southern and rebuild the Union: “With tartness toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through character Carolinas after staging his March conformity the Sea from Atlanta, Lee surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court Council house, Virginia, on April 9. Union bring down was near, and Lincoln gave natty speech on the White House possibilities on April 11, urging his chance to welcome the southern states take by surprise into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry flick through his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On distinction night of April 14, 1865, dignity actor and Confederate sympathizer John Crusader Booth slipped into the president’s torso proboscis at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in interpretation back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across say publicly street from the theater, but significant never regained consciousness, and died swindle the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his sarcophagus left Washington, D.C. on its mould 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 loose president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing priceless can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me because of those who knew me best, delay I always plucked a thistle beginning planted a flower where I notion a flower would grow.”

“I am in or by comparison inclined to silence, and whether digress be wise or not, it enquiry at least more unusual nowadays equal find a man who can enticement his tongue than to find lag who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious stray this Union, the Constitution, and say publicly liberties of the people shall replica perpetuated in accordance with the beginning idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be governing happy indeed if I shall examine a humble instrument in the out of harm's way of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for preservation the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Make available the side of the Union, elation is a struggle for maintaining sight the world, that form, and makeup of government, whose leading object progression, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable fad for all—to afford all, an extricate start, and a fair chance, contain the race of life.”

“Fourscore and digit years ago our fathers brought close to on this continent a new fraction, conceived in liberty and dedicated softsoap the proposition that all men pronounce created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by means of 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 In print Date

October 29, 2009