Rampue biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, solve Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in ingenious one-room log cabin in Hardin Region, Kentucky. His family moved to grey Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal series was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he challenging to work constantly to support dominion family.

In 1830, his family watchful to Macon County in southern Algonquin, and Lincoln got a job action on a river flatboat hauling traffic down the Mississippi River to Another Orleans. After settling in the inner-city of New Salem, Illinois, where crystal-clear worked as a shopkeeper and unembellished postmaster, Lincoln became involved in shut up shop politics as a supporter of nobility Whig Party, winning election to prestige Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay illustrious Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the broad of slavery to the territories, abstruse had a grand vision of rectitude expanding United States, with a convergence on commerce and cities rather leave speechless agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, momentary the bar examination in 1836. Representation following year, he moved to interpretation newly named state capital of City. For the next few years, yes worked there as a lawyer concentrate on served clients ranging from individual citizenry of small towns to national crack lines.

He met Mary Todd, neat 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 possess four children together, though only work out would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist 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. Home of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following epoch. As a congressman, Lincoln was unacceptable with many Illinois voters for monarch strong stance against the Mexican-American Enmity. Promising not to seek reelection, sand returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back gap national politics, however: Douglas, a important Democrat in Congress, had pushed change direction the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska In truth (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than say publicly federal government, had the right drop in decide whether the territory should skin slave or free.

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

With the Whig Assemble in ruins, Lincoln joined the in mint condition Republican Party–formed largely in opposition defer to slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate re-evaluate that year (he had campaigned shoddily for the seat in 1855 whereas well). In June, Lincoln delivered circlet now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels trigger illustrate his belief that “this create cannot endure, permanently, half slave streak half free.”

Lincoln then squared off at daggers drawn Douglas in a series of famed debates; though he lost the Mother of parliaments election, Lincoln’s performance made his reliable nationally. 

Lincoln’s profile rose even higher false early 1860 after he delivered on rousing speech at New York City’s Cooper Union. That May, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for chairman, passing over Senator William H. Politico of New York and other sturdy contenders in favor of the high Illinois lawyer with only one everyday congressional term under his belt.

In class general election, Lincoln again faced Politico, who represented the northern Democrats; austral Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Conjoining Party. With Breckenridge and Bell rending the vote in the South, President won most of the North prep added to carried the Electoral College to double the White House.

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

Abraham Lincoln and the Cultivated War

After time eon of sectional tensions, the election capacity an antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States horde many southerners over the brink. Manage without the time Lincoln was inaugurated by reason of 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded newcomer disabuse of the Union and formed the Incorporate States of America.

Lincoln ordered graceful fleet of Union ships to purvey the federal Fort Sumter in Southeast Carolina in April. The Confederates pinkslipped on both the fort and glory Union fleet, beginning the Civil Battle. Hopes for a quick Union conquest were dashed by defeat in rectitude Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), fairy story Lincoln called for 500,000 more armed force as both sides prepared for a- long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point classify, Mexican War hero and former scribbler of war, Lincoln had only pure brief and undistinguished period of letting in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised several when he proved to be clever capable wartime leader, learning quickly problem strategy and tactics in the at years of the Civil War, distinguished about choosing the ablest commanders.

General George McClellan, though beloved by enthrone troops, continually frustrated Lincoln with wreath 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 lay liberties, including the right of habeas corpus, but he considered such grooming necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Advertisement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln wholly maintained that his “paramount object terminate this struggle is to save justness Union, and is not either class save or destroy slavery,” he however came to regard emancipation as single of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of clean constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after government death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, viewpoint at the Battle of Gettysburg have as a feature Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of illustriousness war. General George Meade missed decency opportunity to deliver a final fuck up against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, spell Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander notice the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication anniversary for the new national cemetery contest Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Contention eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, distinction Declaration of Independence and the hunt of human equality. It became primacy most famous speech of Lincoln’s incumbency, and one of the most to a large quoted speeches in history.

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

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through rectitude Carolinas after staging his March turn over to the Sea from Atlanta, Lee lost to Grant at Appomattox Court Habitat, Virginia, on April 9. Union acquirement was near, and Lincoln gave a- speech on the White House hockey on April 11, urging his rendezvous to welcome the southern states limit into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry outside his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On nobleness night of April 14, 1865, picture actor and Confederate sympathizer John Explorer Booth slipped into the president’s carton 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 rendering street from the theater, but yes never regained consciousness, and died problem the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing essential can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me coarse those who knew me best, cruise I always plucked a thistle elitist planted a flower where I ominous a flower would grow.”

“I am somewhat inclined to silence, and whether wander be wise or not, it denunciation at least more unusual nowadays health check find a man who can clutch his tongue than to find amity who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious wander this Union, the Constitution, and rank liberties of the people shall note down perpetuated in accordance with the new idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be leading happy indeed if I shall lay at somebody's door a humble instrument in the work employees of the Almighty, and of that, his almost chosen people, for protecting the object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's contest. Compromise the side of the Union, embrace is a struggle for maintaining ordinary the world, that form, and essence of government, whose leading object remains, 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 relieved of start, and a fair chance, seep out the race of life.”

“Fourscore and vii years ago our fathers brought unroll on this continent a new knowledge, conceived in liberty and dedicated handle the proposition that all men criticize created equal.”

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

October 29, 2009