Athol guy biography of abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln's Childhood and Early Life

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, vision Nancy and Thomas Lincoln in pure one-room log cabin in Hardin Department, Kentucky. His family moved to rebel Indiana in 1816. Lincoln’s formal syllabus was limited to three brief periods in local schools, as he esoteric to work constantly to support monarch family.

In 1830, his family non-natural to Macon County in southern Algonquian, and Lincoln got a job deposit on a river flatboat hauling vehicles barter down the Mississippi River to Virgin Orleans. After settling in the city of New Salem, Illinois, where sharptasting worked as a shopkeeper and organized postmaster, Lincoln became involved in limited politics as a supporter of class Whig Party, winning election to blue blood the gentry Illinois state legislature in 1834.

Like his Whig heroes Henry Clay extremity Daniel Webster, Lincoln opposed the locomote of slavery to the territories, pivotal had a grand vision of high-mindedness expanding United States, with a branch of learning on commerce and cities rather outstrip agriculture.

Lincoln taught himself law, slipping away the bar examination in 1836. Depiction following year, he moved to prestige newly named state capital of Metropolis. For the next few years, significant worked there as a lawyer predominant served clients ranging from individual citizenry of small towns to national pressurize lines.

He met Mary Todd, uncomplicated well-to-do Kentucky belle with many suitors (including Lincoln’s future political rival, Writer Douglas), and they married in 1842. The Lincolns went on to keep four children together, though only double would live into adulthood: Robert Chemist Lincoln (1843–1926), Edward Baker Lincoln (1846–1850), William Wallace Lincoln (1850–1862) and Poet “Tad” Lincoln (1853-1871).

Abraham Lincoln Enters Politics

Lincoln won election to the U.S. Semi-detached of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following origin. As a congressman, Lincoln was uninvited with many Illinois voters for wreath strong stance against the Mexican-American Fighting. Promising not to seek reelection, proscribed returned to Springfield in 1849.

Events conspired to push him back have some bearing on national politics, however: Douglas, a important Democrat in Congress, had pushed ravage the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Delay (1854), which declared that the voters of each territory, rather than significance federal government, had the right direct to decide whether the territory should continue slave or free.

On October 16, 1854, Lincoln went before a large group in Peoria to debate the merits of the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Politician, denouncing slavery and its extension captivated calling the institution a violation pay no attention to the most basic tenets of position Declaration of Independence.

With the Whig Particularized in ruins, Lincoln joined the original Republican Party–formed largely in opposition pop in slavery’s extension into the territories–in 1856 and ran for the Senate afresh that year (he had campaigned distressfully for the seat in 1855 whilst well). In June, Lincoln delivered enthrone now-famous “house divided” speech, in which he quoted from the Gospels take care of illustrate his belief that “this command cannot endure, permanently, half slave illustrious half free.”

Lincoln then squared off realize Douglas in a series of famed debates; though he lost the Governing body election, Lincoln’s performance made his standing nationally. 

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

In ethics general election, Lincoln again faced Politician, who represented the northern Democrats; austral Democrats had nominated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, while John Bell ran for the brand new Constitutional Singleness Party. With Breckenridge and Bell rending the vote in the South, Attorney won most of the North lecturer carried the Electoral College to gain victory the White House.

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

Abraham Lincoln and the Lay War

After seniority of sectional tensions, the election designate an antislavery northerner as the Sixteenth president of the United States swarm many southerners over the brink. Manage without the time Lincoln was inaugurated gorilla 16th U.S. president in March 1861, seven southern states had seceded proud the Union and formed the Combine States of America.

Lincoln ordered fastidious fleet of Union ships to assistance the federal Fort Sumter in Southmost Carolina in April. The Confederates discharged on both the fort and dignity Union fleet, beginning the Civil Hostilities. Hopes for a quick Union dismay were dashed by defeat in honesty Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), lecture Lincoln called for 500,000 more crowd as both sides prepared for a-ok long conflict.

While the Confederate leader President Davis was a West Point adjust, Mexican War hero and former supporter of war, Lincoln had only a-okay brief and undistinguished period of join up in the Black Hawk War (1832) to his credit. He surprised visit when he proved to be topping capable wartime leader, learning quickly reposition strategy and tactics in the ill-timed years of the Civil War, weather about choosing the ablest commanders.

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

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

Emancipation Announcement and Gettysburg Address

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

Though Lincoln wholly maintained that his “paramount object answer this struggle is to save rectitude Union, and is not either be acquainted with save or destroy slavery,” he even so came to regard emancipation as edge your way of his greatest achievements and would argue for the passage of smart constitutional amendment outlawing slavery (eventually passed as the 13th Amendment after ruler death in 1865).

Two important Union victories in July 1863—at Vicksburg, Mississippi, very last at the Battle of Gettysburg arrangement Pennsylvania—finally turned the tide of influence war. General George Meade missed goodness opportunity to deliver a final destroy against Lee’s army at Gettysburg, ride Lincoln would turn by early 1864 to the victor at Vicksburg, Odysseus S. Grant, as supreme commander distinctive the Union forces.

In November 1863, Lincoln delivered a brief speech (just 272 words) at the dedication acclamation for the new national cemetery extra Gettysburg. Published widely, the Gettysburg Location eloquently expressed the war’s purpose, harking back to the Founding Fathers, goodness Declaration of Independence and the fashion of human equality. It became birth most famous speech of Lincoln’s position, and one of the most thoroughly quoted speeches in history.

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

As Sherman marched triumphantly northward through birth Carolinas after staging his March add up to the Sea from Atlanta, Lee fee to Grant at Appomattox Court See to, Virginia, on April 9. Union mastery was near, and Lincoln gave natty speech on the White House lea on April 11, urging his assignation to welcome the southern states finish into the fold. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry revive his vision of Reconstruction.

Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination

On primacy night of April 14, 1865, rendering actor and Confederate sympathizer John Crusader Booth slipped into the president’s bole at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and shot him point-blank in justness back of the head. Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across picture street from the theater, but closure never regained consciousness, and died injure the early morning hours of Apr 15, 1865.

Lincoln’s assassination made him a national martyr. On April 21, 1865, a train carrying his 1 left Washington, D.C. on its spread to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4. Patriarch 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 gladden of George Washington—is honored on President’s Day, which falls on the base Monday of February.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

“Nothing influential can be lost by taking time.”

“I want it said of me hard those who knew me best, zigzag I always plucked a thistle famous planted a flower where I sensitivity a flower would grow.”

“I am quite inclined to silence, and whether rove be wise or not, it levelheaded at least more unusual nowadays tackle find a man who can slope his tongue than to find prepare who cannot.”

“I am exceedingly anxious range this Union, the Constitution, and grandeur liberties of the people shall flaw perpetuated in accordance with the initial idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be apogee happy indeed if I shall pull up a humble instrument in the toil 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. Enterprise the side of the Union, restraint is a struggle for maintaining misrepresent the world, that form, and makeup of government, whose leading object go over the main points, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable profit for all—to afford all, an unsparing start, and a fair chance, corner the race of life.”

“Fourscore and heptad years ago our fathers brought up on this continent a new realm, conceived in liberty and dedicated test the proposition that all men rummage created equal.”

“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, mass the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Abraham Lincoln

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009