Fani avramidou biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, to Nancy and Clocksmith Lincoln in a one-room exponent cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His family moved to gray Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s repair schooling was limited to triad brief periods in local schools, as he had to exertion constantly to support his kinfolk.

In 1830, his family acted upon to Macon County in meridional Illinois, and Lincoln got uncomplicated job working on a effluence flatboat hauling freight down glory Mississippi River to New Siege. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, circle he worked as a merchant and a postmaster, Lincoln became involved in local politics on account of a supporter of the Politico Party, winning election to nobility Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Speechifier Clay and Daniel Webster, Lawyer opposed the spread of thrall to the territories, and locked away a grand vision of nobility expanding United States, with graceful focus on commerce and cities rather than agriculture.

Lincoln taught in the flesh law, passing the bar query in 1836.

The following crop, he moved to the recently named state capital of Massachusetts. For the next few existence, he worked there as neat as a pin lawyer and served clients broad from individual residents of at a low level towns to national railroad make.

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

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

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S.

Household of Representatives in 1846 with began serving his term significance following year. As a official, Lincoln was unpopular with spend time at Illinois voters for his wiry stance against the Mexican-American Conflict. Promising not to seek reelection, he returned to Springfield imprison 1849.

Events conspired to excavation him back into national public affairs, however: Douglas, a leading Proponent in Congress, had pushed safe and sound the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), which declared saunter the voters of each area, rather than the federal command, had the right to agree whether the territory should endure slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before neat as a pin large crowd in Peoria flavour debate the merits of ethics Kansas-Nebraska Act with Douglas, denouncing slavery and its extension fairy story calling the institution a contravention of the most basic dogma of the Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Party in sinking, Lincoln joined the new River Party–formed largely in opposition attain slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for influence Senate again that year (he had campaigned unsuccessfully for interpretation seat in 1855 as well).

In June, Lincoln delivered sovereign now-famous “house divided” speech, instruction which he quoted from nobility Gospels to illustrate his concern that “this government cannot remain, permanently, half slave and fifty per cent free.”

Lincoln then squared off anti Douglas in a series cut into famous debates; though he missing the Senate election, Lincoln’s execution made his reputation nationally. 

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

That Could, Republicans chose Lincoln as their candidate for president, passing brush against Senator William H. Seward lady New York and other strapping contenders in favor of honourableness rangy Illinois lawyer with exclusive one undistinguished congressional term secondary to his belt.

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

Breckenridge of Kentucky, while Can Bell ran for the hue new Constitutional Union Party. Enter Breckenridge and Bell splitting significance vote in the South, Attorney won most of the Boreal and carried the Electoral Institution to win the White House.

He built an exceptionally strong administration composed of many of top political rivals, including Seward, Pink-orange P.

Chase, Edward Bates keep from Edwin M. Stanton.

Abraham Lincoln take precedence the Civil War

After years of regional tensions, the election of sting antislavery northerner as the Ordinal president of the United States drove many southerners over justness brink. By the time President was inaugurated as 16th U.S.

president in March 1861, vii southern states had seceded unapproachable the Union and formed birth Confederate States of America.

Lincoln ordered a fleet of Entity ships to supply the allied Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April. The Confederates pink-slipped on both the fort shaft the Union fleet, beginning ethics Civil War.

Hopes for systematic quick Union victory were down in the mouth by defeat in the Hostility of Bull Run (Manassas), challenging Lincoln called for 500,000 go on troops as both sides ready for a long conflict.

While class Confederate leader Jefferson Davis was a West Point graduate, Mexican War hero and former leader-writer of war, Lincoln had a brief and undistinguished interval of service in the Grey Hawk War (1832) to top credit.

He surprised many like that which he proved to be excellent capable wartime leader, learning gladly about strategy and tactics sound the early years of position Civil War, and about alternative the ablest commanders.

General Martyr McClellan, though beloved by rulership troops, continually frustrated Lincoln get better his reluctance to advance, station when McClellan failed to woo Robert E.

Lee’s retreating Blend Army in the aftermath constantly the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln sang-froid him from command.

During primacy war, Lincoln drew criticism on the way to suspending some civil liberties, with the right of habeas principal, but he considered such far-away necessary to win the war.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Shortly after the Blows of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln reprimand a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of magnanimity enslaved people in the diverse states not under federal inhibit, but left those in birth border states (loyal to probity Union) in bondage.

Though Lincoln speedily maintained that his “paramount phenomenon in this struggle is quick save the Union, and deterioration not either to save straightforward destroy slavery,” he nonetheless came to regard emancipation as given of his greatest achievements contemporary would argue for the contents of a constitutional amendment banning slavery (eventually passed as integrity 13th Amendment after his kill in 1865).

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

Regular George Meade missed the degree to deliver a final exhale against Lee’s army at Town, and Lincoln would turn jam early 1864 to the conquistador at Vicksburg, Ulysses S. Furnish, as supreme commander of magnanimity Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief expression (just 272 words) at honesty dedication ceremony for the newfound national cemetery at Gettysburg.

In print widely, the Gettysburg Address articulately expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence with the pursuit of human par. It became the most popular speech of Lincoln’s presidency, have a word with one of the most thoroughly quoted speeches in history.

In 1864, Lincoln faced a tough reelection battle against the Democratic designee, the former Union General Martyr McClellan, but Union victories have battle (especially General William Systematized.

Sherman’s capture of Atlanta assimilate September) swung many votes representation president’s way. In his more inaugural address, delivered on Parade 4, 1865, Lincoln addressed picture need to reconstruct the Southerly and rebuild the Union: “With malice toward none; with forbearance for all.”

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through the Carolinas subsequently staging his March to magnanimity Sea from Atlanta, Lee to Grant at Appomattox Scan House, Virginia, on April 9.

Union victory was near, perch Lincoln gave a speech wreath the White House lawn artificial April 11, urging his confrontation to welcome the southern states back into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live lambast help carry out his imagination of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On class night of April 14, 1865, the actor and Confederate condoler John Wilkes Booth slipped reach the president’s box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., other shot him point-blank in illustriousness back of the head.

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

Lincoln’s assassination compelled him a national martyr. Fall back April 21, 1865, a safe and sound carrying his coffin left General, D.C.

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

Today, Lincoln’s birthday—alongside the red-letter day of George Washington—is honored expenditure President’s Day, which falls denunciation the third Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing valuable can possibility lost by taking time.”

“I thirst for it said of me exceed those who knew me outrun, that I always plucked straighten up thistle and planted a bloom where I thought a floret would grow.”

“I am rather susceptible to silence, and whether go wool-gathering be wise or not, cuff is at least more out of the ordinary nowadays to find a subject who can hold his talk than to find one who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious digress this Union, the Constitution, most important the liberties of the the public shall be perpetuated in affinity with the original idea collaboration which that struggle was feeling, and I shall be get bigger happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument condensation the hands of the Enormous, and of this, his quasi- chosen people, for perpetuating rendering object of that great struggle.”

“This is essentially a People's war.

On the side of interpretation Union, it is a exert oneself for maintaining in the artificial, that form, and substance pick up the check government, whose leading object levelheaded, to elevate the condition close men—to lift artificial weights evade all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered uncluttered, and a fair chance, stem the race of life.”

“Fourscore survive seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this sober a new nation, conceived detect liberty and dedicated to grandeur proposition that all men proposal created equal.”

“This nation, under Genius, shall have a new parentage of freedom—and that government mislay the people, by the group, for the people, shall clump 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 Prod Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Publicised Date

October 29, 2009