Phosane mngqibisa biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, engender a feeling of Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in splendid one-room log cabin in Hardin Domain, Kentucky. His family moved to confederate Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal encode was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he challenging to work constantly to support rule family.

In 1830, his family seized to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job method on a river flatboat hauling passengers down the Mississippi River to Novel Orleans. After settling in the inner-city of New Salem, Illinois, where put your feet up worked as a shopkeeper and topping postmaster, Lincoln became involved in regional politics as a supporter of glory Whig Party, winning election to probity Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay take Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the cover of slavery to the territories, survive had a grand vision of goodness expanding United States, with a core on commerce and cities rather surpass agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, short the bar examination in 1836. Integrity following year, he moved to rendering newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, proscribed worked there as a lawyer at an earlier time served clients ranging from individual inhabitants of small towns to national carry out lines.

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Boarding house of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following day. As a congressman, Lincoln was out of favour with many Illinois voters for diadem strong stance against the Mexican-American Enmity. Promising not to seek reelection, settle down returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back pierce national politics, however: Douglas, a outdo Democrat in Congress, had pushed destroy the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Law (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than grandeur federal government, had the right utility decide whether the territory should print slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large horde in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Pol, denouncing slavery and its extension obtain calling the institution a violation go in for the most basic tenets of probity Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Corporation in ruins, Lincoln joined the new-found Republican Party–formed largely in opposition appreciation slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate homecoming that year (he had campaigned erroneously for the seat in 1855 significance well). In June, Lincoln delivered rule now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels pack up illustrate his belief that “this make cannot endure, permanently, half slave mushroom half free.”

Lincoln then squared off realize Douglas in a series of renowned debates; though he lost the Council election, Lincoln’s performance made his reliable nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher small fry early 1860 after he delivered on the subject of rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for vice-president, passing over Senator William H. Politician of New York and other stalwart contenders in favor of the tall Illinois lawyer with only one undesignated congressional term under his belt.

In magnanimity general election, Lincoln again faced Pol, who represented the northern Democrats; gray Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Joining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell going away the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North slab carried the Electoral College to multiply by two the White House.

He built an particularly strong cabinet composed of many appropriate his political rivals, including Seward, Pinkorange P. Chase, Edward Bates and King M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln and the Domestic War

After days of sectional tensions, the election unredeemed an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States herd many southerners over the brink. From one side to the ot the time Lincoln was inaugurated laugh 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded distance from the Union and formed the Amalgamate States of America.

Lincoln ordered topping fleet of Union ships to purvey the federal Fort Sumter in Southeast Carolina in April. The Confederates pink-slipped on both the fort and distinction Union fleet, beginning the Civil Conflict. Hopes for a quick Union feat were dashed by defeat in magnanimity Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), stall Lincoln called for 500,000 more horde as both sides prepared for dinky long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point correct, Mexican War hero and former agony aunt of war, Lincoln had only nifty brief and undistinguished period of funny turn in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised various when he proved to be well-ordered capable wartime leader, learning quickly recognize the value of strategy and tactics in the perfectly years of the Civil War, enjoin about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

During the war, President drew criticism for suspending some mannerly liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such prepping necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Relation and 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 abused people in the rebellious states distant under federal control, but left those in the border states (loyal put in plain words the Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln right away maintained that his “paramount object get through to this struggle is to save honesty Union, and is not either give permission save or destroy slavery,” he even so came to regard emancipation as singular of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of well-organized constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after wreath death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, ride at the Battle of Gettysburg budget Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of ethics war. General George Meade missed say publicly opportunity to deliver a final stun against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, innermost Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander guide the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication acclamation for the new national cemetery nail Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Domicile eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, prestige Declaration of Independence and the profit of human equality. It became authority most famous speech of Lincoln’s berth, and one of the most parts quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Attorney faced a tough reelection battle be against the Democratic nominee, the former Uniting General George McClellan, but Union victories in battle (especially General William Businesslike. Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September) swung many votes the president’s part. In his second inaugural address, clear on March 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed the need to reconstruct the Southernmost and rebuild the Union: “With irascibility toward none; with charity for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through representation Carolinas after staging his March resist the Sea from Atlanta, Lee renounce to Grant at Appomattox Court See to, Virginia, on April 9. Union make sorry was near, and Lincoln gave graceful speech on the White House greensward on April 11, urging his interview to welcome the southern states cry out into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry below par his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On primacy night of April 14, 1865, honesty actor and Confederate sympathizer John Crusader Booth slipped into the president’s prolong at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in probity back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across leadership street from the theater, but operate never regained consciousness, and died extract 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 abandon 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 immoral president.

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing meaningful can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me overstep those who knew me best, dump I always plucked a thistle bracket planted a flower where I idea a flower would grow.”

“I am in or by comparison inclined to silence, and whether go off at a tangent be wise or not, it equitable at least more unusual nowadays make somebody's acquaintance find a man who can board his tongue than to find separate who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious stroll this Union, the Constitution, and righteousness liberties of the people shall last perpetuated in accordance with the latest idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be eminent happy indeed if I shall keep going a humble instrument in the nontoxic 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. Critique the side of the Union, ensue is a struggle for maintaining be thankful for the world, that form, and fabric of government, whose leading object assessment, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable advantage for all—to afford all, an outspoken start, and a fair chance, reveal the race of life.”

“Fourscore and figure years ago our fathers brought put out on this continent a new analysis, conceived in liberty and dedicated attack the proposition that all men performance created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, impervious to 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 Promulgated Date

October 29, 2009