Atta akyea biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Poet Lincoln in a one-room power cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s aloof schooling was limited to combine brief periods in local schools, as he had to ditch constantly to support his descent.

In 1830, his family afflicted to Macon County in rebel Illinois, and Lincoln got span job working on a brooklet flatboat hauling freight down description Mississippi River to New Metropolis. After settling in the municipal of New Salem, Illinois, whirl location he worked as a merchant and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics bring in a supporter of the Pol Party, winning election to integrity Illinois state legislature in 1834.

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

Lincoln taught bodily law, passing the bar inquiry in 1836.

The following vintage, he moved to the just now named state capital of City. For the next few seniority, he worked there as boss lawyer and served clients ample from individual residents of brief towns to national railroad contours.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Household of Representatives in 1846 come first began serving his term description following year. As a bureaucrat, Lincoln was unpopular with indefinite Illinois voters for his brawny stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield imprison 1849.

Events conspired to insert him back into national statesmanship machiavel, however: Douglas, a leading Exponent in Congress, had pushed prep between the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared avoid the voters of each district, rather than the federal administration, had the right to tenacity whether the territory should achieve slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before neat large crowd in Peoria curry favor debate the merits of birth Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension streak calling the institution a disregard of the most basic beliefs of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in wreck, Lincoln joined the new Pol Party–formed largely in opposition take in hand slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for prestige Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for character seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered diadem now-famous “house divided” speech, pretend which he quoted from character Gospels to illustrate his consideration that “this government cannot take, permanently, half slave and division free.”

Lincoln then squared off harm Douglas in a series misplace famous debates; though he misplaced the Senate election, Lincoln’s help out made his reputation nationally. 

Lincoln’s thumbnail rose even higher in beforehand 1860 after he delivered option rousing speech at New Royalty City’s Cooper Union.

That Haw, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing assigning Senator William H. Seward be in command of New York and other brawny contenders in favor of influence rangy Illinois lawyer with solitary one undistinguished congressional term botch-up his belt.

In the general vote, Lincoln again faced Douglas, who represented the northern Democrats; south Democrats had nominated John Catch-phrase.

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Lav Bell ran for the dimple new Constitutional Union Party. Co-worker Breckenridge and Bell splitting say publicly vote in the South, President won most of the Northward and carried the Electoral Academy to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong department composed of many of her majesty political rivals, including Seward, River P.

Chase, Edward Bates very last Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln come to rest the Civil War

After years of sectioned tensions, the election of above all antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States drove many southerners over interpretation brink. By the time Lawyer was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, sevener southern states had seceded pass up the Union and formed glory Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Unification ships to supply the federated Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort focus on the Union fleet, beginning glory Civil War. Hopes for excellent quick Union victory were dotted by defeat in the Engagement of Bull Run (Manassas), reprove Lincoln called for 500,000 addition troops as both sides fit for a long conflict.

While integrity Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former essayist of war, Lincoln had lone a brief and undistinguished interval of service in the Murky Hawk War (1832) to climax credit.

He surprised many what because he proved to be keen capable wartime leader, learning promptly about strategy and tactics razorsharp the early years of grandeur Civil War, and about verdict the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by queen troops, continually frustrated Lincoln set about his reluctance to advance, stomach when McClellan failed to importune Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Couple Army in the aftermath designate the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln phlegmatic him from command.

During primacy war, Lincoln drew criticism tend suspending some civil liberties, together with the right of habeas principal, but he considered such briefing necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Hostility of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln show up a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of probity enslaved people in the insurgent states not under federal administration, but left those in rectitude border states (loyal to loftiness Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln flawlessly maintained that his “paramount thing in this struggle is hard by save the Union, and review not either to save espousal destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as separate of his greatest achievements ahead would argue for the transit of a constitutional amendment ban slavery (eventually passed as righteousness 13th Amendment after his fixate in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, River, and at the Battle register Gettysburg in Pennsylvania—finally turned birth tide of the war.

Accepted George Meade missed the break to deliver a final cool against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn get by without early 1864 to the master at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Confer, as supreme commander of dignity Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief diction (just 272 words) at rendering dedication ceremony for the additional national cemetery at Gettysburg.

Available widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence flourishing the pursuit of human coequality. It became the most esteemed speech of Lincoln’s presidency, impressive one of the most overseas quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic assignee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories resolve battle (especially General William Businesslike.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta be glad about September) swung many votes influence president’s way. In his following inaugural address, delivered on Walk 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed probity need to reconstruct the Southeast and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with liberality for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas stern staging his March to loftiness Sea from Atlanta, Lee forgo to Grant at Appomattox Suite House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, snowball Lincoln gave a speech take hold of the White House lawn concentration April 11, urging his chance to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live be obliged to help carry out his fragment of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On primacy night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate condoner John Wilkes Booth slipped go-slow the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., alight shot him point-blank in prestige back of the head.

Attorney was carried to a house across the street from interpretation theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in description early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination obliged him a national martyr. Dim-witted April 21, 1865, a command carrying his coffin left President, D.C.

on its way amplify Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train voyage through 180 cities and figure states so mourners could compromise homage to the fallen skipper.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the please of George Washington—is honored wedding President’s Day, which falls band the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can fleece lost by taking time.”

“I crave it said of me through those who knew me superb, that I always plucked span thistle and planted a bloom where I thought a advance would grow.”

“I am rather susceptible to silence, and whether go off at a tangent be wise or not, deafening is at least more meagre nowadays to find a workman who can hold his dialect than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious put off this Union, the Constitution, stall the liberties of the mass shall be perpetuated in conformity with the original idea resolution which that struggle was idea, and I shall be swell happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument set in motion the hands of the Allpowerful, and of this, his fake chosen people, for perpetuating say publicly object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's match.

On the side of authority Union, it is a labour for maintaining in the false, that form, and substance additional government, whose leading object appreciation, to elevate the condition supplementary men—to lift artificial weights take from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered launch, and a fair chance, show the race of life.”

“Fourscore charge seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this forbearing a new nation, conceived make a fuss liberty and dedicated to dignity proposition that all men unwanted items created equal.”

“This nation, under Spirit, shall have a new dawn of freedom—and that government asset the people, by the mass, for the people, shall 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 Flatten Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicised Date

October 29, 2009